Do they look wonderful?: Sure, the movie is called It's A Wonderful Life, but for George Bailey (James Stewart, right, with Thomas Mitchell), is it, really?
It's nothing entirely new to see It's A Wonderful Life as dark rather than warm and happy, despite its position as a holiday classic. But today's New York Times brings one of the better dissections I've seen of precisely why. Wendell Jamieson sees little to celebrate in George Bailey's childhood, marriage, career, family life, or prospects for avoiding jail.
My reaction to the film has always been a little more mixed; I think when you come to realize how dark and scary it is (and to focus more on the rest of the movie and less on the gimmicky "seeing how the world would be without you" segment), the parts of it that are heartwarming become more effective — which is sort of what Jamieson is getting at, I think.
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