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blogging101, Creative Writing, It's a Wonderful Life, Journaling, Movies, Quotes, Reflections, Saturday Sing-a-long, Writing 101
Christmas Favorite #2
It’s A Wonderful Life
It’s a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story “The Greatest Gift”, which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939 and published privately in 1945. The film is now among the most popular in American cinema and because of numerous television showings in the 1980s has become traditional viewing during the Christmas season.
The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams in order to help others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born.
Despite initially performing poorly financially because of high production costs and stiff competition at the time of its release, the film has come to be regarded as a classic. Theatrically, the film’s break-even point was $6.3 million, approximately twice the production cost, a figure it never came close to achieving in its initial release. An appraisal in 2006 reported: “Although it was not the complete box office failure that today everyone believes … it was initially a major disappointment and confirmed, at least to the studios, that Capra was no longer capable of turning out the populist features that made his films the must-see, money-making events they once were.”
It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the most acclaimed films ever made, praised particularly for its writing. It was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, placing number 11 on its initial 1998 greatest movie list, and number one on AFI’s list of the most inspirational American films of all time. Capra revealed that the film was his personal favorite among those he directed, adding that he screened it for his family every Christmas season. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)
I think the most wonderful thing about this movie for me is what Clarence writes in his copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer that he leaves for George:
Dear George:– Remember, no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings! Love, Clarence.
I truly believe that!
`
Fimnora Westcaw said:
Ah good old Jimmy. Pretty much anything he’s in is great! Nice choice!
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calensariel said:
Don’t know that I saw all that many of his movies, but I sure did love “Shenandoah.”
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Fimnora Westcaw said:
Did you see HARVEY? Great movie!
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calensariel said:
I do think I saw that once — on Easter! LOL
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Colleen Keehne said:
This is one of my faves too. And Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn/White Christmas, and Scrooged.
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calensariel said:
I love “Scrooged!” When the ghost of Christmas Present hit him with that toaster I was ON THE FLOOR at the movies! I don’t think I’ve EVER laughed that hard at a movie. It was just so unexpected. And I LOVE slapstick.
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annacottage said:
That is such a beautiful tribute to the fallen, lovely – tears.
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spiritualdragonfly said:
Love Clarence’s words!!
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calensariel said:
I read so much into them. Mostly that a person has let themselves be vulnerable enough to actually “connect” with other human beings. I believe we were created to live in community and making friends is the highest calling there is in that realm. (I know. I’m a sentimental slob. 🙂 )
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spiritualdragonfly said:
(((((((Hugs)))))))) we love you just the way you are!!!! ❤️☺️
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annacottage said:
Great film and James Stewart you could not ask for more. A gentle man who is still missed. My favourite Christmas film and yes Cheryl I believe that too. Thank you for showing this.
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calensariel said:
I love him. My second favorite film of his is “Shenandoah” with Patrick Wayne, Doug McClure, and Rosemary Forsyth, and a whole HOST of other big stars. It’s especially poignant to me now that I’ve been to Gettysburg a couple times and walked all over that battle field.
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annacottage said:
I loved that and the music. Gettysburg lucky you, I bet you could pick up strong feelings from there, especially walking the battlefields. They have tours here to the battlefields of the First World War I would very much like to see them.
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calensariel said:
Monuments: A Grief Remembered
The land remembers
red, flowing blood of her sons;
mourns — battle-scarred, mute.
Wind, a grief unspent,
wails over fallow fields, cries
WE MUST NOT FORGET!
May 12, 2009
(https://promptlings.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/monuments-a-grief-remembered/)
I wrote that when we got back to my daughter’s after my first visit there. I was quite shaken.
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