"It's A Wonderful Life"
1946
PG
Produced by: Frank Capra
Directed by: Frank Capra
Written by: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
Liberty Films (II)

4/5 Stars
Consensus: One of the most nostalgic movies of all time It's A Wonderful Life will live on as a holiday classic for years and years to come.

Plot: Local man, "George Bailey" (James Stewart) contemplates suicide after a series of misfortunes that threaten his livelihood. He is helped to overcome these feelings by his guardian angel, "Clarence" (Henry Travers).

Directing: Frank Capra directs this classic cast with warmth and appeal. Despite some mildly corny parts, the film successfully draws us in emotionally due largely to the directing in the film. Capra knew how to make a cast of relatable characters that we feel we know and care about. He is especially good at creating feelings of nostalgia and showing, rather than telling, through facial expressions and other means. You even come to love the corny parts, i.e. "George..lassos a stork!" and especially considering the censorship bureau (or whatever it was called) that existed at the time Capra does a great job at letting his more mature audiences know whats really going on while still keeping things acceptable to younger, and more vulnerable audiences. ****

Acting: Nothing tops the golden age of Hollywood's acting. They just don't come as good anymore. James Stewart and Donna Reed in particular have some of the most splendid chemistry of any screen couple in film history. Lionel Barrymore plays one of the most evil villians we love to hate (Mr. Potter) everything is splendid and done at a caliber that just doesn't seem to happen anymore, or does rarely if at all. *****

Editing: Here the film falls short as we are demonstrated some of the all time worst editing in film history. Notably bad and inconsistent there are congruence issues and dialogue even jumps occasionally. As classic as a film as this is, the editing is horrendous and good example of what not to do in your film. Very sloppy and jumpy throughout. Again there are serious congruence issues within cuts and very obvious mistakes throughout the film. It is regrettable, but over-look-able. Not that the entire film is ruined, but the editing is notably bad. *1/2

Art Direction: The sets are designed well and Bedford Falls has a nostalgic and warm feeling. The actors look good, the old house the Baileys own is a great set design. There isn't anything so astounding you won't believe it, but the art direction remains high quality none-the-less. ****

Cinematography: Especially for the time, the shots in this film are composed extremely well, and for such bad editing to boot we have to give mad props to the cinematography in this film. Its very clean and good looking. Angles and views of characters are well framed, and with cameras that were so not high def the good shooting in this film is well appreciated and evens out the bad editing. ****1/2

Screenplay: One of the cutest and most endearing screenplays out there. It has some corny moments, believe it, but its not ruinous, if anything its just cute. The talent really lies within the actors delivering their lines with sheer brilliance. The screenplay is great and develops its characters and traits extremely well. ****

CGI/Special Effects: The animated stars that glow when the angels talk at the beginning of the film look great, especially for the time. Other special effects including snow and... errm... snow... look fantastic. So... *****