Rating: 
Summary: The Ultimate Smarmy Movie
Review: It's okay if you want a movie to reinforce your Norman Rockwell view of the world. But it's so smarmy and sugary sweet it will give you diabetes.
Rating: 
Summary: Humpdy Dumpdy
Review: THere is nothing about humpdy dumpdy in this movie and i find that very offensive, especally the fact that is raining in the opening scene. The part about the lady is rude. I have to go take a bath. Amazon.com stinks.
Rating:
Summary: It's A Wonderful Movie
Review: It's A Wonderful Life is an excellent Christmastime movie! James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers and Lionel Barrymore are very good and the supporting actors are pretty top notch too! I didn't find this movie depressing at all and I have found it quite uplifting and inspiring. Yes there are some moments of sadness and despair for Jimmy Stewart's character but there are a lot of happy joyful moments too that make this movie a very charming Christmastime classic and I recommend it very greatly. I have had It's a Wonderful Life on two videos but they weren't of the best quality and I'm hoping to get the DVD.
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Summary: Even SCROOGE would love this movie!!!!
Review: Despite James Stewart's "Gee Whillikers" and "Gosh Golly"isms, this movie always leaves me spellbound, and I walk away from it with a glow (somewhat like the one imparted by a VERY GOOD Holiday Hot Buttered Rum) in my heart.I'm caught up in the family -- the father, the dear mother, the devoted children of all ages, the comings and goings in that bustling house, the rowdy happy group of friends (it REALLY was like that back in those days), the trademark "Hee Haw" that lasted thru time and trauma, and the close-knit group of citizens who took their civic duties and neighborliness seriously. The plots and subplots are dexterously woven into one another, running seamlessly from very funny Damsel-in-Distress-Caught-in-the-Bushes followed immediately by the very serious and heartbreaking family trauma and seriously sick father - yet nothing is sacrificed by this transition of plots, neither human dignity nor plotline. This movie held me spellbound -- boy did I "freeze" when I looked down into that ice-bound dark and freezing river. How my heart sank when I saw the once happy home turned into a dark dilapidated abandoned hulk, in the living "dream". But then ... a heart chastened, an angel about to get his wings, a "Hee Haw" -- and the world turns right side up, once again letting in the warmth of Christmas Cheer and the true meaning of FRIENDSHIP, DEVOTION and FAMILY. No matter that the movies back in those days were made in black and white.....the cast of characters in "It's A Wonderful Life" truly provided the color and warmth to this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Traditional Holiday Movie
Review: Stewart gives an excellent performance to an otherwise silly tale. Non-sensical, best left for children; I did enjoy this each holiday season when I was a child.
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS
Review: I've always felt that calling this a Christmas movie was kind of like calling Die Hard a christmas Movie. The holiday is really secondary to everything else. I remember some 20 plus years ago when this movie used to show up on one of the local UHF channels at least once a month due to being in public domain. I'm not exactly sure what made it leap to the classic we know today as it had always been around. It's a great movie of course with fantastic performances by Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful family movie
Review: I sometimes wonder why this movie is shown at Christmastime. I find it depressing. Either way, it is an excellent movie. George Bailey, who grew up in Bedford Falls, dreams of leaving it and making his mark on the world. His family's business is all that stands between the good citizens and Mr. Potter, a rich miser who takes pleasure in taking from everybody. After misplacing an $8000.00 loan, George contemplates suicide. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth and shows him how his town, family and friends would turn out if he had never been born. George meant so much to so many people; should he really throw it all away?
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Story!
Review: A terrific illustration of the impact we have on others--and how far reaching it is even when we don't realize it. Jimmy Stewart is wonderful! This is such an uplifting, inspiring, all-is-right-with-the-world-movie. We watch it each year at Christmas and turn it off and sigh. :-)
Rating:
Summary: touching; not perfect; anti-capitalist (woohoo!)
