It's A Wonderful Life - film

It's a Wonderful Life is an American Christmas film produced by Frank Capra, he took inspiration from Philip Van Doren Stern’s short story "The Greatest Gift".

The movie was directed in 1946 with as main actor James Stewart (George Bailey).

In Bedford Falls, New York, Georges Bailey was in trouble; his friends and family were praying to help him. All these pray reach Heaven. Franklin and Joseph, the head angels, made Clarence (the Second Class angel) responsible for George Bailey who was thinking about suicide. If Clarence succeeds, he will earn his wings for which he has been waiting for more than 200 years.

The angels review George's life with Clarence.

Clip 1: sledging accident

At the age of 12, George lost the hearing in his left ear because he saved his younger brother Harry who had fallen in cold water. Harry wasn’t able to stop the sledging, he had fallen through the ice on a frozen lake.

We were shown how much George was a good man because he sacrificed his ear to help his little brother.

Clip 2: in the drug store

When George had worked as assistant pharmacist, he witnessed that the druggist Mr. Gower had mistakenly filled a child's prescription with poison because he has just lost his son because of influenza. Fortunately, George saved Mr. Gower’s future by stopping the delivery.

Clip 3: in Mr. Father office

After the First World War, the economic situation was dramatic, everything became expensive.

The government had commandeered the production to equipping the army.

This production included what soldiers need:

- food: especially beans: because it can been keep for ages and it is cheap

- clothes: need cotton to make fabric

- weapon

The civilians were suffering from famine and lack of clothes.

Clip 4: family meals

George sacrificed his dream to travel around the world to enable his brother Harry to graduate from high school. Then harry had to replace him at the Bailey Building and Loan Association.

During Harry's graduation night, George discussed his future with his father, he dreamed to travel all around the world and go college. His father didn’t agree with this idea, he needed him to work at the Bailey Building and Loan Association.

Social criticism: the film is still “racist”:

- There is only one black person in the whole film.

- Big mama who talk too much

- Not very beautiful

- Strong character

This kind of seeing, where a black person is happy despite living as single and without having any personal life, is a colonial social altitude.

Clip 5: graduate ball

After the First World War, it was the happiness of the “Jazz Age”.

Everybody was dancing twist. It was the last happy moment in the film.

This night, George was walking with Mary Hatch who has a crush on him. Uncle Billy interrupted them to tell George that his father had a stroke, and he died.

Clip 6: three months after George’s father died

Mr. Potter, a majority shareholder in the Bailey Building and Loan Association, tried to persuade to stop giving home loans for the poor workers. George convinced the board to reject Potter’s proposal. However, they agree only on condition that George ran the Building and Loan.

George sacrificed again his dream and gave harry his college money. George canceled his plans.

Clip 7: When Harry came

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