This holiday season, perhaps your family will gather around the television to feel togetherness
and watch the classic Christmas movie.
But It’s A Wonderful Life is actually a lot darker than you might remember.
I mean, it begins with the main character nearly dying.
How many new family films have:
alcoholism
child abuse
attempted suicide
public drunkenness
stealing loads of money
If It's A Wonderful Life were made today, it would be quite different.
The residents of Bedford Falls would gather to communicate online, instead of in person.
A child would never be seen getting smacked around at work...
they probably wouldn't even have a job.
But aside from the differences between life in the Great Depression and this moment, the
social mores of Frank Capra's film would have had the director raked over the coals today.
"This is a very interesting situation."
"Please give me my robe."
You have: sexual harrassment;
"Man doesn't get in a situation like this every day."
"I'd like to have my robe."
"Not at Bedford Falls anyway."
insinuations of prostitution;
And this sure is problematic
"You lay your hands on me and I'll hit you with this broom."
"Annie, I'm in love with you! There's a moon out tonight."
And today this woman might say
“Can you please your words instead of kissing me like that?”
If George Bailey had never been born
Mary would become a bookish spinster; adopting glasses and plain clothes and appearance,
an old maid sentenced forever to the sterile comforts of the library.
Could've have been hot, but now no man will experience her.
Not the most progressive gender politics.
These Frank Capra conventions are excused the way you would laugh off grandpa’s colorful sexism.
The fact that the film’s copyright lapsed and it became a staple of television for decades
has earned it a free pass when it comes to standing up to the rigor of social justice.
But in a forward-thinking move at the time of the film’s creation, Capra wisely understood
not to rely on literal Christian archetypes of God, so as not to alienate different religions.
So it is the galaxies and stars in outer space that congregate to discuss the fate of George Bailey.
The overall feel-good "Capra-corn" is the most dated aspect of the film.
It’s a level of warmth that you just don’t see in movies anymore.
But one character is still very timely: Mr. Potter
The villain that inspires chaos for George Bailey.
He's got a human skull totem on his desk and a bust of Napoleon in his office.
Mr. Potter knows how to make money.
The Bailey Building and Loan is run on charity and incompetence.
"Between you and me, Mr. Carter: we're broke."
"Yeah, very funny."
But at least it looks like a really fun place to work.
Now seventy years later, we see the world has been bought and developed by various Mr. Potters.
But even Capra's insistence that Potter be a bitter paraplegic would be considered
problematic in these times.
It seems to suggest it would be easier to dislike the villain were he in a wheelchair
and unable to do honest, manly work like able-bodied George Bailey.
Despite all the tragic or arcane elements, the film is still a beloved classic.
The community of Bedford Falls is such a tight knit network,
they are like Facebook of the Great Depression.
They crowdfund $8,000 to help George save his business, an angel shows him what his
life would be like if he deleted his account, but he gets to re-activate it after seeing
how many followers he lost.