"It's a Wonderful Life"

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This afternoon I watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the cinema. It is one of my favourite films. The place was full. Towards the end you could hear people sniffling and after the film finished there was an applause 😃

Brilliant.

What is your favourite scene?
 
Before we leave for Christmas Break, we have to watch the movie every year in our school. I’ve seen it 2 times before and loved the whole thing. Our headmaster told us that the movie had a message that every life is important, even if you don’t know it.

My favorite line was when he said, “This is a very interesting situation!”
 
Like every other Frank Capra film, it’s hard to have a favorite scene!!! 🙂
 
One of my favorite films. Jimmy Stewart puts in such a great performance.
 
Just finished watching it again and was struck anew by the transition in G.B. from the cocky, confident, genial guy to the dark, haunted, desperate man. Whether this is due to the genius of the actor or director or both, it is to me the heart of the movie, the depiction of character and personality, or personhood in crisis. Stewart has done this so well in other films, those with Hitchcock for instance, and some of the westerns, it is almost his tradmark.
 
Anything Stewart, Capra, or Hitchcock did is gold!! I’d say Stewart’s great performances are a nice combination of acting and directing.
 
I watched it Christmas eve with my two sons, age 9 and 11 who had never seen it before. I myself have probably not watched it all the way through in several years.

I really enjoyed watching them see it for the first time, especially the 11yo.

My 11yo had many questions about the economics of the time, wondering what was a “Building and Loan” and a run on the bank, etc. Since we watched it on NBC we had the commercial time to explain that stuff, lol.

He kept wanting to know when it was going to be a “Christmas movie”. (I had forgotten the first 2 thirds of the movie doesn’t take place at Christmas time!)

He got that Potter was a bad guy pretty quickly but was shocked and furiously incensed when he realized that he was going to keep Uncle Billy’s money and not say anything about it. He was practically in tears about it!

The best part though was watching him go through the same transition that George Bailey did. He was more and more discouraged as he realized that George was never going to get out of Bedford Falls, and that he kept giving up his chances to do so for the sake of everyone else.

Then he kept asking why it was called “It’s a Wonderful Life” because he thought that George’s life was pretty awful, especially on that fateful Christmas Eve when the money gets lost.

But then, oh how fantastic to watch him see what would have happened if George Bailey had never been born, and how profoundly grateful and joy-filled George was when he got it all back, even the warrant for his arrest!

I was in tears myself when he gets home again, and all the friends and family George helped over his life came to him when he needed it, giving the lie to Potter who said they’d run him out of town on a rail.

Beautiful, beautiful movie! Wonderful Christmas eve for my family!
 
I always liked this quote: Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?
 
smswife said:
I watched it Christmas eve with my two sons, age 9 and 11 who had never seen it before. I myself have probably not watched it all the way through in several years.

I really enjoyed watching them see it for the first time, especially the 11yo.

My 11yo had many questions about the economics of the time, wondering what was a “Building and Loan” and a run on the bank, etc. Since we watched it on NBC we had the commercial time to explain that stuff, lol.

He kept wanting to know when it was going to be a “Christmas movie”. (I had forgotten the first 2 thirds of the movie doesn’t take place at Christmas time!)

He got that Potter was a bad guy pretty quickly but was shocked and furiously incensed when he realized that he was going to keep Uncle Billy’s money and not say anything about it. He was practically in tears about it!

The best part though was watching him go through the same transition that George Bailey did. He was more and more discouraged as he realized that George was never going to get out of Bedford Falls, and that he kept giving up his chances to do so for the sake of everyone else.

Then he kept asking why it was called “It’s a Wonderful Life” because he thought that George’s life was pretty awful, especially on that fateful Christmas Eve when the money gets lost.

But then, oh how fantastic to watch him see what would have happened if George Bailey had never been born, and how profoundly grateful and joy-filled George was when he got it all back, even the warrant for his arrest!

I was in tears myself when he gets home again, and all the friends and family George helped over his life came to him when he needed it, giving the lie to Potter who said they’d run him out of town on a rail.

Beautiful, beautiful movie! Wonderful Christmas eve for my family!
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What a wonderful story!
 
When Mr Bank Examiner gives in and donates and then starts happily singing.

Ernie grabs for Clarence and he disappears.
 
I actually like the two Italian guys in the bar; how they treated him when the teacher’s husband punched him. 👍
 
smswife said:
I He got that Potter was a bad guy pretty quickly but was shocked and furiously incensed when he realized that he was going to keep Uncle Billy’s money and not say anything about it. He was practically in tears about it!

!
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that’s the way to see it, with someone who is watching for the first time

I’m with him, the part about Mr. Potter getting away with robbery is one of the most shocking parts of the plot, next to the fact that he never apparently gets caught or punished. And that to me is one of the most Christian elements of the movie–we don’t know and don’t need to know the fate of those who have hurt us in this life.
 
puzzleannie said:
that’s the way to see it, with someone who is watching for the first time

I’m with him, the part about Mr. Potter getting away with robbery is one of the most shocking parts of the plot, next to the fact that he never apparently gets caught or punished. And that to me is one of the most Christian elements of the movie–we don’t know and don’t need to know the fate of those who have hurt us in this life.
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There was a scene that got cut in the final edit of the movie, but it’s in the original script: in the last ten minutes of the movie, just after George Bailey bangs on Mr. Potter’s window and yells Merry Christmas to him, Clarence appeared to Mr. Potter to give him a little warning as to the state of his soul. Unfortunately, it got cut for timing purposes; I would have liked to have seen that, as it would tie off that particular loose end, but I might just be a stickler for that kind of thing.
 
puzzleannie said:
that’s the way to see it, with someone who is watching for the first time

I’m with him, the part about Mr. Potter getting away with robbery is one of the most shocking parts of the plot, next to the fact that he never apparently gets caught or punished. And that to me is one of the most Christian elements of the movie–we don’t know and don’t need to know the fate of those who have hurt us in this life.
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I love the whole Christian subtext of the film. Living for others and sacrificing one’s desires will lead to a truly wonderful life, although it can be difficult at times.

The scene that always moves me is when George comes home on that fatal Christmas eve and is really angry, shouts at the kids and has a go at the teacher over the phone. He asks Mary why they have to have all those kids. This time I watched the film that line really showed me George’s desperation and pain. Can you imagine a loving father saying something awful like that? It was so sad and so real. The film has not aged at all in the way it conveys the message.
 
I’m with him, the part about Mr. Potter getting away with robbery is one of the most shocking parts of the plot, next to the fact that he never apparently gets caught or punished. And that to me is one of the most Christian elements of the movie–we don’t know and don’t need to know the fate of those who have hurt us in this life.
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I was telling my DH about this thread, and he showed me this SNL skit where Mr. Potter does get caught and punished:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/115719/saturday-night-live-wonderful-life
 
smswife said:
I was telling my DH about this thread, and he showed me this SNL skit where Mr. Potter does get caught and punished:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/115719/saturday-night-live-wonderful-life
Click to expand...
I remember the SnL skit! I was a kid when it came on and I actually saw that before I ever watched the movie…It’s A Wonderful Life is my favorite movie of all-time. Whenever I feel a little down, I think about George Bailey and realize that we are all important. As to my favorite part, it’s the line that Clarence writes in the book he gives George- Remember, no man is a failure who has friends. My wife bought me an ornament with that line on it. I love this movie!!
 
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