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<blockquote data-quote="Crimson" data-source="post: 402262" data-attributes="member: 5079">I skipped by your review when you posted it back in late 2022.&nbsp; IT&#039;S A WONDERFUL LIFE isn&#039;t just one of my favorite films, it&#039;s one I regard as among the best ever made. My mom watched IAWL annually, a tradition I&#039;ve continued.&nbsp; I&#039;ve also seen it in theatrical re-releases at least six times.&nbsp;&nbsp; I consider it a bellwether film -- when someone says they don&#039;t like it, my opinion of their opinions takes a hit.&nbsp; At the time, I didn&#039;t want to seem like I was attacking your view of the movie or, worse, smugly implying that I thought you didn&#039;t get it.&nbsp; Since your memories of the movie seem to be more positive than your immediate reaction, I&#039;m&nbsp; more inclined to give my counter view.There are many virtues of the film that I could extol, but I think its technical prowess is remarkable.&nbsp; For years, I assumed the movie was filmed on location; a rarity for the era.&nbsp; It&#039;s amazing to me that Bedford Falls was conjured up on a Hollywood backlot.&nbsp; It feels like a real place, grounding the film in one of the most important elements of fiction: verisimilitude.&nbsp; Sure there are elements of the movie that are dated; it is nearly 80 years old.&nbsp; I&#039;m never not vexed by Sam Wainwright&#039;s &quot;Hee-Haw!&quot; -- but also think that irksomeness is intentional.&nbsp; If Sam was less annoying, George would have likely have gone into business with him.&nbsp; A poor decision made for a dumb reason that changed the course of his life -- something I suspect most of us can relate to.I really reject any notion that the movie is saccharine or picture perfect.&nbsp; &nbsp; George is resistant and resentful about his life every step of the way: his job, his wife, his kids.&nbsp; Even when he appears happy, there&#039;s always an undercurrent of discontentedness.&nbsp; The failure to appreciate what one has is, again, something I think everyone can relate to at some point.&nbsp; &nbsp; The ending -- sometimes celebrated, sometimes mocked -- is one of the most earned emotional releases of any movie. Since your recollection of the film has drifted more towards the positive, I&#039;d encourage you to rethink this.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Crimson, post: 402262, member: 5079"] I skipped by your review when you posted it back in late 2022. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE isn't just one of my favorite films, it's one I regard as among the best ever made. My mom watched IAWL annually, a tradition I've continued. I've also seen it in theatrical re-releases at least six times. I consider it a bellwether film -- when someone says they don't like it, my opinion of their opinions takes a hit. At the time, I didn't want to seem like I was attacking your view of the movie or, worse, smugly implying that I thought you didn't get it. Since your memories of the movie seem to be more positive than your immediate reaction, I'm more inclined to give my counter view. There are many virtues of the film that I could extol, but I think its technical prowess is remarkable. For years, I assumed the movie was filmed on location; a rarity for the era. It's amazing to me that Bedford Falls was conjured up on a Hollywood backlot. It [I]feels[/I] like a real place, grounding the film in one of the most important elements of fiction: verisimilitude. Sure there are elements of the movie that are dated; it is nearly 80 years old. I'm never not vexed by Sam Wainwright's "Hee-Haw!" -- but also think that irksomeness is intentional. If Sam was less annoying, George would have likely have gone into business with him. A poor decision made for a dumb reason that changed the course of his life -- something I suspect most of us can relate to. I really reject any notion that the movie is saccharine or picture perfect. George is resistant and resentful about his life every step of the way: his job, his wife, his kids. Even when he appears happy, there's always an undercurrent of discontentedness. The failure to appreciate what one has is, again, something I think everyone can relate to at some point. The ending -- sometimes celebrated, sometimes mocked -- is one of the most earned emotional releases of any movie. Since your recollection of the film has drifted more towards the positive, I'd encourage you to rethink this. [/QUOTE]

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