It's a Wonderful Life

In It’s a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra once again tells a story about an honourable, ordinary person, and no one could tell such stories better than he could.

Conscientious George Bailey has put his own dreams aside to keep the family building and loan business going after his father’s death. Over the years, his job and its modest financial rewards leave him disillusioned. On top of that, he is wrongly suspected of financial crime. His shame and despair bring him to the brink of suicide. Friends try to change his mind, but angels must also intervene to help him realise that life is wonderful, and that the world would be a poorer place without his contribution.

When It’s a Wonderful Life premiered at Christmas in 1946, it was not a success; people found the film too depressing. Due to an administrative error, the film’s rights were not renewed when they expired in the 1970s, and it entered the public domain—a fact that TV stations in the United States have made frequent use of. This brought the film increased attention and classic status.

Christmas is a time for simple messages, and no one can help being moved when Bailey comes to realise that life is wonderful after all.