Feeling wretched, miserable, hopeless, despondent...well if you are unfortunately having any of these feelings or all of them together; what you need is a one good dose of ’’IT’s A Wonderful Life’’- one of the most heartwarming and delightful movie to be ever made.And for the rest of u lucky ppl..without a worry in the world..there’s no better way to spend ur weekend than to unwind with this 1946 Frank Capra Classic.Yes, its old fashioned, sentimental-as-they-come and horrors of horrors in black-n-white..but inspite of all that, its one of the best films ever made..
Serendipity as you all know is a wonderful thing:and thats how I discovered this movie- ard 9 years back by pure chance..As I was aimlessly surfing the channels-i reached star movies-at that time it was the only english movie channel available..i stopped for a sec;they were showing a black-n-white movie!!Now I have got this strange relationship with black-n-white movies..i love the old black-n-white ’hindi’ movies but have some kind of an aversion towards black-n-white english movies..(think I have watched ard 5 black-n-white english movies in my entire life including saving private ryan and casablanca!!!)
But that day I stopped..and thank GOD for that..otherwise I wouldn’t be boring you to death with my review here..lol..The thing that stopped me was a voiceover in the movie where 2 angels in the form of stars are deep in conversation about George Bailey(James Stewart) who is so fed up with his miserable life that he is considering suicide. These angels discuss how George Bailey can be prevented from throwing away GOD’s greatest gift of LIFE.A trainee angel(thats how the concept of management trainees has come into existence:))is summoned as he’s the only one available and asked to do the needful.Now this is a second-class angel who has yet to earn his wings..lolol..and he’s promised by the other 2 angels that if he’s successful in his mission he will be granted wings..hehehhehehehe...yeah isn’t it fantastic..But before this trainee angel is sent to help George Bailey..he is given George Bailey’s background...
Flashback to George’s childhood who as a 9 year old saves his younger brother from certain death but goes partially deaf doing that.He is then shown working in a drugstore where he again saves the drugstore owner from prison when the old owner mixes some drugs up and young George points out the mistake to him.Now George has only one ambition-to escape from his small town drudgery and tour the world.Its an obsession and day in and day out thats what he keeps planning and thinking about.
George’s father owns a Building and Loan association in the small town of Bedford Falls.Thats the only institution which stands up against the resident evil businessman-Mr.Potter.His father wants him to take up the family business when George finishes College but coming to know of George’s plans , he
relents.However his father suffers a stroke and dies leaving a reluctant George to look after the business.He consoles himself with the thought that he would be able to fulfil his plans when his younger brother completes his college and comes to look after the business.But his younger brother marries a rich girl and goes to work for his father-in-law and his dreams come crashing down.
George finally marries his childhood sweetheart Mary(Donna Reed)after much inner turmoil and indecision as marriage means not being able to do what he ’’really wants’’-travel..Even his honeymoon, for which he plans to go outside his town falls through due to a crisis at his office.Years pass and he struggles to keep his business afloat with the help of his uncle.He is by then, father of 4 kids and with each passing day is getting more and more frustrated with his life.Then one day his absent-minded uncle loses $8000 cash of the institution which means bankruptcy for the business and prison for him..
He completely loses hope and utterly dejected with his life wants to end it...and thats when the fun begins..the trainee angel comes down to earth and in one of the most hilarious scenes in the film, jumps in the water before George- who is contemplating jumping in the water.George jumps after him to save the angel and after pulling him ashore asks him..who he is and what did he think he is doing..the angel says that he is a second class angel..to which George replies that’s the only kind of angel he(George)could have hoped for..hahaha..and asks him where was his wings..The angel replies that he has to earn them by helping George out.
He tries to show George that he has achieved a lot in life and there was no need for him to despair and be miserable..George remains unconvinced and says-’’wish I was never born’’The angel grants him his wish..and then George sees ’wat cud have happened if he was not born’.His beloved town wud have been completely taken over by Potter..his brother wud have been long dead..his uncle wud have been institutionalised running his father’s business..the chemist would have gone to jail..
None of his friends recognise him as he ’was never born’in the first place..nor does his mother..or his wife Mary..George then realizes what his life meant..how every man’s life is so important in the larger scheme of things..how ’’each man’s life touches so many other lives’’..He takes back his wish and returns to his family where Police wait to arrest him for the embezzlement of funds but all his friends and all the people of his town to whom he was ever so generous and friendly all his life, chip in with some cash and save his institution and him from prison..As the film rightly proclaims-’’No man is a failure who has friends’’
The film has some wonderful moments like when George asks Mary before they are married- what is that she truly desires..He claims that if she would want the moon..he would lasso the moon for her and bring it down to earth..to which a man who overhears this conversation tells him ’’Why don’t you kiss her instead of talking her to death?’’
The scene where his brother’s wife tells George about his brother’s plan to work for her father is very well done..the frustration and despair that George feels at that moment is very well brought out by James Stewart..
The scene of George with his little daughter just before he contemplates suicide is
absolutely top-notch..she shows him the flower that she has won at school but while she’s doing so the petals fall off the flower and the young girl innocently asks her dad to paste them back on..George unable to do so, pretends and then quietly slips the petals in his pocket...
And ofcourse the climax of the movie has one of the most celebrated endings of motion picture history when the innate goodness of people is reaffirmed and life’s true meaning revealed.
This fairytale like story is so wonderfully narrated that you are glued to your seats..its sentimental and sometimes mushy but the emotions are so sincere and the performances, specially by James stewart who earned an oscar nomination for his role, are so effective that it really uplifts you..makes you believe in Life..makes you thank GOD for his small blessings..and makes you believe that LIFE’s truly wonderful..
’It’s a wonderful life’ is a superlative movie which teaches us without getting
preachy..(okie it does get a lil preachy at times..:))that life is beautiful inspite of its
hardships, bleakness, miseries and to value LIFE-GOD’s GREATEST GIFT!!!
The film garnered 5 oscar nominations but didn’t win any but still for its creator Frank Capra it was his personal favourite as he truly believed that ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE!!!
CHEERS!!!