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It’s a Wonderful Life Film Review

Many wouldn’t believe that a modern day American classic would have failed at the box

office; The truth is, It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946) did. This film lost money, it cost

more to produce than what it made. This film is what the economic depression was about. It’s

about people feeling worthless that they were losing everything and not being grateful for

anything. That is why this film is so special. No one wanted to see what was actually going on,

they wanted to see people living lavishly. They wanted romance and money, not someone

wishing they never existed. It’s a Wonderful Life teaches a very important lesson while being an

underappreciated beautiful movie. The innovations, settings, and sheer talent of performances

makes it an amazing film that has turned a failure into a classic.

For background, the Great Depression had just ended in 1941 following World War II.

People were starting to try and get back on their feet, but there were more families impacted by

war and poverty than not. People lost their loved ones, their savings, and many families lost both.

Within a 5-year period, it’s not expected to get over these events. In the film It’s a Wonderful

Life we are greeted with a town called Bedford Falls. Then we meet our main protagonist named

George Bailey played by James Stewart. George Bailey is first introduced as a child playing with

his friends, like any child would be doing. Then we see how he has grown; he has a wife and

kids and is working in Bedford Falls at his fathers’ company “Bailey Building and Loan” after

giving up his dream to travel. The story turns sour when Uncle Billy (played by Thomas

Mitchell) makes a fatal mistake. He unconsciously hands an opposing foe (Mr. Potter) a paper

that has eight thousand dollars in it while he’s gloating about his nephew (Harry Bailey,

Georges’ brother). The bank is crumbling and George Bailey is devastated. He meets a guardian

angel after nearly attempting suicide. He wishes he never existed and ultimately sees how
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impactful he is to the entire community. At the end he becomes so grateful of all the little things

in life since he saw what the world would be if he wasn’t in it.

A truly special aspect of this film is its settings and set design. In one specific shot, the

camera moves with George Bailey. Specifically, after George Bailey is back to reality towards

the end of the movie and running through the town shouting “Merry Christmas” at anyone he

passes. The movement of the camera captures this beautiful moment in the character’s life but it

also gives the audience a feeling that we are seeing this tiny town. You see how lively this town

is with the trolley behind Bailey, cars on the street, even the little things like people walking on

the sidewalk. It makes it an incredible realization to see the entire setting of the community our

characters’ lives their everyday lives in. Another example of how set design makes this a truly

special movie is the set where George Bailey says he’ll lasso the moon for Mary (George’s wife,

played by Donna Reed). This is supposed to be during the night so it makes sense why it is dark

in this scene, but the darkness also brings out a few key elements. The moon is brightly lit, the

house has it’s lights on, but it’s not too dark to see the characters. This accentuates when George

Bailey mentions the moon, directing our attention exactly where it is supposed to be. The

darkness also creates a sense of intimacy; this is a private moment between George and Mary,

but we as an audience get to see this moment. It’s creating a mood before the average watcher

knows what’s going to happen. The sets throughout the film create this immersive experience to

see the lives of our characters.

The performances are also to thank for capturing not only the audience’s attention but our

hearts as well. James Stewart plays George Bailey and really convinces the audience when he is

in times of crisis. You see him sweating when he is stressed, pacing when he is angry, and even

knocking things over from excitement when he is reunited with his family. As an audience
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member, you feel his extreme emotions time and time again. After watching this movie with my

mother, she told me not only the history happening around this time, but also that there was a

heat wave during filming. To refer to James Stewart’s performance, it’s no wonder he was

sweating when Bailey was stressed. Now the director, Frank Capra, could have cleaned Stewart

up before filming but he didn’t. He decided to keep these real emotions in. Another example of

this is when George Bailey is praying at the bar. Apparently, this was raw footage of Stewart

himself praying, but again, Capra kept these moments in. These moments truly sell the story to

our audience as a character dealing with their emotions. The most important part of the

performances in my opinion is when Bailey walks into the same bar he was praying in after he is

“no longer existing”. The characters in the bar truly seem like they have no idea who this man is.

While it is supposed to be that way, the actors have been with Stewart the entire time filming;

They have met his character and it still feels to the audience they have never met each other.

These performances is what It’s a Wonderful Life is about. Selling the story this good is what

makes this movie a classic.

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that this is a Christmas movie. All the characters are

getting ready to celebrate (and then the rest of the not-so-happy story follows). In outdoor

scenes, you will see snow and people bundled up in layers. In some scenes it’s even actively

snowing. After referring to my source of information about this movie (my mom) I was informed

that there was a special innovation for this film. I did some research and it checked out. In the

past a lot of films used bleached corn flakes as snow, it created thick clumps of snow that, at the

time, looked like snow. The only problem was that it was loud and crunchy (not to mention

probably bad for the actors). It didn’t allow for any marks to be left in the snow either. With a

town that shows itself as busy, the audience is probably to expect some tire marks, footmarks, or
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even children playing in it. Capra decided this wouldn’t work, so he recruited a special effects

artist (Russell Shearman) to devise of a quiet snow that would fit his needs. In the end they

created “snow”, a mixture of what is found in fire extinguishers, soap, sugar, and water. It was

quiet, could fall on the set, leave marks, and be blown around with a quiet fan. This innovation

shows that Capra knew what he wanted and wasn’t going to settle. Now we have these

beautifully snow painted sets that feel like a fairy tale, as well as sets with heavy and windy

snow.

With all of this in mind, I want you to remember this movie failed at the box office. A

failed film with wide shots that truly make Bailey look small after receiving bad news, actors

selling expert performances in a heat wave, brilliantly thought out sets, creating their own snow,

and the list goes on. It’s called an American classic today and during Christmas time you’re

bound to find it if you are flipping through the channels. A film that shows to be grateful for

what you have and can warm you heart during the coldest winter, is surely to be a quite special

film indeed.
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Works Cited

For the “snow” innovation:

Maureen Lee Lenker (2021). How 'it's a wonderful life' devised a new form of fake snow that

revolutionized the medium. EW.com. Retrieved from https://ew.com/movies/its-a-

wonderful-life-fake-snow/