It's a Wonderful Life is a movie that has been a staple in the hearts and minds of many when it comes to the holiday season. A story of a man who takes for granted all of the good things in his life has to face up to what life would have been for everyone else if he hadn't been there for it. I'm not sure exactly the journey he's taken on and what he discovers at the end, but I know he comes around to seeing that he should appreciate life a little more and the people he's surrounded by. It's a lesson so many of us could use because we trudge on in our daily lives not noticing the things that are valuable to us and give our lives meaning. Or we get so bogged down in the daily grind that we forget to make time for the things that are important to us. Sometimes we may not even know what those things are because we never really take the time to evaluate what would make us happier. This film was made in 1946 and I've heard about it my entire life. It seems the younger generations that came after me aren't as interested in this film as the generations that came before me, but I feel this movie deserved a watch, especially by me who rides the line between those generations. I guess I should start the movie and see what I think.
Metal fetal skull on desk of Mr. Potter
I can understand how this movie has withstood the test of time for the past 75 years. It has a lot of heart and is incredibly well acted by the entire cast. At first you can't understand how a man who's lived his kind of life can get to the point of wanting to end it all, but it makes it so clear in one single scene and it's kind of amazing that, even in his darkest moment, he's still thinking of how he can better someone else's life. Granted it's a misguided notion that the people you love would be happier with you gone than they would be if you were there, but he still has at least good intentions. It's a truly sad story that every time he gets a chance to live his dream, it's ripped out from under him. Every. Single. Time. Sure, he did a load of good for the town he lives in and all the people in it, but he never even gets to take a honeymoon with his new bride because he spends the money on the towns people who are panicking when the bank shuts down. I'm assuming that moment represents when the economy collapsed in the 30s and The Great Depression began. He was a truly selfless man and constantly put himself aside for the betterment of others. Even when he reaches his breaking point and lashes out at everyone around him, he snaps out of it very quickly and apologizes. He leaves to cool off and come up with a solution. It's not a very good solution, but people go to extremes when they're in dark places.
George Bailey lives a bit of a charmed life in that he grows up with the immense love of his family, draws everyone to him with his positive character and charm and comes across many opportunities throughout his life. He doesn't get to take advantage of all of them, but they're there all the same. It's just a shame that he never gets to take advantage of the opportunities that would allow him to travel and see the world. I also have to mention about his honeymoon plans. They save up $2,000 to travel to their chosen places. Nowadays, for two people to vacation, that would just be for a single week to go to one place. Back then, that was enough for them both to travel to multiple places for twice that amount of time. Crazy to think that in today's terms, he might have had to save nearly $10,000 for the same type of vacation. Now, they only mentioned New York and Bermuda, but they're doing the most lavish weeks possible, so we're not talking a skimpy vacation. In that day though, it would have been so difficult to save up that $2,000, so the pair offering it up to help their fellow townspeople really shows something about their character. Also, huge praise goes out to Mary for understanding his need to help people and reworking their entire plan to stay in town and making a new home for the pair. She was truly impressive with that quick thinking and proved to be the perfect complement to his selfless nature.
Then there's Mr. Potter, the man who has money on his mind at all times and isn't capable of empathy for another's situation. I don't know if anyone else noticed it, but I spotted a metal fetal skull on his desk. Very interesting item to have for a man in that era. Seems fitting for a man like him to flaunt his money on something macabre like that. In that time, I can imagine that to be considered a frivolous purchase only the wealthy could afford. Mr. Potter is the man that pretty much keeps the town running since he's the one who's invested the most in it, but he does it in a way that shows he enjoys keeping the people under his thumb. He revels in his power and can't stand someone else competing against him. He's constantly trying to find ways to get rid of the Building & Loan and the Bailey family's hold on the people. It's not even so much the "hold" they have, more like the removal of the people from under Potter's thumb. We see so much of this type of character in films and it's easy to relate this to people in positions of power in the real world. Truthfully, though, it's not like they do much in the real world to dispel this image, so it's easy to imagine the money holders of the world to have the mindset of only the money is important and the people are inconsequential. It really grates against the nerves of the average person since we feel like we struggle through our daily lives to not earn as much as we need to get ahead in life. George represents the chance that we all hope to have to get ourselves ahead in life.
I feel like I would watch this film again and maybe not specifically at Christmas-time. It has a part of it during Christmas and ends on a note of the holiday, but the film itself is more about the life he lives and the moments in his life that have the most impact on himself and everyone around him. It shows that our lives are richer than we give them credit for and it's often easy to overlook the little things that bring our lives meaning. There is also the lesson that what we give to others comes back to us in surprising ways. It reminds us to think of others and to do little favors to spread good will. Definitely worth the watch, if you haven't yet seen it.
For my next movie, I'm going to watch Million Dollar Baby in honor of National Mentor's Month. Stay tuned!
Just for fun. :D
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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