"The three most beautiful things to hear: 'Breakfast is served, lunch is served, and'...."
- Uncle Billy
Ahh yes, the classic of all classics. This is my first attempt at writing about this 1946 Christmas classic, the film most people call the number one film of all time. There is so many messages within the confines of this movie it would be hard to fit it all in one post, so I'm going to break it down into two posts.
It's a Wonderful Life stars Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed and was directed by Frank Capra, known for directing many epic films in the history of cinema. Believe it or not, Cary Grant was first offered the role of George Bailey but contract talks fell apart so Stewart would take on the role.
As for Donna Reed, this was her first of over 20 movies she starred in.
George Bailey has his heart and mind set on leaving the small town of Bedford Falls,
"I want to shake the dust off this crummy little town and explore and conquer the world.
And then I want to come back and build skyscrapers and bridges and...."
For those of us who've seen this movie a hundred times, and never get tired of watching it, know that George Bailey's destiny is not quite what he had imagined. One of the main character points throughout this film is based upon relationships.
We have George as a child saving his brother Harry from drowning in an ice pond, to which their brotherhood builds on throughout this story.
George and his relationship with his father, someone he admires and looks up to. His father ran Bedford Falls Building and Loan, helping people get out of living in the slums run by crusty old Mr. Potter to owning their own elegant house in Bailey Park.
And of course there is Mary played by Donna Reed, whom would eventually marry George, the man she had a crush on since grade school. One of the more humorous scenes between the two is when they meet at a high school dance after having not seen each other for a few years. A couple of pranksters open up the retractable floor while George and Mary have the attention of everyone on the dance floor. They go from clicking their heels and swinging to swimming. The dance floor scene with the retractable floor which opens up to a swimming pool is one of Hollywood's most magical scenes, but turns out really isn't so magical. This scene was filmed at a Beverly Hills high school where the retractable floor really exists and is known as the swim gym.
We also have the relationship between slumlord Mr. Potter and George Bailey.
"Mr. Potter, the meanest, richest man in Bedford Falls who hates everyone
and everything he can't have." - Mary
The relationship that all of us may acquaint with most is that between George and Clarence, an angel sent down to help George in his time of trouble. Clarence the angel needs to earn his wings and will do so if he can transform George Bailey's way of thinking and living.
George Bailey wants to do something big and important in life. Little did he know that he could do that in his own little community. With his father's passing and his brother Harry off to college, George unwillingly takes over his father's business The Building and Loan. George lays aside his own dreams and desires and realizes within him fulfilling other people's dreams of owning their own home, he is accomplishing what he set out to do. He just needed help in seeing that. And of course, Clarence the angel teaches him that through showing George how things would have been if he hadn't been born.
To be continued tomorrow.
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