If you were to ask me what Holiday-themed film I enjoy the most and never get tired watching, my answer would invariably be, Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946).
Of course, there are many other great holiday movies that are also genuine cinematic treasures, even though they're not as well known as "It's A Wonderful Life." My "must watch" holiday list includes many of the black and white classics I have previously reviewed on IMDb such as, "Holiday Inn (1942),"It Happened On 5th Avenue," (1947), A Christmas Carol (1951)," "Christmas In Connecticut," (1945) and although it's in color, "White Christmas" (1954). And for good measure I still immensely enjoy watching "Home Alone 1 & 2" (1990-1992) and the charming trilogy, "The Santa Clause" (1994-2004-2006).
Nevertheless, "It's A Wonderful Life" is the singular holiday film that continues to resonate with me on multiple levels. It is a supremely powerful story of self-worth and destiny, bolstered by superb acting, laced with unforgettable characters like George Bailey, Clarence Oddbody, and Mr. Potter, thoughtful cinematography which perfectly captures the small town ambiance of Bedford Falls, sharp editing (no surprise since Capra began his film career as an editor), a beautiful score by Russian composer Dimitri Tiomkin, and more memorable quotes than could ever be listed here.
Ironically, "It's A Wonderful Life" may never have popped up on anyone's cinematic radar screen had the proper copyright ownership documents been registered. How this error occurred is fascinating.
The original 1945 ownership of "It's A Wonderful Life" belonged to Liberty Films, an independent motion picture production company created by the film's brilliant director, Frank Capra. The following year, Liberty was purchased by Paramount. Ten years later, in 1955, M. & A. Alexander subsequently purchased the rights to the short story, "The Greatest Gift," on which the film was based. With the purchase also came the rights to the film itself, television syndication, and the music score. Shortly thereafter, National Telefilm Associates (NTA) became the new owner. Amazingly, a clerical error meant NTA had neglected to renew its copyright. By 1974, the movie fell into the "public domain."
In essence, Capra's masterpiece no longer had copyright protection, and therefore, anyone could make copies of the film, package it anyway they chose, all without having to pay for it. Because of this, television studios began broadcasting "It's A Wonderful Life" during the Christmas holidays, while dozens of other companies packaged and sold the film in various media forms such as VHS, and later, Laser Disc and DVD. The good news- This nearly forgotten film was now being seen for the first time by millions of people. The bad news - Many of the reproductions were of poor quality, with some crudely edited down from the original 131 minute run time into a shorter length to accommodate TV scheduling. Nevertheless, these unusual series of events managed to breathe new life into Capra's stunning film for future generations.
As often occurs with films destined for immortality, "It's A Wonderful Life" was initially a financial box office failure, although it was nominated for five Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and has been revered by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.
There's nothing more I can add to this review that hasn't been covered already by other astute IMDb reviewers, but I will say that if you have still not seen "It's A Wonderful Life" by now (2021) then stop whatever you're doing and buy the BR, DVD, or stream it. I'm confident even after your first viewing you are going to feel like you've just seen one of the greatest films ever made, and you would be absolutely right!
No spoilers here as usual but I will reveal that while much of the film happens in the fictional town of Bedford Falls during a very cold, snowy, Wintery Christmas holiday, it was actually filmed in Southern California which was experiencing a sweltering record heat wave!
Of course, there are many other great holiday movies that are also genuine cinematic treasures, even though they're not as well known as "It's A Wonderful Life." My "must watch" holiday list includes many of the black and white classics I have previously reviewed on IMDb such as, "Holiday Inn (1942),"It Happened On 5th Avenue," (1947), A Christmas Carol (1951)," "Christmas In Connecticut," (1945) and although it's in color, "White Christmas" (1954). And for good measure I still immensely enjoy watching "Home Alone 1 & 2" (1990-1992) and the charming trilogy, "The Santa Clause" (1994-2004-2006).
Nevertheless, "It's A Wonderful Life" is the singular holiday film that continues to resonate with me on multiple levels. It is a supremely powerful story of self-worth and destiny, bolstered by superb acting, laced with unforgettable characters like George Bailey, Clarence Oddbody, and Mr. Potter, thoughtful cinematography which perfectly captures the small town ambiance of Bedford Falls, sharp editing (no surprise since Capra began his film career as an editor), a beautiful score by Russian composer Dimitri Tiomkin, and more memorable quotes than could ever be listed here.
Ironically, "It's A Wonderful Life" may never have popped up on anyone's cinematic radar screen had the proper copyright ownership documents been registered. How this error occurred is fascinating.
The original 1945 ownership of "It's A Wonderful Life" belonged to Liberty Films, an independent motion picture production company created by the film's brilliant director, Frank Capra. The following year, Liberty was purchased by Paramount. Ten years later, in 1955, M. & A. Alexander subsequently purchased the rights to the short story, "The Greatest Gift," on which the film was based. With the purchase also came the rights to the film itself, television syndication, and the music score. Shortly thereafter, National Telefilm Associates (NTA) became the new owner. Amazingly, a clerical error meant NTA had neglected to renew its copyright. By 1974, the movie fell into the "public domain."
In essence, Capra's masterpiece no longer had copyright protection, and therefore, anyone could make copies of the film, package it anyway they chose, all without having to pay for it. Because of this, television studios began broadcasting "It's A Wonderful Life" during the Christmas holidays, while dozens of other companies packaged and sold the film in various media forms such as VHS, and later, Laser Disc and DVD. The good news- This nearly forgotten film was now being seen for the first time by millions of people. The bad news - Many of the reproductions were of poor quality, with some crudely edited down from the original 131 minute run time into a shorter length to accommodate TV scheduling. Nevertheless, these unusual series of events managed to breathe new life into Capra's stunning film for future generations.
As often occurs with films destined for immortality, "It's A Wonderful Life" was initially a financial box office failure, although it was nominated for five Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and has been revered by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.
There's nothing more I can add to this review that hasn't been covered already by other astute IMDb reviewers, but I will say that if you have still not seen "It's A Wonderful Life" by now (2021) then stop whatever you're doing and buy the BR, DVD, or stream it. I'm confident even after your first viewing you are going to feel like you've just seen one of the greatest films ever made, and you would be absolutely right!
No spoilers here as usual but I will reveal that while much of the film happens in the fictional town of Bedford Falls during a very cold, snowy, Wintery Christmas holiday, it was actually filmed in Southern California which was experiencing a sweltering record heat wave!