Another year, another wonderful life arrives.
Synopsis
George Bailey is a good man. He has helped out many people in his life and has a wonderful home life. On top of this, he put his dreams on hold to let his brother fulfill his own, while George sat back in the town of Bedford Falls to run the family savings and loan. Everything is looking up for George until his uncle, who works at the savings and loan building with him, accidentally misplaces eight-thousand dollars and George’s competitor, Mr. Potter, conveniently finds it and calls the police (to accuse George of embezzling). Panicked and looking for a way out, George almost gives up on his life by jumping off a bridge into icy water. Just before he jumps, a man named Clarence jumps in and is rescued by George. Failing at even killing himself, George wishes he had never been born and Clarence, who is actually an angel, ends up granting George his wish. George begins to find out what the world would be like without him and, more importantly, that he truly had a ‘wonderful life’.
What an absolute classic. Anyone who has never seen this film needs to immediately. It’s the perfect example of a true timeless classic. You’ve got one of the best actors of all-time in James Stewart playing several different ages of George Bailey (and no one notices or ever brings that up, but he goes from young adult to old adult). His character goes on a perfect selfless rollercoaster ride through life and ends up coming full circle into an endearing ending that truly defines the importance of friends in one’s life. To make ‘the importance of friends’ message even more popular is the antagonist in the film with Lionel Barrymore’s Henry Potter. Potter is the complete opposite of George, as he’s old, rich and lonely. The contrast between the two men’s lives is so vital for this story, as George’s character is magnified through Potter’s lonely bitterness and heartless selfishness. Through Potter, Stewart’s George is made to look like a saint that many people look for when they are in need. He literally bares the burdens of others and walks away with a smile.
Again, all of this looks much bigger when Potter is added into the mix.
One of the best things about this film, outside of the two main characters, is the addition of Henry Travers’ angel, Clarence. His job is to bring George, as well as the audience, back from the ledge when the anxiety of the film reaches its zenith. He shows George that there are far more important things in life than money. By showing George what life would be like without him, he successfully conveys to Stewart’s character that having friends makes a man. You can count on friends; you can never count on money. Director Frank Capra doesn’t just teach a lesson through Travers’ Clarence. Capra uses this angel to pull the audience back to family and helps to create a sense of ‘remember what is truly important in life’. He puts the movie’s motif in our faces and it makes us feel warm inside, just like it did with Stewart’s George.
That’s what makes this movie a timeless classic. Every time you watch it you will walk away feeling warm and fuzzy, and you just want to call people and tell them that you love them. Keep in mind that this movie was made in 1946, and it still has that effect.
4K
Movie aside, this year’s big news for It’s a Wonderful Life has it going to 4K, which we reviewed via iTunes. I can safely say that it is a little better than the Blu-ray Platinum version, but I imagine there is only so far the 4K technology can take a 70+ year old film before it can’t clean it up much more. It may have reached its limit here, but there are still some areas where the 4K cleaning and treatment have brought out some details that I didn’t previously notice.
Since there isn’t much to lean on with regard to color (it’s a black and white film originally), the contrast (light/dark) depth that comes with 4K shines here and there. There are times in some of the darker scenes where the details pop out at you. For example, the scene where George drives drunk and hits the old man’s tree shows more details in the environment, as well as the cornflake snow, but also the details of the old man when he comes running out to make sure his tree is okay. The guy being an a-hole aside, you could see small texture details on his umbrella, his suit, and his face, that don’t immediately shine through with a 1080p treatment. Some of the darker scenes seem to take to the 4K upgrade a bit better than the lighter scenes, as some visible artifacts tend to rear their head in the lighter ones. That isn’t anything major, but you can see the technology’s limitations.
Regardless, if you don’t own the movie yet, this might be the best way to go, especially at $9.99. It’s only available on digital, as far as I can see, but it’s worth the trouble, especially if you have an Apple TV or device hooked to a 4K screen.
