Every Christmas, "It's a Wonderful Life" (It's a Wonderful Life) will be broadcast on many television stations in the United States. The film of 1946 has endured for a long time, and its charm still shines in every corner of the world, spreading the joy of the holiday, and It conveys the warm interpretation of the meaning of life, family, friendship, love, etc. in American values. The reason why I like old movies very much is that the values conveyed in that era are so gentle and innocent. I like this kind of classic art very much, and so far I can’t fully accept the impact of anti-rationalism after the hippie wind swept across. Contemporary film art. I love old movies because of their norms and rationality, their peaceful values, their down-to-earth creations, and the lovely and great filmmakers of that era.
I have always believed that the reason It's a Wonderful Life is so popular is because it illustrates the value of a person better than any other movie and the greater value it can create for them.
George Bailey, played by James Stewart, is the "every man hero" that we all resonate with. He has real problems to solve every day. For the sake of his family career, he has to give up his ideal of traveling around the world a little bit. To support his family, but he ran into bigger problems. The small family business run by George Bailey is a charitable banking institution, and the largest banker in the town is trying to swallow this small business. On Christmas Eve, the contradiction has risen to the extreme.
The movie starts here. On Christmas Eve, people prayed for their friend George Bailey, and God knew that God sent angels to help.
This movie may be divided into two parts. The first part is in heaven. God told the angel of George Bailey's previous experience. The second part is that the angel came to the world. The angel cast a kind of magic to save George Bailey who was on the verge of despair. , This magic is to let George Bailey see what the world would be like without him.
This magic is too genius! Because it is not by pre-constructing the future, but by reinterpreting the past to make people realize that even if one despises oneself again, and then collapses in despair, he always has hope, he is always valuable, and he can always influence To the surroundings, it affects families, small towns, countries, and even the world. He perfectly presented the relationship between the individual and the surrounding environment, even if we are small, our value is still great. We are so closely connected with the people around us, in fact, we create a huge influence that we don't even realize. This is a complete expression of humanistic thought! I really appreciate this kind of affirmation of personal value, which is the theme of expression in many Hollywood films, but no film can convey this idea so contagiously as this one. The movie begins with a dialogue between God and angels in space far away from the earth, and ends with the chorus of "Friendship is Everlasting" at George Bailey's home. This large gap in time and space is a very powerful film expression. The audience emphasized: You may think that you are very small, but in fact, you have always had an impact and value, making the world a better place. It may be that you are too busy with trivial matters and didn't realize it. You might as well stop the troubles at hand and think about what the world would be like without you. In fact, our lives are all entangled with each other, and our destinies are interactive with each other. Because of you, the world is better; because you live in this world, you can also feel this beauty.
When Harry Bailey toasted his brother George Bailey, he said: " A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town. " This "richest" is certainly not measured by money or any objective standard, because "The riches of the world are not necessarily things that can be quantified. Your life is not measured in material things, but in how you use the material things given you." Happiness makes you feel every bit of beauty in life. Cherish your friends, of course, you know that your friends also cherish you. Wonderful Life is not measured by the outside world. It is defined by ourselves. It is based on your own value. It is because you can experience the meaning of your existence and your value. Because you know the greater value you can create.
Frank Capra is a director I like very much. Many of his movie themes are the harmony and unity of the town and the community, beautiful humanity, and the pursuit of freedom, equality, democracy, and personal values. I think Frank Capra can be regarded as the dream maker of the American dream in that era. From his movies, you can always feel that the universal values in American values are so attractive. Although his films expose the real social problems of monopolistic groups, economic depression, and political corruption, and also propose solutions through the interpretation of the American Dream, these solutions may be more imaginative, and their feasibility may not be high. I think it is for this reason that It's a Wonderful Life lost to The Best Year of Our Lives at the Oscars that year.
I like both of these films very much, because they both use beautiful plots to soothe the trauma of the souls of people after World War II. They are both very warm and touching, and they also propose a path out of confusion for people in confusion. . But maybe people need a more realistic solution at that time. People's hearts are not yet peaceful enough to experience the magic of It's a Wonderful Life, so the more realistic The Best Year of Our Lives won.
Jimmy Stewart is my eternal first male god. He is a collection of all the beautiful qualities in this world. My love for him cannot be described in words, so I won't say much here. In this movie, you will find that Jimmy's face has traces of time, showing the influence of his air force career during World War II. In fact, when this film was made, Jimmy was in a rather unsettle situation. From the end of 1930 to the beginning of 1940, his first acting career peaked, but he won the Oscar for Best Actor and went to the war shortly after he returned to Hollywood. Going through some discomforts. But this uneasy mood also makes his portrayal of the desperate George Bailey extraordinarily credible and authentic. Jimmy is also working with his old partner Frank Capra through this film to find a new way out and greet him. The next peak.
Donna Reed is my favorite actress and the goddess of the masses during World War II. I didn't watch many of her films, because she was mainly active on TV later. But from my limited movie-watching record, I can see that she gradually faded from the youthfulness of the 1930s and completely mastered the female lead role. The performance was very smooth and natural, and her acting skills were also superb.
By JX
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