1946 - Rated ? - 2 hr 10 min
Director: Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
It's always fun when classics pop up. I have to admit this is the first time I've ever watched this movie outside the Christmas season, so that was a little weird. But it's still a good one.
I realized though, how rarely I catch the very beginning. And I have to admit that the weird stars talking to each other was a bit odd. I don't really remember that too much. Odd choice, really. Wouldn't it have been better to show us a scene in heaven with three actors? I don't know. I feel like I'm harping on an unimportant detail here. Maybe I am.
Anyway, the message behind this movie is pretty clear. George Bailey was a good man, whose good deeds never seem to go unpunished. The poor guy is like Job in the Bible, except his faith is placed in others and the universe in general. But no, nothing works out for the guy. Save your brother, go deaf in one ear. Meet a pretty girl, your dad dies. Help your brother out, get trapped in the family company. Damn.
I'd be "discouraged" too, you know? And when all looks lost, someone finally steps in to help. All those prayers do him some good and the whole town comes together to make him a rich man, show him some support, and give an angel his wings. Warms the heart, you know.
It's cinematography and story-telling style is from another age of Hollywood, but the story and the characters ring true even today. There should be more people like George Bailey in the world, that's for sure.
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