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It's a Wonderful Life
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It's a Wonderful Life (1946) More at IMDbPro »

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It's a Wonderful Life (1946) -- An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.

Overview

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Up 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Frank Capra
Writers:
Frances Goodrich (screenplay) and
Albert Hackett (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for It's a Wonderful Life on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 January 1947 (USA) more
Tagline:
They're making memories tonight! more
Plot:
An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins more
NewsDesk:
(26 articles)
Movie Reviews: Up
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 14 May 2009, 2:32 AM, PDT)

Back Catalogue #1 - Synapse Films
 (From Fangoria. 29 April 2009, 1:43 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Great Influence... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (USA) (complete title)
The Greatest Gift (USA) (working title)
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Runtime:
130 min | Spain:118 min (25 fps) (DVD edition)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Sweden:15 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Germany:6 | Spain:T | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #11656)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
James Stewart and Donna Reed reprised their roles in 1947 on radio, first on "The Lux Radio Theatre" and then on "Camel Screen Guild Theatre." In the Lux version, instead of putting Zuzu's petals in his pocket, George has a bell that Zuzu likes to play with. The "Lux" version aired in March; the "Screen Guild" version aired December 29th. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Snow on Ernie's taxi disappears and reappears when arriving at George's dilapidated house. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mr. Emil Gower: I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Space Children (#10.6)" (1998) more
Soundtrack:
Charleston more

FAQ

What are the names of George and Mary's four children?
Are Bert and Ernie from "Sesame Street" named after Bert, the cop, and Ernie, the taxi driver, from "It's a Wonderful Life"?
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138 out of 164 people found the following comment useful:-
A Great Influence..., 4 March 1999
10/10
Author: Tim Cox from Marietta, OH

No movie ever made has influenced me more than this classic. I had the honor of doing a play version of it about 5 years ago. I had seen the film thousands of times, had loved it, but I never really knew what it meant. During the course of the production, I suddenly felt alive. I felt that I wasn't having enough fun. I felt that I wasn't doing enough in my life. Crazy things, like kissing my mother or my father. I hadn't really hugged one of them in a while. It makes you think. It's more of a thinking person's film than a mere Christmas film. If you think it's just a Christmas film, I insist you watch it again and again, until you get the message.

Stewart gives the finest performance of his career, in one of the most difficult characters ever portrayed. A character all of us are familiar with...a person looking to find himself/herself. It's the great struggle for finding what it is in life you really want to do. George Bailey teaches us so lessons throughout the film and in the end he teaches us the most important lesson of all, that life, although a long and winding road, truly is (for lack of a better word) wonderful...

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Hate to admit it but Potter was awsome! enraged_bunny
Original script mark-1602
The movie's hidden message... enigmatically
Favorite Scene aclements27-1
christmas... theRealbrando
Anyone ever feel 'saved' by this film? cara-macdonald
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