As a kid I thought it was a little long, and boring, but when I got older I realized how important all that stuff is. It’s because the movie takes the time to get us to know and like the other characters that makes the angel stuff work so well. I also pointed out a long time ago that George Bailey is great character, beautifully played bu Jimmy Stewart. We feel what he feels and the acting is just superb.
But does that mean the movie is perfect? Well there are some things that bug me.
That swimming pool scene
I know lots of people find this charming but for me it’s just silly. I can’t go so far as o say it’s pointless, though it’s about as close as this movie comes, but what is the point of having George and Mary fall into that concealed pool? I just never got it and thankfully the scene is forgotten as if it never happened.
On a million times…a day!
Ok this isn’t a problem with the film but I had to address it. I know this is a hard one to believe, but before the rights were owned by NBC the movie was public domain. Yep, anyone could play it whenever they wanted and pay no royalties to anyone. And they did! I remember this as a kid. This probably helped to make it popular, the film was a flop which ruined the studio that released it, but it also made the movie a punchline with everyone commenting on how the movie could be on four or five times a night! By the way they did colorize this movie, but that fad never took off and this is the kind of movie that belongs in b&w.
That Contrivance
There is a huge plot contrivance after George loses the money that drives me crazy! When George goes to Potter for help, George comments that he can’t get ahold of Sam Wainright. Who would have solved the problem in a second. Of course he couldn’t. This wouldn’t bother me as much except that at the end we find out that someone somehow did contact Sam and, of course, is wiring more than enough money to help. Does it hurt the movie? No, not really but it’s an obvious contrivance. A lot of people also complain about the sexism when we find out that Mary became an old maid who works at a library. Oh no! But this was a different time, and we get the feeling she isn’t very happy which is good enough for me.
The Jerkiness
The characters in this movie do or say some real jerky things at times. As a kid George refuses to help Violet off a stool, was being polite not a thing then? He then calls Mary brainless when she says she doesn’t ike coconut. Heaven forbid! What does knowing where they come from have to do with not liking it? And we have the classic scene where he starts yelling at Mary insisting he is never marrying anyone…before he starts making out with her. And marrying in the next shot. (quick note, there was another page of dialogue in that scene but it was so well done Capra decided to leave it as it was!), Sometimes watching this I get the feeling he never really l loved Mary until he saw what her life was like without him. To be fair even the angels are jerks in the movie, stating Clarence has the IQ of a rabbit. That’s a tad harsh! But the one character that really annoys me is Harry and the way he screws over George. He basically forces George to stay at the Building and Loan when he gets married and a new job from his new wife. Without telling anyone. How could you blame George for getting into a funk after that? Even Uncle Billy almost deserves to lose the money, what was the point of taunting Mr.Potter and being a jerk when he was at the bank for such an important reason? Priorities dude!!!
And ok let’s end with the obvious one
No comeuppance for Mr.Potter!
Mr.Potter is never seen getting his just deserves for what he does in the movie. Even though he so deserves it!! This is one of those movie bad guys that everybody hates. I mean everybody! One of my favorite SNL sketches was “The Lost Ending” where we see George Bailey and everyone else finally go after Potter. It’s really not that funny unless you love the movie, and hate Potter! Apparently the rules at the time stipulated that villains in movies had to be punished for their actions. But Frank Capra, for whatever reason, did not do this in the movie. There is word that a scene where Potter dies was written, and possibly filmed, but it was deemed to dark. It’s true its George’s story so it ends where it should. And Yes we can assume that things would only get worst for Potter, but seeing it would have been icing on the cake and the omission of any kind of punishment, even just a line of dialogue saying everything had worked out, proves that even genius’s can make dumb decisions once in awhile.
This movie is a Christmas classic for a reason. We’ve all had those moments when we were discouraged and needed to be reminded what’s really important. And the movie captures that beautifully. If you’ve never seen it, give it a watch and see what all the fuss is about. “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”
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