“This Wonderful Life” [2] ( English “ It's a Wonderful Life” ) is a film directed by Frank Capra , shot in 1946 according to the story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. The protagonist of the film, unable to withstand a series of problems, decides to commit suicide, but the guardian angel helps him see how much his life has helped other people. Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed play the lead roles.
| This wonderful life | |
|---|---|
| It's a wonderful life | |
 | |
| Genre | Fantasy Drama Comedy |
| Producer | Frank Capra |
| Producer | Frank Capra |
| Author script | Frances Goodrich Albert Hackett Frank Capra |
| In the main cast | James stewart Donna reed |
| Operator | Joseph Byrok Joseph walker |
| Composer | Dmitry Temkin |
| Film company | Liberty films |
| Duration | |
| Budget | $ 3.18 million |
| A country | |
| Tongue | |
| Year | and |
| IMDb | |
The classic film of world cinema, every year (since the 1970s), shown on leading US TV channels on Christmas Eve [3] . Capra himself considered this film the best in his career [4] .
In 1986, the film was colorized [5] .
Content
Story
The film is based on the book The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern. George Bailey, a small town resident, is so frustrated with countless problems and debt to a local banker that he is thinking about suicide on Christmas Eve. He always wanted to leave his hometown to see the world, but circumstances and his own kind heart did not allow him to leave Bedford Falls. He sacrificed himself for the rescue and education of his brother, saved every cent to keep his family afloat, borrowed, defended the town from the evil banker Potter, married a girl he had loved since childhood and supported this family. So George is preparing to jump off the bridge, but instead he saves his guardian angel, Clarence Odbodi, who has come to receive his wings. Clarence shows him how bad it would have been in Bedford Falls without him and all his good deeds. Filled with joy to life, George goes home to his loving family and friends, with whom he forgets about all his worries, and the people of the town help him with money - they carry whomever they have.
Cast
- James Stewart - George Bailey
- Donna Reed - Mary Hatch Bailey
- Carolyn Grimes - Zuzu Bailey
- Lionel Barrymore - Henry Potter
- Thomas Mitchell - Uncle Billy
- Henry Travers - Clarence Oddisay, Second Class Angel
- Beula Bondi - Mrs. Bailey
- Frank Faylen - Ernie Bishop, Taxi Driver
- Ward Bond - Burt, a cop
- Gloria Graham - Violet Beek
- Lillian Randolph - Annie
- Bobby Anderson - George Bailey as a Child
- Samuel S. Hinds - Pa Bailey
Recognition
- 1947 - 5 Oscar nominations : Best Film, Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actor (James Stewart), Best Editing (William Hornbek), Best Sound Recording (John Alberg)
- 1947 - Golden Globe Award for Best Director (Frank Capra)
- 1990 - the film is placed on the National Film Registry.
- 1994 - Honorary Award "Young Actor" of the former child star (Jimmy Hawkins)
- In 2004, the BBC channel selected the best films that did not receive an Oscar . The film "This wonderful life" hit second place.
- According to the American Institute of Film Art "This wonderful life" takes:
- 1998 - 11th place in the list of the best American films for 100 years ;
- 2002 - 8th place in the list of the most passionate American films ;
- 2003 - George Bailey on the 9th place in the list of best goodies ; Henry Potter is on the 6th place in the list of worst negative characters;
- 2006 - 1st place in the list of the most inspiring American films ;
- 2008 - 3rd place in the list of the best American fantasy films .
- The film takes a high place in the list of the best films in the version of IMDb .
Despite the Oscar nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Direction, the film had a box-office failure, collecting $ 3.3 million with a budget of $ 3.18 million. It ruined the Capra production company and contributed to the decline of his career. two decades, he shot only five films. After 28 years, "This wonderful life" was recognized as his best film. In 1974, the copyright expired, the company-owner considered their extension for another 28 years commercially impractical, and the film was made publicly available. TV studios began to show free family drama on Christmas Eve, a few years later he came out on videotape, so that by the time the right holders came to their senses and limited broadcasting rights, without this film, it was impossible to imagine the celebration of Christmas in the USA. The capra confessed that a pleasant but absurdity had come out: he did not take down any Christmas story [6] .
Release
In the early 1980s, the film was released on VHS by Media Home Entertainment, re-released from the mid-1980s by Spotlite Video. A color version of the film was released on VHS in 1986 by Hal Roach Video. Also, the film has been released on VHS by Simitar Video and Video Treasures since 1989, since the early 1990s - Diamond Entertainment, VidAmerica, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, from the mid-1990s - Anchor Bay Entertainment and Republic Pictures Home Video on VHS and Laserdisc.
Notes
- ↑ http://www.sfi.se/sv/svensk-filmdatabas/Item/?itemid=14314&type=MOVIE&iv=Basic
- Фильм In the State Register ( [1] and [2] ) of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the film is available both in this title and under the name “This Amazing Life” .
- ↑ The Russian analogue of the holiday (but completely different in the plot) is the picture “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! », Shown on the leading TV channels of Russia on the eve of the New Year.
- ↑ Mark Lee. It's a Wonderful Life, review . The Telegraph (December 24, 2013). The appeal date is March 12, 2014.
- ↑ There are three color versions of the film. The first appeared in 1986, the second three years later and was published on videotapes. The third was made by Legend Films and released on DVD in 2007.
- ↑ Nikita Soldatov. Time re-show // Kommersant Weekend. - 2015. - No. 28 (August 28).
Links
- "This beautiful life" on YouTube (English)