A Wonderful Film with a Cutting Edge

Rating: 10/10 (4 October 2001)

Once again, my two cents' worth of a film that is the darling of so many people, myself included. It has its uplifting conclusion, and the theme that every life has its purpose in the great scheme of things. George Bailey is in trouble. He has decided to end it all. The thought of jail and disgrace is more than he can handle. George's life has been a continual parade of missed opportunities. There is a layer of pain just above the surface of nearly every scene. George is a victim and this series of disappointments takes its toll. He eventually becomes hardened and frustrated, but because he is honorable, he goes about the business of living. He has gifts he doesn't realize. He has family. He has status, and while not often appreciated, he is. Unfortunately, we don't always share our love and admiration with those who deserve it. His sense of adventure from birth has been clutched from him over and over. His bad ear makes the army an impossibility, his father's death forces him to run a business he wants to run away from, and even his honeymoon money is used to prevent a run on the bank. George never knows his importance until Henry Travers' well meaning angel comes along.
I love this movie, but I also take it seriously. It can be painful to watch sometimes. The best scenes are the ones where George never existed. His despair is evident and the tension builds higher and higher. When he comes back, such a weight that is lifted. Jimmy Stewart is at the top of his acting form; I loved him as a living human being and as an actor; he portrays the kindness I believe the world should have.
And then there is Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Ward Bond, and all the others. They are superb. It's a question all of us have wrestled with: "What if we had never existed?" There is no peer in Capra's canon. I truly believe that this is a necessary part of our heritage. We need to see things as they should be. I love Christmas because it at least portends to be the time we all look at our gifts. This movie is a gift to the world and one we can learn from over and over, even if the events never took place.