Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie's plot.

Genre: Drama
Video: fullscreen
Audio: English Dolby Digital, Spanish Dolby Digital
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Length: 132 min
Rating: Not-Rated
Release Date: 03/26/2002
Studio: Artisan

Commentary: None
Documentaries: None
Featurettes: The Making of It's A Wonderful Life with Tom Bosley; A tribute to Frank Capra, "A Personal Remembrance" from Frank Capra Jr.
Biographies: None
Interviews: None
Trailers/TV Spots: Theatrical Trailer
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: None
Music Video: None
Other: None

Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Beulah Bondi, Gloria Grahame
Written by: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hacknett, Frank Capra, Jo Swerling
Produced by: Frank Capra
Directed by: Frank Capra
Music: NA

Review:
George Bailey (James Stewart) is a hometown boy with big aspirations. After finishing high school, he is going to tour Europe then go to college and become a big name architect and construction job manager, building huge dams and great projects. Everything seems to be headed that way, too, until his father, Peter Bailey (Samuel S. Hinds), has a stroke and ends up dying. His father was the head of the local Savings and Loan and without his guidance, the vile Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), the town miser, plans on a forced takeover of the Savings and Loan, much to George's Uncle Billy's (Thomas Mitchell) wishes (and to the detriment of the town's poor).

The only way to save the Savings and Loan is for George, whom everyone respects and trusts, to step in as the new chairman and takeover. Giving up his tour of Europe and college education, George does the 'right' thing, and takes over the Savings and Loan, which is really the only thing standing between the poor of the town having a chance to live decent lives and Mr. Potter taking over everything and grinding them into the mud.

In giving up his college dreams, George has to watch while his younger brother, Harry (Todd Karns), uses his money to go to college, becomes a football star, then a war hero. George also watches his new found love, Mary (Donna Reed), go off to school. All of this turns George bitter, but he presses on, despite the problems. Eventually one good thing does happen, Mary comes back, and despite his bitterness towards his lost opportunities, George marries Mary and they make a life together as the advocates of the town's poor.

George, who helps the poor despite it hurting the Savings and Loan and keeping him perpetually poor, eventually runs into trouble. His forgetful uncle, Billy, loses an $8,000 deposit on Christmas Eve, just when the local auditor comes to check over their books. Without that money, George and Billy are bound to go to jail. As it turns out, Mr. Potter is the one who found it, but because he wants to crush them out of business, he doesn't give them the money.

For George, this is the last straw. Knowing his life is ruined, he finally breaks down and is mean to people, starting with his Uncle, but moving to his wife, kids, their schoolteachers, and, well, pretty much everyone. Until his guardian angel happens upon the scene, Clarence Oddbody (Henry Travers). Clarence appears just in time to stop George from killing himself then helps him to see all of the good that he has done for the people of the town and how much they need him. Once George realizes this, he can't wait to get back home, despite the impending jail sentence.

But when he returns home, even though the police and the auditor are waiting for him, he finds that his incredible wife has brought the townspeople together and they are going to bail him out. Thus ends a touching tale about how kindness can make you much wealthier in terms of relationships than can money.

Believe it or not, I had never seen this movie, despite it supposedly being a classic Christmas film. I was a bit hesitant, because I tend to enjoy psychological thrillers much more than sappy dramas, but I ended up appreciating this movie. However, my appreciation went much further than what I would consider the superficial heroics of George Bailey, who saved his younger brother and was nice to people. It was also deeper than the townspeople coming together in the end to save George and the Savings and Loan. What I really liked about this movie was the communism. Yep, that's right, this is pure communist propaganda and I loved every second of it. But before I get into that, let me talk about the story and the acting.

The story is pretty straightforward. It does cover quite a bit of time, but does so well and convincingly. There aren't any major plot holes and the only kind of quirky thing is the intervention of the guardian angel. For most people, the divine intervention is probably one of the best parts of the film. As an agnostic, I recognized that many people probably enjoyed this notion, but it was really just a necessary tool to illustrate to George what life would have been like had he not been born. And, yes, the portrayal of George's town without him was a bit extreme, and the idea of someone not being born wasn't particularly well-fleshed out (though this is a drama and not a science fiction thriller). But overall, it's a sound story that hits all the right marks to jerk a tear.

The acting is also good. There are some weaker links, like Thomas Mitchell and some of the other peripheral characters, but the main actors, Stewart and Reed, were really very good. (Oh, and Donna Reed, am I the only one that thinks she's attractive? I never thought I'd hear myself say that about Donna Reed...) Anyway, I can't really complain about the acting. It was really good for its time and pretty good for today.

Now, back to communism. Yes, this movie is about communism, but not Soviet or Chinese communism. This is essentially a boiled down version of Marxist communism, where the people own everything. It also is a brilliant depiction of the exploitation of the working classes by the bourgeoisie, in this case Mr. Potter. George's attempts to help the poor and maintain the Savings and Loan are Capra's way of defeating capitalist exploitation. Hooray for the little man! Three cheers for labor unions! If Frank Capra was just trying to tell a story and was not trying to criticize capitalism, then I'm a double-headed pig that can use a computer.

Overall, this is a very good film. It is well-produced, convincing (except for the whole guardian angel/talking in space thing), and the acting is good. But what's more, it has an anti-capitalist message. I can't say it was perfect, but it was touching and inspirational. If only we could take out the religion stuff, I'd say we have a rallying cry for social democracy (okay, leave in the religion for now, but eventually...). Anyway, if you haven't seen this movie, yes, it's sappy, but it's also heart-warming (and Donna Reed's cute). You should definitely check it (and her) out.

Image and Sound:
The movie is in black and white, but the picture is surprisingly clear. Yes, it's not perfect, but after sitting over 50 years in canisters in some back room in a studio warehouse, what do you expect. It is very good for it's time.

The sound is also very good. Though it doesn't have much depth, it has been digitally remastered to take out anything that doesn't belong (static, extra noises, etc.). I was very impressed with how well preserved this film was for when it was originally made. Very well-produced DVD.

The Extras:
There aren't a lot of extras on here, and what extras there are ('The Making of' and 'The Tribute') actually about the same thing. The Making of featurette, hosted by Tom Bosley, goes into a good deal of depth about the production process. There isn't much in the way of additional footage (actually, I don't think there's any), but there are some interesting informational tidbits revealed. For instance, the formula for the snow, which is surprisingly impressive, was revealed, as was the fact that most of the snow scenes were shot in the middle of a California heat wave. So, it's informative and well-produced.

The tribute featurette pretty much just goes over the same information, but with additional footage from interviews with Capra and is hosted by his son. You really can watch one or the other as the information is about the same.

Commentary:
Not applicable.


Final Words:
This is a very touching film that has been brought back to life for its many fans. Despite only having two real extra features, they are both well-done and informative. The picture and sound quality are surprisingly impressive. The acting and story are good. And, the movie is anti-exploitation (down with capitalism!). What's not to like about this film? I highly recommend this DVD.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4