It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Whether you’ve seen George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) screaming, “Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls” or not, you know of the quintessential Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. Frank Capra’s features were described as “Capra corn” for their overly sentimental and moralistic stories, but throughout the 1940s there was no director more beloved. His various features have nearly all become classics, but none more so than It’s a Wonderful Life.
The film follows mild-mannered man George Bailey as he struggles to give himself and his family the finer things in life despite wanting to help out his fellow man. One night he wishes he was never born, and an angel decides to show him what Bedford Falls would look like without him.
Full disclosure: I saw this for the first time about seven years ago and, for the years leading up to that first viewing, I assumed the entire movie was about George Bailey not being born. Imagine my surprise at nearly half the film taking its time to set up the world of Bedford Falls and George Bailey’s life. (This isn’t a detriment, but instead just shows how popular culture has changed the plot for those who haven’t experienced it.) It’s a Wonderful Life lives up to the title though. Stewart and Donna Reed are fantastic and the story is just the perfect encapsulation of holiday spirit.
Stream it now on Amazon Prime.