It’s a Wonderful Life DVD Review
December 11, 2008 – 2:58 pm | by Peekay
Well what can you say about this film? It’s a classic, a Christmas classic at that which is quite an accolade for a film which is in black & white and is over 50 years old. In these days when so many films are made just to exploit the Christmas film market it’s still warming to see It’s a Wonderful Life being a part of our yuletide.
George Bailey (James Stewart) is the eternal optimist who wants to see the world, to break out of the little town of Bedford Falls, to shake “the dust of this crummy little town off my feet”. But this never works out for George. He stays at home to help his fathers “Building and Loan” to keep running against the evil machinations of wheelchair-bound bank manager Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). And when his brother returns from college, and George expects that he can then go to college his plans are thwarted by his brothers marriage and work plans.
The bright spots of marrying his childhood sweetheart (Donna Reed) and raising a family end up being soured by his failure to get away and see the world, and a mistake by his Uncle Billy with some Building and Loan funds, exploited by Potter.
George Bailey realises that with his life insurance policy he is worth more dead than alive. The missing money is about to be discovered by the banking inspectors, christmas is a few days away and Bedford Falls is covered in snow.
Frank Capra has created a perfect “man in peril” situation and then brings in an experienced angel Clarence (Henry Travers) to show him how his worth is more than money, but how his existence has brought so much to the people he has known. To do this Clarence gives George Bailey the chance to experience the world as if he had never been born.
As the film nears its climax and George exclaims “Help me Clarence, please! Please! I wanna live again. I wanna live again” and the snow begins to fall again, its a cold heart indeed that fails to melt.
The digitally remastered DVD includes a 23 minute “Making of..” documentary narrated by Tom Bosley of Happy Days fame, and a personal introduction and interview with Frank Capra Jr.
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