75 Years Ago: “It’s A Wonderful Life” by Frank Capra, c. 1946

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his 75 year old film by Frank Capra is reminiscent of a much older work—Charles Dickens' quintessential novel "A Christmas Carol." "It's a Wonderful Life" is considered one of the greatest films of all time. Five Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture. Hailed by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made. In 1990, the film was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress and dubbed as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

If you are planning to watch the film, there are some spoilers ahead. It’s Christmas Eve 1945, in Bedford Falls, New York, and George Bailey has so many problems that he contemplates ending it all. In "A Christmas Carol"—the most famous of all of Charles Dickens characters—Ebenezer Scrooge sits in his cold counting house. He is greeted by his nephew, Fred, a Merry Christmas. Scrooge replies "Bah! Humbug!" In "It's A Wonderful Life" George is about to jump from a bridge, but ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence who has fallen first into the ice-cold water. It was a scheme to intercept George's suicide attempt.

The film uses a combination of flashback and time-travel as Clarence's way of showing George what a wonderful life he has been granted. Mr Bailey has been given a rare opportunity to go back in time except that he is not in it. He goes back to his town but nobody knows him there. Literally he does not exist not even to his own mother or to his beloved wife. Would Clarence be successful in showing to George that "it's a wonderful life" after all? George Baily is one of my favorite characters of all time because he is very much like me and like everyone of us. Do not wait any longer to watch this masterpiece of all time! Fr JM Manzano SJ