Yesterday, I watched It’s A Wonderful Life with Mel and Shan(na). What a great movie. It is one of those films you can watch over and over and over till you have every line and every scene memorized, but your enjoyment does not decrease–it increases.
In years past, I don’t think I appreciated some of the nuances of the movie that I noticed very distinctly last night.
First of all, George’s condition is self-inflicted in that all of the things that discourage him are things he accepted in order to give his loved ones the best. He could have been “”great”". He could have been an explorer and an architect, but his family and friends needed him and he was willing to put off and eventually give up on his dreams for their sake.
It’s not just bad luck, it’s the result of his self-denial.
Second of all, the romantice scenes and specifically “”the”" romantic scene in the movie is second to none. I have never seen a movie capture and convey the emtions they do so accurately as they do.
The scene at Mary’s house where they are on the phone with Sam Wainright is beautifully contrived.
George is mad because all of his dreams have just died. In order to give his brother a chance to succeed, he has to stay and fight ”"The Battle of Bedford Falls.”" His childhood plans of escape are permanently on hold. And his presence at Mary’s house tells the whole story. He wants to be there (or he wouldn’t have come), but he acts like he doesn’t want to be there. He wants to be with Mary, but admitting this only reminds him of Harry’s marriage and what it means for his dreams.
Mary is quite obviously hurt by his rudeness. She doesn’t understand where the George she’s in love with has gone and she’s afraid she may have lost him forever.
The scene that follows is so excellent what’s happening on screen has absolutely nothing to do with the actions and words of the characters. The true events are in the heart. While Sam Wainright is talking business neither of them is thinking about business. Both of them are using the phone as as an excuse to be near each other.
As the conversation continues, you can see every emotion on their faces. You can sense the chemistry. It’s electric.
And the climax is perfect because it is honest.
Watching them, it’s hard to believe that it could possibly be less than what it is. You can’t make yourself believe it is just acting. It seems to genuine and too much like life or romance as we’ve experienced it.
Anyway, this probably sounds a little silly. But I guess I don’t care or I wouldn’t post it, right?
Exactly.
Clifton
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