Drama

Family

Fantasy

It's a Wonderful Life

Liberty Films

United States of America

English

James Stewart

Donna Reed

Lionel Barrymore

Thomas Mitchell

Henry Travers

Beulah Bondi

Frank Faylen

Ward Bond

Gloria Grahame

H.B. Warner

Frank Albertson

Todd Karns

Samuel S. Hinds

Mary Treen

Virginia Patton

Charles Williams

Sarah Edwards

William Edmunds

Lillian Randolph

Argentina Brunetti

Robert J. Anderson

Ronnie Ralph

Jeanne Gail

Jeanine Ann Roose

Danny Mummert

Georgie Nokes

Sheldon Leonard

Frank Hagney

Ray Walker

Charles Lane

Edward Keane

Carol Coombs

Karolyn Grimes

Larry Simms

Jimmy Hawkins

Jean Acker

Ernie Adams

Monya Andre

Stanley Andrews

Sam Ash

Jack Bailey

Louise Bates

Mary Bayless

Beth Belden

Brooks Benedict

Joseph E. Bernard

Al Bridge

Buz Buckley

Marian Carr

Adriana Caselotti

Lane Chandler

Michael Chapin

Tom Chatterton

Jack Cheatham

Harry Cheshire

Edward Clark

Tom Coleman

Ellen Corby

Bryn Davis

Lew Davis

Harry Denny

Helen Dickson

Dick Elliott

Tom Fadden

Frank Fenton

Eddie Fetherston

Sam Flint

Lee Frederick

Dick Gordon

Jack Gordon

Herschel Graham

Joseph Granby

Charles Halton

Carl Eric Hansen

Herbert Heywood

Harry Holman

Art Howard

Bert Howard

Arthur Stuart Hull

John Indrisano

Eddie Kane

Carl Kent

Milton Kibbee

Effie Laird

Mike Lally

Harold Landon

Meade 'Lux' Lewis

Jack Lomas

J. Farrell MacDonald

Irene Mack

Wilbur Mack

Charles Meakin

Priscilla Montgomery

Bert Moorhouse

Evelyn Moriarty

Philip Morris

George Noisom

Bob O'Connor

Frank O'Connor

Lynn O'Leary-Jameson

Jo Swerling

Frank Capra

Michael Wilson

Jack Okey

Philip Van Doren Stern

William Hornbeck

Albert Hackett

Joseph F. Biroc

Joseph Walker

Frances Goodrich

Dimitri Tiomkin

Phil Stern

Daniel Hays

Clem Portman

Gordon Bau

Emile Kuri

William Cameron Menzies

Richard Van Hessen

Homer Plannette

John Aalberg

Paul Marquardt

Russell A. Cully

Russell Shearman

Arthur S. Black Jr.

Lila Finn

Victor Milner

Edward Stevenson

It's practically an American tradition to watch this film with family at Christmas time each year.  I just saw it for the first time myself a couple weeks before last Christmas, and I loved it.  It's an uplifting, inspiring, dramatic, and at times laugh-out-loud funny story, with a cast that probably couldn't be improved upon if you tried.  And, of course, it's directed by the superb Frank Capra, whose work I greatly admire.  James Stewart gives a raw, totally honest performance, as the unforgettable George Bailey, who on Christmas Eve is shown exactly why the world, or at least Bedford Falls, can't do without him.  And, there is my favorite line in the whole movie, out of so many memorable quotes, delivered perfectly by Lionel Barrymore, as the evil Mr. Potter: "And a happy new year to you.  In jail!"

Peter McGinn

Oh my goodness, I am not going to spend much time describing this gold standard of Christmas movies. If you have seen it, you know what it is. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and watch it now. It is funny, tense, sentimental, romantic and downright Capra-esque.

I have liked Jimmy Stewart in everything I have seen him in. Was he that good, or did the camera just plain love him, like I heard said once about Steve McQueen. But it doesn’t stop there. If you notice the ensemble cast, you see represented some of the finest character actors out there. Between them it’s seems like we have seen one of them in every great classic movie.

I don’t watch this every year any more - there is just too much to see out there this time of year. But I watch it every two or three years and besides, if I have some time to spare, I can practically review every scene in order in my mind. It is part of my Christmas consciousness. Wait, are you still reading this?

Lovely film.

<em>'It’s a Wonderful Life'</em> is enjoyable, hearty and well crafted. It takes longer than I would've predicted to get to 'the event', but it's very much worth seeing the journey that comes before - as we see the arc of James Stewart's George. It all crescendos with an ending that you can't help but smile at.

Stewart is excellent in the lead role, you really do see every single emotion that his character goes through. He is, by far, the standout performer, but there are of course good performances from the likes of Donna Reed (Mary), Lionel Barrymore (Henry) and Henry Travers (Clarence).

I did notice a few weird cuts in there, not that I hold that against it or did it affect my enjoyment - it's just noticeable. I see, via other reviewers, that there's a colour version - Channel 4 showed the black-and-white version over here in the UK. I can't say I felt the need for colour, which is always a good sign.

Wholesome. Not that it, evidently given the average rating, needs to be said by someone like me, but: I'd certainly recommend this.

CinemaSerf

Every now and again you come across a film that just makes you think.... This is one of those. Recently upconverted to 4K and back on a big screen, it's quite simply a joy to watch. Jimmy Stewart is "George" - a man who has spent his adult life tirelessly trying to help those less fortunate to make their own way in life - and his savings and loan enterprise is the lifeline for many of them. When that all goes pear-shaped though, he feels a degree of despair that leads him to wish he had never been born. Enter the wonderful Henry Travers as "Clarence" - the visiting angel who grants his wish and demonstrates just how life would have looked had he, indeed, never been around. Lionel Barrymore is superb as his domineering competitor "Mr. Potter" who wants his name on everything in "Pottertown" that he doesn't already own. Donna Reed also shines as his wife, especially towards the end of this Capra masterpiece that uses shadow and the wintry weather to elicit a lovely sense of Christmas, but also of our innate need for warmth and security. It is sentimental, but not in a cloying fashion and the star works his magic, with a wonderful accompaniment from Dimitri Tiomkin, for over two hours that simply flies by. Well worth the restoration - not just of the film, but of our own faith in the human spirit - and watch, too!

I am not one of those snobs that thinks Black and White is always better... but don't watch the colored version of it, there is something about it that just doesn't look right.  Maybe it's because the colors are off, maybe because I'm not as used to it, but something doesn't sit right with it.

Anyway, still the best Christmas movie ever made.  It's still about redemption.  It's still heartwarming and family friendly and... perfect... 

... perfect save some of the hard cuts.  I don't know why people don't mention those.  They are pretty glaring, they are pretty horrible.

But... it's still just about the best Christmas movie ever made.

It's a timeless and great film for everyone, straightforwardly telling us that life is worth living and a good deed is never lost.

Frank Capra's films always remind me the world is not so bad. He shows us there is no need to beat or convince evil people to change. You will still have people helping you not from a sense of obligation but from a genuine willingness as long as you are kind and honest with them. In such a beautiful world, someone will impress you with their kindness and bring out yours, and vice versa. That's enough, isn't it?

Best Movies

It's a Wonderful Life

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

James Stewart

Donna Reed

Lionel Barrymore

Thomas Mitchell

Henry Travers

Beulah Bondi

Frank Faylen

Ward Bond

Gloria Grahame

H.B. Warner

Box office

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