00:19
|
Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free First Class Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.
Watch a Related Video
Frequently Bought Together
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
![It's A Wonderful Life [DVD] [1946]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51a%2B%2BkyStLL._SL75_SS50_.jpg) |
81% buy the item featured on this page: It's A Wonderful Life [DVD] [1946] £12.98 |
![The Frank Capra Collection - Feat: It's A Wonderful Life (4 Disc Box Set) [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5193W3DVDAL._SL75_SS50_.jpg) |
8% buy The Frank Capra Collection - Feat: It's A Wonderful Life (4 Disc Box Set) [DVD] £15.98 |
![It's a Wonderful Life [1946] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518BQ4JN9RL._SL75_SS50_.jpg) |
5% buy It's a Wonderful Life [1946] [DVD] |
![James Stewart Collection - Harvey/Mr Smith Goes To Washington/Rear Window/It's A Wonderful Life [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WHVBR617L._SL75_SS50_.jpg) |
3% buy James Stewart Collection - Harvey/Mr Smith Goes To Washington/Rear Window/It's A Wonderful Life [DVD] |
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Synopsis
The legendary James Stewart (Harvey, Vertigo) stars as George Bailey. George is a noble man who has spent much of his life on a crusade to stop shady local businessman Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore – Treasure Island, Duel in the Sun) from taking over the picturesque town of Bedford Falls. However, on a typically snow-covered Christmas Eve, George plays right into Potter's hands when his uncle manages to lose a considerable amount of their family business' money on the way to the bank. Ironically, Potter discovers the missing money and hides it, knowing that its disappearance will tarnish the Baileys' white-than-white reputation. Taking responsibility for the shortage and realising that he faces prison, George attempts to kill himself but in a bizarre twist of fate is visited by a guardian angel. In true Dickensian style, George's newfound friend gives him the opportunity to glimpse a world without him in it and the repercussions his absence has on his nearest and dearest.
Nominated for numerous Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director) and ranking at number 11 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 greatest movies, Director Frank Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, Lost Horizon) managed to create a poignant and feel-good film that has stood the test of time and is rightly considered to be the quintessential Christmas classic.
Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
Synopsis
The legendary James Stewart (Harvey, Vertigo) stars as George Bailey. George is a noble man who has spent much of his life on a crusade to stop shady local businessman Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore – Treasure Island, Duel in the Sun) from taking over the picturesque town of Bedford Falls. However, on a typically snow-covered Christmas Eve, George plays right into Potter's hands when his uncle manages to lose a considerable amount of their family business' money on the way to the bank. Ironically, Potter discovers the missing money and hides it, knowing that its disappearance will tarnish the Baileys' white-than-white reputation. Taking responsibility for the shortage and realising that he faces prison, George attempts to kill himself but in a bizarre twist of fate is visited by a guardian angel. In true Dickensian style, George's newfound friend gives him the opportunity to glimpse a world without him in it and the repercussions his absence has on his nearest and dearest.
Nominated for numerous Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director) and ranking at number 11 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 greatest movies, Director Frank Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, Lost Horizon) managed to create a poignant and feel-good film that has stood the test of time and is rightly considered to be the quintessential Christmas classic.
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
![Miracle On 34th Street [DVD] [1994]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZB49G06SL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Richard Attenborough
|
![The Bishop's Wife [DVD] [1947]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51G0XVG1SCL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Cary Grant
|
![Holiday Inn (Special Edition) [1942] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BBSFMC37L._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Bing Crosby
|
![Scrooge [DVD] [1951]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZPK6X45GL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Alastair Sim
|
![White Christmas [DVD] [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516CCV7JFXL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
DVD ~ Bing Crosby
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Customer Discussions
Beta (What's this?)|
This product's forum
(0 discussions)
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Active discussions in related forums
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk |
Treat Someone
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). |
|||||||||
| |||||
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
You have no recently viewed items or searches.
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. |
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
| ||||
Amazon Home | |
| International Sites: United States | Germany | France | Japan | Canada | China | |
| Business Programs: Sell on Amazon | Fulfilment by Amazon | Join Associates | Join Advantage | |
| Customer Service | Help | View Basket | Your Account | |
| About Amazon.co.uk | Careers at Amazon | |
| Conditions of Use & Sale | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates |