Over rated because it so darn good

Rating: 10/10 (13 March 2006)

Once, in the mid 1980's I was visiting someone at a gated community where Frank Capra owned a home and there he was standing by the guard gate talking with the gate keeper. There was Frank Capra, the director responsible for such films as It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, Lost Horizon, You Can't Take it with you, Arsenic and Old Lace, Platinum Blonde and so many others but as I passed by the first film that came to mind was It's a Wonderful Life. Is this film just too indoctrinated in my mind or is it that good of a film? Well, maybe a little of both but it is that good of a film. Is this film over rated? Maybe so but even at it's critical worst it's still a great film. Jimmy Stewart shines as he leads an excellent cast of Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Ward Bond and Frank Faylen among others. This film was nominated for three of the major Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Jimmy Stewart. It was also nominated for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. Well photographed by cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc who would have a long career in film and beautiful art direction from veteran art director Jack Oakey with music from Dimitri Tiomkin this is a well balanced piece of American Cinema. It's amazing that Capra, who would live until 1991 would only direct five more theatrical features after Wonderful Life in his long life. My only fault with this film is of no fault of the film itself but because it has become somehow the benchmark of Christmas movies and gets too much airplay during the holiday season while other great and near great Christmas-themed movies get overlooked. It's a little sentimental but dark enough not to be a Norman Rockwell painting on film and as over rated as it has become I still can't give it less than a 10.