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It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra) 1946
Happy Holidays… ***1/2 12-25-01 Jeremy Heilman
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It’s a Wonderful Life is such a sacred cow of
American cinema that it seems petty to complain about it, and, for what it’s
worth, there’s little about it that bugs me. I certainly have a problem with
the arch simplicity of Mr. Potter, the villain, which feels far too easy and
cheap to let him be as effective a character as he might otherwise be.
Certainly, the way the Bailey family condescends toward their black maid irks me
every time I see the film as well. The nostalgic, overly patriotic attitude
toward WWII seems as if it must have felt like sap even at the time of the
film’s initial release. The suggestions at the film’s start that Jimmy
Stewart’s character is 22 (the actor was 38) and Donna Reed’s is 18 (she was
25) feel phony. Finally, there seems to be a moral simplicity that feels far too
clean for a film that wants to make us feel as if we have gone through the worst
of times. I can’t imagine Jimmy Stewart actually dishonoring his father’s
memory, no matter how far he’s thought he sunk, and that Capra can’t either
is somewhat disappointing. The film’s idea of a good man seems to be one that
possesses the ability to reject all personal desires and conform to a community
standard. 
Still, despite any nay saying that I might work up, I enjoy
watching the film. It has an uncanny ability to silence cynics like myself. So
many of the scenes in the film work, that it’s no wonder that it stands as a
perennial Holiday favorite for so many viewers, despite the fact that most of
the film doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas. My favorite aspect of the
film is the romance between Stewart and Donna Reed, which is exceptionally well
written and feels endearing enough that we don’t mind the sappiness. A lot of
the film’s funniest moments are found in this subplot, and it’s amazing that
this material has aged as well as it has. Capra, whatever your opinion of his
work might be, certainly knew what he was doing when he made a film, and that
ability to cross gender, temporal, and cultural borders is decidedly admirable.
Most of the dramatic scenes here also work well. In fact the only character
besides Potter that really feels false is Clarence, the guardian angel.
Ultimately a review of It’s a Wonderful Life feels superfluous.
You’ve all seen it, I imagine. I’ve seen it several times before, and I am
sure I’ll see it several times more. I’ll just stop now…