It's A Wonderful Life (1946) is a film, partially set at Christmas and popularly watched during the festive season.
The following may contain spoilers for
"It's A Wonderful Life" (1946)
RULE #1 - CHARACTERS
"Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends." ~ SCA Clarence Odbody's inscription.
- 1a. Someone Who Hates Christmas - No one specifically.
- 1b. Someone Who Inflicts Christmas Cheer on Others - Almost George Bailey at the end.
- 1c. Precocious Kids - The Bailey kids.
- 1d. A Bullied Kid - None.
- 1e. Silver-haired jovial old person - Possibly Uncle Billy until he loses the money.
- 1f. Someone with a secret - No one really. I guess Potter due to him having the money.
- 1g. Stressed Young Female - Mary Bailey. Though not particularly stressed.
- 1h. The Single - Violet Bick, but barely.
- 1i. Someone Career Obsessed - George for a lot of the film.
- 1j. Grumpy Old (usually) Man - Henry F Potter.
- 1k. Sassy Old (usually) Woman - The servant Anne.
- 1l. An Inappropriate Santa Impersonator - No Santas.
RULE #2 - SEX & NUDITY
"This is a very interesting situation!" ~ George Bailey.
"Please give me my robe." ~ Mary Hatch.
"A man doesn't get in a situation like this every day." ~ George Bailey.
"I'd like to have my robe." ~ Mary Hatch.
"Not in Bedford Falls anyway." ~ George Bailey.
- 2a. Nudity - Mary Hatch accidentally loses her robe and ends up hiding nude in hydrangea bush.
- 2b. Sex - No sex. I mean, the Bailey's had four children but we don't see the making of.
RULE #3 - PLOTS
"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" ~ SCA Clarence Odbody.
"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" ~ SCA Clarence Odbody.
- 3a. Home for the holidays - No. But George was considering suicide.
- 3b. Santa may be real: Santa isn't mentioned.
- 3c. Classic Christmas stories may be homaged:
i. The Nativity - No.
ii. A Christmas Carol - There is an element of A Christmas Carol to the film: A supernatural entity shows a man the effects of his life on other on Christmas Eve. Alternately, Potter can be seen as Scrooge.
iii. O' Henry's Gift of the Magi - No.
iv. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - No. Unless you count Potter.
- 3a. Home for the holidays - No. But George was considering suicide.
- 3b. Santa may be real: Santa isn't mentioned.
- 3c. Classic Christmas stories may be homaged:
i. The Nativity - No.
ii. A Christmas Carol - There is an element of A Christmas Carol to the film: A supernatural entity shows a man the effects of his life on other on Christmas Eve. Alternately, Potter can be seen as Scrooge.
iii. O' Henry's Gift of the Magi - No.
iv. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - No. Unless you count Potter.
RULE #4 - GENRE
"What do you want?" ~ Mary Hatch.
"Me? Nothing! I just came in to get warm." ~ George Bailey.
"He's making violent love to me, mother!" ~ Mary Hatch.
A variety of genres:
- 4a. Straight comedy - No.
- 4b. Bitter-sweet family drama-comedy - Nearly.
- 4c. Animated fantasy (or puppets/muppets) - No.
- 4d. Bible retelling - No.
RULE #5 - EXPECTED EVENTS
"Must she keep playing that?" ~ George Bailey.
"I have to practice for the party tonight, Daddy." ~ Janie Bailey.
"Mommy says we can stay up till midnight and sing Christmas carols." ~ Pete Bailey.
One or more of the following will occur:
- 5a. Ugly Christmas sweaters - No
- 5b. Pulling Santa's beard - No.
- 5c. Carolers are annoying - Daughter practising "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" on the piano.
- 5d. Some kind of competition - Just between Potter and the Savings & Loan.
- 5e. Mistletoe - No.
RULE #6 - UNEXPECTED DIFFICULTIES
"I didn't fall in. I jumped in to save George." ~ SCA Clarence Odbody.
"You what? To save me?" ~ George Bailey.
"You what? To save me?" ~ George Bailey.
The following simple things are difficult, often comically so:
- 6a. Putting Up Christmas lights - No.
- 6b. Not walking out after a fight with family - George leaves.
- 6c. Last minute gift purchasing - No.
- 6d. Assembling Christmas gifts - No.
- 6e. Cooking - No.
- 6f. Attempts to get home for Christmas - No.
- 6g. Even a getting and putting up a Christmas tree can lead to disaster - No.
RULE #7 - RELIGION
"Like everybody else, on V-E Day he wept and prayed. On V-J Day they wept and prayed again." ~ St Joseph.
- 7a. Nativity/Little religion - Religion is important to the film as prayer brings an angel.
- 7b. Accepting non-Christians into the celebration - No.
- 7c. An annoying overly religious person - No.
- 7d. Angels - Yes, Clarence Odbody, central to the story.
RULE #8 - ENDING
"That's a Christmas present from a very dear friend of mine." ~ George Bailey.
At least one of the following will happen:
- 8a. Snow - Lots of, especially in the Christmas present but not suddenly at the end.
- 8b. Grump-No-More - George is briefly a grump and becomes the opposite.
- 8c. Santa is Real - No.
- 8d. The Unexpected Extra Guest - Well, lots of them actually.
- 8e. Wisdom From an Unexpected Source - The bumbly Second Class Angel Clarence.
- 8f. The Single Will Find Love - No. Well, George earlier in the film.
RULE #9 - HAPPY ENDING
"Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." ~ Zuzu Bailey.
"That's right, that's right." ~ George Bailey.
Will have a sickly sweet ending with a "The True Meaning of Christmas" message - especially:
- 9a. Family is the most important thing - It's implied.
- 9b. Miracles are real - A central theme.
- 9c. It's the thought that counts - No.
- 9d. Santa is real - For the last time, no.
- 9e. Others - The power of friendship.
RULE #10 - SEQUELS
"It takes a lot of character to leave your home town and start all over again." ~ George Bailey.
- 10a. No sequels - An attempt was made to do an unauthorised sequel but it fell through.
- 10b. May be a sequel - Not a sequel.
- 10c. Remake - Remade as It Happened One Christmas in 1977.
- 10d. Adaptation -
RESULTS
"Just make yourself at home, Mr. Carter. I'll get those books for
you." ~ George Bailey.
- Rules followed by this film: 1, 2. 8.
- Rules partially followed by this film: 3, 4, 5, 9, 10.
- Rules not followed by this film: 6, 7.
~ DUG.
I disagree on your point 9a, it's probably pedantic because it has to do with the use of the word "Most." I would argue that in the movie it's not actually implied that family is "the most" important thing. But rather it is AN important thing that makes up a good (or "wonderful") life.
ReplyDeleteI contrast this with movies where family is considered "the most" important thing. Movies like Santa Clause 3 which is modeled after It's a Wonderful Life, and the resolution to the conflict happens not in returning to being Santa Claus but in letting family in on the secret of Santa Claus.
In It's a Wonderful Life the resolution takes place in part because of the family he had, but also the people he has a positive influence on in the town and through his business (the business that he hadn't really liked his whole life) on the whole I think the movie points to "the most" important thing being generosity and sacrifice your desires for the good of others, and yes that includes family, but I wouldn't say it was even implied to be the most important thing.
"Family Is The Most Important Thing" is a trope description, not a literal claim.
Delete9b refers to "Miracles Are Real," I don't think there was an actual "miracle" in the film.