It's a Wonderful Life sure beats the drum loudly for kindness and doing the right thing. In fact, in these stressful times we may not want to wait until Christmas to bask in Director Frank Capra's world, in which kindness and doing the right thing insures a happy ending. George Bailey's behavior, unfailingly putting the needs of others before his own, thus handily resolves his difficulties. And, when in the interest of dramatic tension, Capra allows George to succumb to anger and despair, the director further insures that satisfying ending by bringing on the Angel Clarence to make George realize how important he has been to the well-being and happiness of others.
That said, critics and viewers have blinded themselves to the less than wonderful aspects of that feel-good message. For one thing, if other George Baileys with ambitions to explore opportunities for education and achievements in the world beyond their hometowns opted to stay put, the world would have lost many inventors, scientists, artists, writers, and humanitarians. Even more awful than wonderful, the movie's Scrooge, the evil Mr. Potter managed to get away with stealing the money without which George's bank could not survive. At a time when we see corruption and selfish interests unchecked even in the most powerful places, Mr. Potter is a more ominous than ever presence.
Without Mr. Potter getting his just desserts, the town of Bedford Falls will remain something of a dead end for anyone with dreams of doing really big things. The reality is that the glow of that heart-warming holiday finale will fade. Bedford Falls will still lack the opportunities a less selfish rich man like Potter might foster rather than manipulate.
But as the unquestioningly embraced message about kindness and doing the right thing bringing its own rewards has a darker side, so did Frank Capra. The widely lionized filmmaker wasn't really the liberal champion of kindness and America's little guy that everyone thought he was. He just happened to be brilliantly able to use the George Baileys of America's heartland to create surefire audience- pleasing narratives. When he made Wonderful Life, Capra had just returned from his stint in the U.S. Signal Corps. The small-town life and virtues he defended were of the pre-war era. His return took him to Hollywood, not a small town where most citizens were not rich. In fact, Capra was a lifelong Republican who despised President Roosevelt and, like all movies made in the '40s, Wonderful Life did not address stereotypical racist casting. Neither were women likely to see any life choice more fulfilling than motherhood.
What's more, the film that has made George Bailey America's symbol of humanity had a very inauspicious premiere. And it was only the movie's over-exposure on TV, thanks to an inadvertently unrenewed copyright, that got people to fall in love with George and the other characters.
Actually, when the movie first came out it was hardly a Christmas Must-See, and certainly not an integral part of our cultural landscape. Its reception was so unimpressive that the copyright was allowed to run out. And it was only because Hollywood studios were always on the lookout for movies they could offer frequently and cheaply that Wonderful Life was seen so often. Viewers gradually fell in love with George and made the movie a cultural phenomenon, something that feels permanent in our society.
Though I've never been a big fan of the movie, I was very much a Jimmy Stewart fan so I'm not posting this commentary because it's an awful movie. It does warrant a "thumbs up" thanks to the cast, the well-crafted script with its full development of each character, the cinematography and the wonderful costumes. (All available in both black and white or colorized at Amazon Prime.) I just think it's time to take off those heavily rose-tinted glasses and recognize its decidedly unwonderful aspects. In fact, maybe some smart filmmaker will consider a reboot. After all, It's a Wonderful Life was Capra's reboot of Dickens' Christmas Carol, the most iconic of all Christmas tales. Now, there is a brand-new and drastically recast Broadway production in which Jefferson Mays will play all the characters. Perhaps some talented filmmaker can do a version in which Mr. Potter goes to jail and an innovative rich man decides to make Bedford Falls a showcase for a thriving small town -- with thriving businesses and a topnotch college and hospital.
