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19 Dec 2016

CHRISTMAS MOVIES - It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

 Film genres have formulas and rules, but how well do Christmas films follow their formula?




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.

  • 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.



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.


2 comments:

  1. 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.

    I 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.

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    Replies
    1. "Family Is The Most Important Thing" is a trope description, not a literal claim.

      9b refers to "Miracles Are Real," I don't think there was an actual "miracle" in the film.

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