It's a Wonderful Life

40 Christmas Films to watch this holiday season

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Clarence (TV)

Original title: It's a Wonderful Life
Year: 1946
Running time: 130 min.
Country: United States
Director: Frank Capra
Screenwriter: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra
Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
Cinematography: Joseph Walker, Joseph F. Biroc (B&W)
Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Todd Karns, Samuel S. Hinds, Mary Treen, Virginia Patton, Charles Williams, Argentina Brunetti
Producer: Liberty Films Inc. Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Genre: Drama. Fantasy | Family-friendly. Christmas. Comedy-Drama
Synopsis / Plot: A good but slightly ineffectual man tries to off himself after an error that really wasnt his fault. In Christmas carol fashion, his crusty-but-lovable guardian angel shows up to give him a tour of the world without his presence, and it isnt a pretty place. Moral courage, small-town American life, civic cooperation, and family love are glorified; corporate greed and self-involvement are vilified; at the climax, a blanket of snow like spun sugar makes everything pure and clean like redemption itself.

Awards: 1946: 5 Nominations for Oscar: Movie, Director, Actor (Stewart), Editing, Sound

1946: Golden Globes: Best Director

1946: New York Film Critics Circle: Nominated for Best Director

Critics' reviews

"What is remarkable about It's a Wonderful Life is how well it holds up over the years; it's one of those ageless movies, like Casablanca or The Third Man, that improves with age (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: rogerebert.com
"The most well-loved of all Christmas movies"

Michael Wilmington: Chicago Tribune
"Stewart touches the thespic peak of his career (...) Capra brought back to 'Life' all his oldtime craft, delicate devotion to detail and character delineation as well as his sure-footed feeling for true dramatic impact"

Bert Briller: Variety
"Everyone who sees it will agree that it's wonderful entertainment (...) When Capra is at his best, no one can top him."

Jack D. Grant: The Hollywood Reporter
"The skilled balance of fantasy, sentimentality and quality made the movie stand out"

Lily Rothman: Time
"Uncritical reverence both inflates the film's magnitude and robs it of its most interesting elements (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Fernando F. Croce: Slant
"It’s frequently wrongheaded and desperately overlong (...) [It] isn’t the longest film ever made but it sometimes feels like it"

Andrew Gilchrist: The Guardian
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