Rediscovering Hope: A Review of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
Frank Capra’s film strongly focuses on George Bailey – a man who has to choose between a successful life of one’s own and family responsibilities as he lives in a small town of Bedford Falls. Desperate over earning little money left but debts, George Aevasov decides to commit a suicide on Christmas Eve. The guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, saves him and takes him through a life without George, thereby giving insight into the importance of George’s life.
The movie has the aspects of redemption, togetherness, and family love and is shrouded in the context of a fantasy story. At the same time it remains depressing enough to be true and provides a balance between the hope of Christmas and the confirmations that every life counts for something. It is the tone of the movie that is warm, sentimental and ultimately inspirational, giving people something to believe in as they wait for their troubles.
James Stewart underplays the role of George Bailey, a man burdened by the missed opportunities in life but filled with good spirit and good deeds. Donna Reed plays Mary equally well, she also provides support and strength where it is needed. Lionel Barrymore brings tension assuming the role of a wicked Mr. Potter. The actors’ performances are massive in portraying the emotions, credits to Frank Capra who educates the audience with a wonderful combination of fiction and actual life. The performances are wonderful, especially from Capra who manages to convey believable emotion and make the story feel real despite the presence of fairly incredible events.
Perfect for the story, the musical score adds to the film’s montages and emotional scenes in the best possible manner. The music songs are more in the traditional and orchestral style that celebrates the spirit of festive season and underlines touching emotions felt during the movie and takes the audience closer and closer to the world of George.
The cinematography bears the focus on the usage of lights and darks to add the depth to the characters and to the movie as a whole. This is the genius of the way that Bedford Falls is depicted, with the town given character of the scenery taken to timeless artistry. The executed visual narrative is fantastic, especially during the vision that occurs to the main character, George.
It is obvious that the scenic work perfectly represented the show’s mid-20th century setting of Bedford Falls. Every aspect of the setting, costumes and the props are excellent enough to bring the period into perspective adding to the feel of nostalgia as well as realism which was characteristic of the post战争 American cinema.
This is as a result of the limitation of special effects in the kind of movies of the period that are evident in Clarence’s angelic interventions. These are not really flashy; they do not pull on the viewer’s attention away from the flow of the film’s action and drama. It is evident that transitions between the realistic and the surreal are well thought through so that the narrative flow is fluid throughout George’s change.
The pacing of the film is slow but this is a good thing because the characters and feelings can be complexly developed. Each scene leads to the next and increases the film’s tension in order to have the viewer engrossed for the duration, until the very end.
There is remarkable usage of dialog which is appropriate to the period and reflects the concerns as well as successes and failures of each of the characters. Dialogue unfailingly truthful, whimsically funny and often, sagely woven through the movie, the lines reverberate and linger, long after the movie is over.
Perhaps because of this, those assuming ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is an iconic movie, may find it a tad slow than the movies of the current generation. However, this deliberate pace is imperative as it builds the basis of the emotional payoff and contributes to the viewers’ intelligent contemplation.
Frank Capra’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ remains one of the most beloved films to date. It is a message of hope, redemption and the extraordinary influence that individual lives can have is one that will always remain relevant. The film is a very emotional one, the acting is great, and the story is warm and heartful, making quite an impression that represents Humanitarian aspect of the world and the beauty of the stories.
