It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
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A man's life is transformed by a guardian angel who shows him the impact of his existence on the world.
The story
On Christmas Eve 1945, in Bedford Falls, New York, George Bailey contemplates suicide. The prayers of his family and friends reach Heaven, where guardian angel second class Clarence Odbody is assigned to save George to earn his wings. Clarence shows George flashbacks of his life, including his childhood and his role in the local community. As George faces a crisis involving a missing sum of money and a threatening businessman, he is forced to confront the sacrifices he has made and the reality of his life in the small town.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
On Christmas Eve 1945, in Bedford Falls, New York, George Bailey contemplates suicide after a financial blunder by his Uncle Billy leads to a confrontation with the avaricious Henry Potter. A guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, intervenes and takes George into an alternate timeline where George was never born. In this 'Pottersville,' the town is a desolate place, and George's loved ones are strangers or suffering. He sees that his actions—saving his brother from drowning, helping a pharmacist, and keeping the local bank solvent—were vital to the community's well-being. Realizing the depth of his impact, George prays to have his life back. He returns to reality just as the townspeople gather to help him, and he is hailed as the 'richest man in town.' The film ends with his daughter, Zuzu, explaining that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.
- First release year
- 1946
- Runtime (minutes)
- 131
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Frank Capra
- Writers
- Frances Goodrich · screenplay; Albert Hackett · screenplay; Frank Capra · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- James Stewart · George Bailey; Donna Reed · Mary Hatch; Lionel Barrymore · Henry F. Potter; Thomas Mitchell · Uncle Billy; Henry Travers · Mr. Gower; Beulah Bondi · mother; Ward Bond · Bert; Frank Faylen · Mr. Gower
- Genres
- Christmas; fantasy; drama
- Themes
- self-belief; sacrifice; community; destiny
- Tone and mood
- sentimental; hopeful
- Setting
- Bedford Falls, New York, 1945
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; supernatural; alternate history
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Greatest Gift
- Content notes
- suicide
- Reception
- Initially received mixed reviews and was unsuccessful at the box office, it is now considered one of the greatest films of all time and a Christmas classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · scale: percentage · review count: 97; Metacritic · score: 89 · scale: 100 · review count: 17
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Motion Picture Director · win; CEC Award · Mejor Película Extranjera (Best Foreign Film) · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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