It's Still a Wonderful Life

It might seem like a strange thing for someone in their twenties to say, but "It's a Wonderful Life" is the movie that changed my life. Though frequently used and abused during the holiday season, this initially unpopular film is filled to the brim with emotion and meaning. Unlike many of the films on screen today, "It's a Wonderful Life" has a timeless integrity that the world could really use in present times. Also, unlike the films of recent times, "It's a Wonderful Life" changed at least one life. Mine.

One firm family tradition during the holidays is to watch "White Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful Life". This has been set in stone for as long as I can remember. "White Christmas" never inspired the same reaction, but "It's a Wonderful Life" always came with a certain feeling of exhilaration. There was George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart), refusing to take the easy way out despite the prestige and financial rewards of surrendering to greed. As a young child and a legal adult, this dramatic display of integrity always moved me. As I grew older and started to see how disastrously people in the real world could stray from firmly grounded principles, the yearly tradition of watching "It's a Wonderful Life" became more and more important. George Bailey did not change. He did not run a campaign just to break his promises. He did not steal from the needy. Preserved in black and white (and now in color!), I could see the principles that I wanted to uphold and see upheld. This movie told me that movies could say something meaningful about friendship and integrity and what it means to live and be alive.

Some of the themes of this particular film might have saved my life. As someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression has been a frequent companion throughout my life. The movie has its share of laughs that do not require farting or referencing bodily functions, though those jokes certainly have their place. Still, the more dramatic theme takes center stage, and the character of Clarence says it best: "No man is a failure who has friends." The knowledge that a wonderful life is not possessions or prestige maintains throughout the film, and more than a few characters in our own time could stand to hear it.

"It's a Wonderful Life" is not a recent film, and it was not by any means popular when it was released in 1946. It is more than a holiday film, despite frequent network airings as Christmas draws near. No matter when it is watched, I would hope the people watching carry the themes throughout the year.