Review: Summary:
George Bailey (James Stewart) is a hometown boy with big aspirations. After finishing high school, he is going to tour Europe then go to college and become a big name architect and construction job manager, building huge dams and great projects. Everything seems to be headed that way, too, until his father, Peter Bailey (Samuel S. Hinds), has a stroke and ends up dying. His father was the head of the local Savings and Loan and without his guidance, the vile Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), the town miser, plans on a forced takeover of the Savings and Loan, much to George's Uncle Billy's (Thomas Mitchell) wishes (and to the detriment of the town's poor). The only way to save the Savings and Loan is for George, whom everyone respects and trusts, to step in as the new chairman and takeover. Giving up his tour of Europe and college education, George does the 'right' thing, and takes over the Savings and Loan, which is really the only thing standing between the poor of the town having a chance to live decent lives and Mr. Potter taking over everything and grinding them into the mud. In giving up his college dreams, George has to watch while his younger brother, Harry (Todd Karns), uses his money to go to college, becomes a football star, then a war hero. George also watches his new found love, Mary (Donna Reed), go off to school. All of this turns George bitter, but he presses on, despite the problems. Eventually one good thing does happen, Mary comes back, and despite his bitterness towards his lost opportunities, George marries Mary and they make a life together as the advocates of the town's poor. George, who helps the poor despite it hurting the Savings and Loan and keeping him perpetually poor, eventually runs into trouble. His forgetful uncle, Billy, loses an $8,000 deposit on Christmas Eve, just when the local auditor comes to check over their books. Without that money, George and Billy are bound to go to jail. As it turns out, Mr. Potter is the one who found it, but because he wants to crush them out of business, he doesn't give them the money. For George, this is the last straw. Knowing his life is ruined, he finally breaks down and is mean to people, starting with his Uncle, but moving to his wife, kids, their schoolteachers, and, well, pretty much everyone. Until his guardian angel happens upon the scene, Clarence Oddbody (Henry Travers). Clarence appears just in time to stop George from killing himself then helps him to see all of the good that he has done for the people of the town and how much they need him. Once George realizes this, he can't wait to get back home, despite the impending jail sentence. But when he returns home, even though the police and the auditor are waiting for him, he finds that his incredible wife has brought the townspeople together and they are going to bail him out. Thus ends a touching tale about how kindness can make you much wealthier in terms of relationships than can money. My Comments:
Believe it or not, I had never seen this movie, despite it supposedly being a classic Christmas film. I was a bit hesitant, because I tend to enjoy psychological thrillers much more than sappy dramas, but I ended up appreciating this movie. However, my appreciation went much further than what I would consider the superficial heroics of George Bailey, who saved his younger brother and was nice to people. It was also deeper than the townspeople coming together in the end to save George and the Savings and Loan. What I really liked about this movie was the communism. Yep, that's right, this is pure communist propaganda and I loved every second of it. But before I get into that, let me talk about the story and the acting. The story is pretty straightforward. It does cover quite a bit of time, but does so well and convincingly. There aren't any major plot holes and the only kind of quirky thing is the intervention of the guardian angel. For most people, the divine intervention is probably one of the best parts of the film. As an agnostic, I recognized that many people probably enjoyed this notion, but it was really just a necessary tool to illustrate to George what life would have been like had he not been born. And, yes, the portrayal of George's town without him was a bit extreme, and the idea of someone not being born wasn't particularly well-fleshed out (though this is a drama and not a science fiction thriller). But overall, it's a sound story that hits all the right marks to jerk a tear. The acting is also good. There are some weaker links, like Thomas Mitchell and some of the other peripheral characters, but the main actors, Stewart and Reed, were really very good. (Oh, and Donna Reed, am I the only one that thinks she's attractive? I never thought I'd hear myself say that about Donna Reed...) Anyway, I can't really complain about the acting. It was really good for its time and pretty good for today. Now, back to communism. Yes, this movie is about communism, but not Soviet or Chinese communism. This is essentially a boiled down version of Marxist communism, where the people own everything. It also is a brilliant depiction of the exploitation of the working classes by the bourgeoisie, in this case Mr. Potter. George's attempts to help the poor and maintain the Savings and Loan are Capra's way of defeating capitalist exploitation. Hooray for the little man! Three cheers for labor unions! If Frank Capra was just trying to tell a story and was not trying to criticize capitalism, then I'm a double-headed pig that can use a computer. Overall, this is a very good film. It is well-produced, convincing (except for the whole guardian angel/talking in space thing), and the acting is good. But what's more, it has an anti-capitalist message. I can't say it was perfect, but it was touching and inspirational. If only we could take out the religion stuff, I'd say we have a rallying cry for social democracy (okay, leave in the religion for now, but eventually...). Anyway, if you haven't seen this movie, yes, it's sappy, but it's also heart-warming (and Donna Reed's cute). You should definitely check it (and her) out.
Rating:
Summary: original aspect ratio
Review: To the reviewer below who asked why they don't release a widescreen version, the answer is that they didn't start making movies with "widescreen" aspect ratios (1.85:1 or 2.35:1, usually) until the 1950s, to compete with television. Before that movies were made with the "Academy Standard" ratio of 1.33:1, which is the same proportions as non-widescreen TVs (although before the 1930s it was 1.37:1). What this means is that the DVD actually is showing you the original aspect ratio, as the director intended it to be seen.
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