Remember the scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Jedi Master Yoda tells Luke Skywalker that Luke's problem is that his mind is always looking away, always somewhere else, and not focused on whatever business is at hand?
When I watched It's A Wonderful Life, again [how many years in a row has that been, now?--Ed.], on Christmas Eve, I suddenly realized that George Bailey is the spiritual father of Luke Skywalker. His mind was always somewhere else, not on what was going on around him. His resentment of the circumstances that kept him in Bedford Falls, away from his dreams of college, of seeing the world, and apart from the larger life he thought he wanted, all would have made him an ideal candidate for being turned to the Dark Side of the Force.
Thank God for Clarence the Angel! Clarence was no Yoda--nor even an Obi-Wan--but he had enough practical intelligence to get through to George before it was too late. Clarence showed George that the world was a much meaner place without him; Yoda showed Luke that Luke was in literal danger of making the world a meaner place by becoming his father. Both mentors succeeded in convincing their students that living in the moment, being contented with what they had, was all that mattered. And they both ultimately achieved their happy endings.
[A quick aside: I read a review of It's A Wonderful Life which claimed it didn't matter that George, through the generosity of friends and family, repaid the $8,000 shortage in the savings and loan's accounts. The reviewer claimed the crime had still been committed and George would still have to pay the price. The reviewer obviously was no lawyer. Not only did George NOT steal the money, neither George nor his uncle had any intent to defraud the savings and loan. No intent, no crime. Yes, charges may have been filed, and investigations would be done, and sooner or later, it would be seen that the evil Mr. Potter wrongly kept the money once he realized George's uncle had unwittingly given it to him. Ultimately, Potter, in trying to engineer George's final downfall, merely hastened his own.--Ed.}
The ending of It's A Wonderful Life always used to irritate me. I thought it would have had more impact if no one had come through with the replacement money, but had shown up to give George moral support. After this year's viewing, however, I'm not so sure. Maybe I need a little "happy ending" fantasy of my own . . . maybe it's the downward drag of current nationwide economic circumstances . . . maybe it's just that I'm a little older, a little wiser, and a lot sadder and more disillusioned about humanity in general . . . for whatever reasons, I found myself sobbing by the end of the movie, grieving for the suffering its plot revealed and wishing desperately that such an ending were a real possibility in this world.
I haven't felt that much visceral pain in a long time. I hope I don't have to experience any more any time soon.
3 comments:
The Eclectic Iconoclast pegged it! I wondered why I had avoided "It's a Wonderful Life" this year after so many enjoyde viewings. Who is easier to watch than Jimmy Stewart? Is there greater variation on Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"? Teaching through memory and focusing it on realities that were missed -- yes, right again, E. I. -- because the mind was not focused where it should have been.
I searched for my copy of Alastair Sim as Scrooge with the oddly sexy George Cole as young Scrooge and was devasted when I couldn't find it in time for a Christmas Eve viewing. (Although, I did find it and have watched it several times since.) In this version, though Scrooge becomes a genrous, outgoing soul, we don't watch him passing out presents (except for one, anonymously sent, turkey) like Reginald Owen who promises "everything for everybody" in the 1930s MGM version or oranges to everyone in the street in a more recent, partially animated version with Simon Callow.
In fact, I don't think Dickens had envisioned anything quite as socialistic as the MGM version hinted at nor do I think he meant for Crachitt to become Scrooge's business partner as in the animated version. The focus, to go back to the main theme, was to learn to look, to see, and to feel for what's going on around you rather than at your own problems.
Unlike the Eclectic Iconoclast, I did not want to watch that which I wish would happen in 'real life' --if not to me, certainly to those even worse off than I. Although, I wouldn't have minded just one more unholy scream as Marley's ghost made his terrifying entrance.
I too cried at watching It's a Wonderful Life. I cry tears of joy watching this man suddenly realize is IS the righest man in Bedford Falls, and that he is rich with blessings, not money. This lesson makes me wasn to weep with happiness for him, and for everyone lucky enough to come to such a conclusion in their lives.
It is great that the story hit home perhaps a bit more this year, this simple tale of belief in oneself. I hope the rest of your holidays are equally as "joy-full".
I confess that I'd never thought of "It's A Wonderful Life" in connection with "A Christmas Carol," but it's a natural--and obvious to everyone but me--fit. Thank you both for opening my eyes a little wider.
I read a commentary late last week by a young man whose take was quite different: he thought Potterville was a lot more interesting and exciting than Bedford Falls ever could hope to be. His sadness at the end was in the realization that Potterville was gone for good.
I hate to say this, but I think we are living in Potterville now. And I want Bedford Falls!
On an entirely different tack: i worked at Waldenbooks back when the Alastair Sim version was released on VHS. One morning, corporate HQ instructed all stores to pull every copy in inventory. Apparently, some purchasers had gotten more than they bargained for: what said it was Alastair Sin in "A Christmas Carol" actually was a porno film.
I would think the scream of any mother making such a discovery would outdo any noises Marley ever emitted.
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