It's a Wonderful Life

'It's a Wonderful Life' is a wonderful movie. It's a simple movie, lacking the modern Hollywood voo-doo. Yet, it touched me more than any movie I can think of. Sure, it's got loop holes. Yes, it does contain flaws and a crooked storyline. Any cynical critic would tell you that, yet it's  perfect within it's imperfections. The theme is simple, and the people are compassionate. It's a movie that makes you think about your life afterwards. It's a movie that slightly changes every single one of us. 

The movie is old for today, it was released in 1946. It was originally in black and white, but they took the effort to color in every scene later on. How would a teenager like me, find a movie that old? Well, it was a recommendation of my father's. He had watched the same movie when he was my age, and it stuck with him. My father is not a person that cares to remember intricate details, yet he remembered this movie. He recalls distinctive scenes of a movie he watched decades ago, and he appreciates it. After I watched it, I know exactly why. This is a movie I will remember my whole life, especially during the hard times. It is an optimistic movie that gives me hope for the human kind. 

The overall storyline is free of complications; an angle comes down from heaven to show a kind-hearted, compassionate, but defeated man what life would be if he was not born. George Bailey begins life as an active, young man that saves his little brother's life. However, while rescuing his little brother, he permenatly damages one of his ears. Two little girls, Mary and Violet, have little girl crushes on him. He does not care one bit. He also stops his employer, who almost gives a little boy poison to drink. His dream is to travel the whole world and go to college. His family's not the richest, so he has to earn the money to go. When he finally earns the money, his father has a stroke and passes away. He leaves the whole buisness to George and his uncle. George decides to give up his Europe trip and help out before college. However, he ends up working there. With his college money, he sends his little brother (Harry) to college. Harry becomes a famous football player, but promises George to come back after 4 years to take over the buisness. When he does return, Harry is married. His new father-in-law gives him an up-and-roaring buisness. George is stuck with a bank that's going downhill. However, something good finally happens in Georges life; he gets married. He marries Mary, the girl who had a crush on him way back when. Just before they leave for their honeymoon, George's bank crashes. They use their honeymoon money on the bank. They begin to build a home out of an old, abandon house. Things begin to look up. They have 4 kids, two boys and two girls. Harry gets to meet the president, and is honored for his war winnings. It's a snowy Christmas. This is until Potter, the man that has been trying to take George down since his father died, finally gets his wish. Uncle Henry, George's business partner, accidently hands over Potter the $8,000 dollars that the bank desperately replies on. Everything is in chaos. Either George or Uncle Harry must go to jail. George goes to Potter to seek help. Potter says something along the lines of, 'You're more valuable dead than alive.' George gets an idea, he can still save the bank! He goes to the river and just as he is about to jump, somebody jumps before him. He jumps in to resucue the man (the angel in disguise). Things happen, and George wishes he wasn't born. Thus, he and the angel go around seeing what would become of his beloved ones if he didn't live. His brother would be dead. His wife would be an old maid. His children wouldn't exist. Uncle Harry would be in a mental asylum. All those people his bank helped out would be homeless and hungry. The world would be a meaner place. He then realizes, we all touch each other's lives. Everyone, even the folks who make life horrible, gives us something. Without anybody, life would be different. It would go on, but it would be different. Then, he fervently wishes things to go back to normal. They do. He runs home and hugs his children, but his wife is missing. While he was gone, she had found out what happened to the bank. She asks all those they helped if they could help her now, they did. Everybody helped out, and Harry came back. The movie ends there. Nobody know what happens to the bank. Nobody know what'll happen in the coming years. Nobody know anything, but that moment is perfect. 

There are flaws, of course. For example, if they didn't have the money how could Mary decorate their huge house so well? How are they all wearing fine clothes?  How could they just start living in an old, abandon house? Don't they need documents? Also, in the beginning of the movie they made Violet look like an important character. However, she doesn't play much of a role later. If George wanted to go away so much, why doesn't he just go on vacation? Those are a few of the flaws, found myself.  

All in all, I really liked this movie. Hollywood does not make these types of movies anymore. Today, it's all about glamourous, glamourous love. Sometimes, it's pretty sickening. This movie really touched me. Maybe because I have the same dream that George had. I want to travel. I want to go to college. Yet, it destroyed me when George's dreams didn't come true. It brought up the fact that all my dreams may not come true either. Yet, George is happy. That gives me hope. Anyway, you should all watch this movie! I leave you with these two quotes:

George Bailey: "I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next year, and the year after that. I'm shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum. Then, I'm comin' back here to go to college and see what they know. And then I'm gonna build things. I'm gonna build airfields, I'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, I'm gonna build bridges a mile long... "

Clarence: "[to George] Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"