Tag: It’s a Wonderful Life

Ok, re Christmas movies versus movies with Christmas as a backdrop: what are your thoughts on It’s a Wonderful Life? I maintain that this is NOT a Christmas movie, because most of it DOESN’T EVEN TAKE PLACE AT CHRISTMAS. My family, however, vehemently disagree with me.

phoenixwrites:

saxgoddess25:

phoenixwrites:

This is an excellently controversial question, I love it.

Unfortunately…I’m so sorry…I must disagree with you.  “It’s A Wonderful Life” is definitely a Christmas movie.  Because the climax of the film MUST take place on Christmas.

It’s for sure a weird Christmas film (it wasn’t even marketed as a Christmas film in the beginning) because, as you said, most of it doesn’t even take place on Christmas.  

To counter that point though, most of “The Santa Clause” also doesn’t take place on Christmas, and yet, that is most definitely a Christmas film.  

But the climax of the film, where George Bailey wishes he’d never been born, absatively-posalutely must take place on Christmas–the Christmas after World War 2 had ended, when his brother is returning home.  The climax cannot take place at any other time of year because Christmas is a time for magic and miracles.  “It’s A Wonderful Life” mirrors “A Christmas Carol”, whence the magic must take place the night before Christmas in order to teach our heroes an important lesson.  

George Bailey must learn what a difference he has made to Bedford Falls, Scrooge must learn what a difference he CAN make to those in his life, and the holiday of Christmas–historically magical, sacred, holiday about the magic of belief and faith–is the only way the magic can work on them.  

George Bailey couldn’t learn this on his birthday.  Or Easter.  Or on the 4th of July.  It has to be Christmas and it has to come from a Christmas angel.  It has to be Christmas when all hope seems lost for him and he nearly jumps from a snowy bridge.  It has to be Christmas when he runs through through the town and realizes what a blessing it is to be ALIVE, yelling “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” to everyone he loves.

It must be Christmas.  The whole story hinges on this event.

These discussions are interesting. I, myself, don’t really care what gets classified as a Christmas movie. Instead, the thing that always perturbs me is that apparently “My favourite things” from the sound of music is played as Christmas song. Talk about something that has nothing to do with Christmas. Just because it mentions winter and snowflakes and that they like receiving presents) does not a Christmas song make.

Christmas is my FAVORITE HOLIDAY so I have STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT IT.

Don’t even get me started on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and how it’s commonplace for them to fucking sing “hang a shining star upon the highest bough” instead of “until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” I WILL GET ANGRY, DON’T GET ME STARTED–

Ahem.  Have to agree.  “My Favorite Things” is definitely not a Christmas song and if you’re including it on your Christmas album, you are wrong.

I would argue that the entirety of the film (It’s a Wonderful Life) does take place on Christmas Eve, because everything we’re seeing (George’s childhood, his courtship and marriage to Mary, his arguments with Potter, his family growing, etc.) is being shown to us through Clarence’s eyes.

The movie begins where George’s friends and family are all praying for him *on* Christmas Eve. The angels hear the prayer and summon Clarence to go down to earth to stop him from committing suicide. But before he’s sent, they inform him about “who is George Bailey”–it’s all flashbacks through the years, but ALL of those flashbacks are being told *on* Christmas Eve.

Clarence then goes down to earth to stop George from killing himself, and we know that this is in fact Christmas Eve, and this is when George makes his ill-fated wish that he’d never been born. And then yes, the climax of the movie, that entire last 20 minutes or so, is all focused and centered on around the holiday of Christmas.

So I am of the camp that yes, it’s a Christmas movie, and it all takes place *at* Christmas, even if we’re seeing scenes from George’s life that don’t take place at Christmas.

Even More 25 Days of the Bransons

gothamgirl28:

Author’s Note: I’m not sure about this one, but I hope you like it.

Day 12: It’s A Wonderful Life

Sybil shut the door to the nursery and sighed. It had taken a bit of wrangling with Rory, but finally both of her sons were taking their afternoon naps. Now she and Tom could enjoy some time together.

She hurried downstairs and went to the movie room her parents set up ages ago. Tom was already there.

“I’ve narrowed it down to two films. It’s a Wonderful Life or White Christmas?”

Sybil didn’t even have to think about it. “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Tom grinned at her and quickly placed the DVD into the player-projector. The two then cuddled up together, munching on pretzels and M&Ms.

“This is nice,” Tom whispered. “Just the two of us.”

Sybil smiled. “I know. I love our kids but it’s nice to do things just with you.”

He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Then he returned to watching the movie.

“How long before we’re interrupted?” She asked.

“Well Moira’s not due back from her day with Cora until after dinner. I say the boys will wake up before we’re halfway done with the movie.”

Sybil thought for a moment. “I think we’ll get to the halfway mark before they wake.”

Her husband eyed her. “Loser does the dishes tonight.”

“Deal.”

Over two hours later, Sybil and Tom were watching the end of the movie while Rory played with a toy train on the floor and Sean cuddled with his mom. Both boys had woken up just past the film’s halfway mark, making Sybil the winner.

As the movie ended, Sybil smiled at her husband. “I love that film.”

“Me too.” He glanced at his watch. “I better get started on dinner. I can’t believe I have to make dinner and do the dishes.”

His wife chuckled. “Tell you what. Let’s order some Chinese food. Then you only have to do the dishes.”

“I like the way you think.”

brightwalldarkroom:

“Of course, there’s another way to read It’s a Wonderful Life, a much more cynical one to be sure, but one that I suspect goes a long way toward explaining its massive appeal over the years.

Who among us can’t relate to a life not going as planned, to endlessly deferring dreams in exchange for a type of quiet domestic desperation, to making small concessions that eventually turn into an entire life you’d never really meant to have?

George Bailey dreams of a life perpetually out of reach, always right around a corner he can never quite round. He makes all the responsible choices, the safe ones, the necessary ones, and in exchange gives up nearly all of his youthful ambitions—an adventurous Man of the World becoming, instead, a Family Man stuck back in his old hometown, running the family business. It’s heartbreaking to watch. And worse, it happens to almost every single one of us, in one way or another.

But It’s a Wonderful Life assures us that it’s all still going to be okay. It assuages that nagging voice in the back of our heads that tells us we were meant for something greater, soothes that itching ambition and resulting disappointment at a life not fully lived. Looking at it this way, it’s not hard to see why so many people love and embrace this film. Who doesn’t want to feel better about all the things they never did? Who doesn’t want to think that all the compromises they’ve made along the way will wind up bringing them just as much happiness as the dreams they traded them in for? Thus, we flock to It’s a Wonderful Life because it’s our therapy, a culturally endorsed, holiday-approved balm for all the miseries and disappointments that pile up around us with each passing year.”

—Chad Perman, “It’s a Wonderful Life?” (Bright Wall/Dark Room, Dec. 2016)

70 years of George Bailey

oldhollywoodpicturebook:

“What many movie buffs don’t know is that George Bailey’s bleak Christmas Eve was actually shot during a series of 90-degree days in June and July in 1946 on RKO’s ranch in Encino, California. The days were so hot that Capra gave the cast and crew a day off during filming to recover from heat exhaustion. In the famous scene on the bridge, before he saves Clarence the angel from the dark, swirling waters below, a suicidal George Bailey is clearly sweating — although Jimmy Stewart’s wonderful acting convinces us that fear and dread might well be the reason for that.”

Behind the scenes of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Read more at LIFE

70 years of George Bailey