Inspired by the spirit of my new production company Wonderful Films Corp, the blog this week is being turned into a place for all things WONDERFUL.
In the 60's, this Frank Capra film had not yet achieved the status of a classic or been shown to death as a perennial holiday staple on television. I first saw it at an outdoor screening projected in 16mm on a white sheet in a summer beer garden in Chicago that was running a free series of old movies like Casablanca, Key Largo and others for their patrons.
Later we screened it in one of my high school film classes, but it was at a screening at Wesleyan University where I was a freshman in 1976 that it first landed on me that this was a real work of art.
The next year I had moved to Boston where I had transferred to music school, but I was living in a house near Somerville with some students who ran the film society at Tufts University, and they booked the film to show in their film program.
The print was laying around the house and we watched it repeatedly, memorizing our favorite lines of dialogue like: "Zuzu's petals!" or "Teacher says every time a bell rings an angel gets it's wings." or one of my favorite characters, Nick the Bartender saying "I don't know you from Adam's off ox." or "Get me, I'm giving out wings."
For my money, it is an almost perfect movie from theme to structure and story to casting and camera and music. Some people called Frank Capra's work corny (they even coined the term "Capra-corn" to decribe his sentimental ouevre), but I fell for this hook, line and sinker at a young age and it has always held up over the years as a movie that stands the test of time.
The nightmare sequence where George Bailey is forced to see the world as it would be if he had never lived is quite affecting, and the whole movie touches deeply on the sense of wonder we all feel at the mysterious and unexpected contours of our lives.
william
Tomorrow: Mr. Wonderful
This movie is one we watch every Christmas holiday together as a family It makes us all appreciate our lives and family relationships.
Posted by: margaret oomen | February 18, 2009 at 03:47 AM
I agree with you one hundred percent!
I also think your new company name is wonderful!
Posted by: dutchbaby | February 18, 2009 at 05:19 AM
I'm a total sucker for this movie. One of my brothers and I watch it every Xmas. We get choked up in the first few minutes, and we're crying our eyes out by the time we get to the scene with Mr. Gower. (This pathetic ritual has gone on for YEARS!) It is totally wonderful.
Posted by: Maiz | February 18, 2009 at 08:37 PM
This movie gives me hope and I look
forward to watching it each year.
Posted by: Flassie | February 22, 2009 at 02:23 PM