![]() Ultimately, the holiday film was the only offer he had upon his return, aside from a movie about his time overseas, which he had no interest in doing. In a 2016 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Matzen shared that the actor initially wanted to do a comedy upon his return, and he reportedly found the subject matter of It's a Wonderful Life - namely, George contemplating suicide - to be too bleak. But there's a depth to the Frank Capra-directed movie that's easy for viewers who are so far removed from it's 1946 release date to miss: At its heart, It's a Wonderful Life is a story about the trauma of war - and it has a war veteran at its center, thanks to Stewart.Ĭapra's Christmas classic was the first movie Stewart filmed after he returned from WWII in 1945, and he was a reluctant participant in the beginning, according to author Robert Matzen, who wrote Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe. The movie, which stars James Stewart as the down-on-his-luck George Bailey, is deeply rooted in post-World War II Americana, and is sometimes dismissed as a feel good film that's too saccharine for modern audiences. In other words, Buddy is like every single optimistic outsider who’s ever stepped off the bus at Port Authority for the first time, not yet realizing they’re about to be smacked in the face with some cold New York City realism.For some people, It's a Wonderful Life is as essential to the holiday season as eggnog and Christmas carols. In attempting to bond with his gruff, reluctant biological father, Buddy has to learn how to adapt to his harsh new surroundings without losing what makes him unique. However, Buddy’s journey is just as universal as the saga George embarks on. ![]() Will Ferrell is a master of big and broad comedy, and Buddy the Elf is one of his most gloriously ridiculous creations. Is it all one big lie? Also like George, Buddy hasn’t traveled much-he’s never been south of the North Pole. Like George Bailey, Buddy is just beginning to realize that much of his life has been lost, never to return, to misconceptions and misinterpretations. Elf, directed by Jon Favreau, is the story of Buddy the Elf (played by Will Ferrell), a human man raised among Santa Claus’ toymakers who’s just discovered he’s actually the son of a spectacularly cantankerous children’s book editor (James Caan) who lives in Manhattan. But in exchange, he gives up his dream.Įnter Elf. In turn, George finds the love of his life and the mother of his children. ![]() ![]() Mary Hatch (played by the luminous Donna Reed) has had a crush on George since childhood, and in every respect she “locks him down” and wins the man of her dreams. It’s the romantic element of It’s a Wonderful Life, which after all these years still doesn’t feel gendered or unfairly anti-feminist, that most effectively rips my heart in two. George, played by consummate American everyman Jimmy Stewart, is a banker who settled down and started a family instead of traveling the world, which is something he’s always wanted to do but has never done. On a personal note, for many years my family watched this film every Christmas Eve or Christmas Day until the overwhelming emotional wallop packed by George Bailey and his regret-filled, ultimately extraordinary little existence became too much to bear. Subscribe to Observer’s Entertainment Newsletterĭirector Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is simply one of the greatest movies ever made, period.
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