Finding Joy in Tough Times in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- After this tough year, It's A Wonderful Life felt like the perfect movie to end the year on. George Bailey goes through some really tough times, but het gets through them.
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright share some tips we can learn from George on how to get through the difficult things life throws at us. Because if 2020 has taught us anything, it's that hardship is pretty universal. But when we can help each other out, like Jimmy Stewart's character did for so many people who later returned the favor, it makes it easier to handle the hard times.
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright & Alan Seawright
Edited by: Alan Seawright
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Some people think the last part is unrealistic. My grandfather passed away last year and it wasn’t just his family mourning. The entire town stopped for the day to mourn him. My mother would tell me he would give his food to his workers who could have a tortilla for lunch. He gave them his frijoles and tomatoes. He and his wife my grandmother every year invited people on harder times to have dinner with them for the holidays it was like 50 people or more in a house. I remember that about my grandpa. This year has been horrible, I’ve been unemployed all year and I finally got a job but only as a seasonal and they told me my last day is the (30th) I forgot how kind and compassionate this movie was and romantic. It makes me feel a little better. I hope the next year will be better for all of you. I hope it’s better, in everything.
Thank you for sharing the beautiful person your grandpa was. I'm glad he was alive. Wishing for good things for you and your family in this new year.
@@hollyl5702 thanks you too.
Similar story here, my grandfather passed a few years back now. But I'll always remember how full that church was at his funeral. There were people standing in the aisles and little nooks and crannys of the stone work just so everyone could fit in. And as sad as I was I couldnt help but be in awe at the number of lives he must have touched working as police inspector and aircraft mechanic. And quite frankly if I even impact a quarter of the people he did I'd leave this earth knowing I'd done something right in my life.
People seem to forget that this is how it use to be back in older times. It’s not unrealistic it’s just that not a lot of people are like this anymore.
My Dad is a notoriously big tipper. Even if he can't afford it. He is a retired minister, and helping others was ministering for him - listening to the server's problems, extra tipping, etc. When he was getting ready to retire, one waitress was like "Tell him to stop, he's retiring, he has taken care of us!" but he still does. For his retirement party, he got a lot of gift cards and notes from waitstaff all over the area. I absolutely believe when he goes, his funeral will be PACKED.
I went to a Catholic high school, and my sophomore year, we took Intro to the Bible. At the end of the school year, even though it wasn't Christmas, my teacher showed us "It's A Wonderful Life." She told us that she showed it to her students every year. She said, "My life is wonderful because you were all in it. You are a part of my life." I cry, thinking about it.
That's just beautiful.
Awwww that’s sweet. You guys must’ve been really great to teach if that was her response
@@Overseer2579 Aww. But she really was a great teacher. She cared about each and every one of her students.
... Growing up surrounded by teachers who have every reason to want to kill the kids they teach, I can't even fathom such a person being real. In highschool at least.
I love that Alan cries majority of the time! It's brave to be open enough to show emotion for anyone but epecially as a man. Another great video guys!!!!
He's a tender giant.
I know! I love that he is honest and unashamed about his emotions 😌
@@CinemaTherapyShow My father was 6 foot 3, a military man who served in WW2, a champion heavyweight boxer, and he was the most tender man I ever knew. He cried in movies and taught me that tears can be beautiful. He had such a heart. He used to bring strangers back to the house because they needed a meal or needed a home. One woman lived with us for 6 months after leaving her abusive husband and my father found her walking the street at night with her suitcase because she had nowhere to go. We lived in a 4 room house that didn't even have an inside toilet, but there was always enough to share.
My husband cries over things like that. I love him for it.
@@gray_mara My goshhhh bless his heart… people like him are incredibly rare! Thanks so much for sharing♥️
The emotion from George Bailey is real because it is James Stewart playing it. This was his first movie he made after coming back from world war 2.
It was also Frank Capra's first film after WWII as well--after he spent some time overseas creating films for the war department.
One fun fact about the film that I love but is also super heartbreaking, is when George is on the bridge about to jump and he looks absolutely crazy and so serious about taking his life, he got that look by letting a PTSD flashback from WW2 happen, instead of fighting it. And Jimmy Stewart has actually said that working on the film and having those moments of letting flashbacks happen actually helped him deal with his PTSD better.
@aubreycarter7624 You know what's also interesting? I just watched a little documentary on the small town that inspired the town in the film (I cannot remember the towns name at the top of my head) and the writer spent some time there. There's a bridge that looks identical to the bridge in the film and there's a memorial plaque there for a young man who died after jumping in to save a woman who was trying to commit suicide. Clearly it inspired the scene
This might sound weird but I have grown to like this film a lot more as an adult because the ending isn't as "happy" as most people think. To refence Albert Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus", this isn't a story where a Christmas miracle solves all his problems. This is a story where a man rediscovers the will to keep pushing the rock up the hill. While there is magic to the story, what it gives him is a chance to make a human choice.
Well said. As wonderful and inspirational as stories can be, reality is... harsh. There isn’t always a christmas miracle that fixes everything and all is right with the world as everything fades to black and the closing music starts in. But the will to continue despite horrible circumstances, that’s something to hold on to
Exactly, it's not that all his problems go away, it's more that he realises his life has meaning and he has people who love him and that people can be good people still.
I’ll agree with that however I will add that the problem is not so much the lack of a happy ending but a question of what ending is appropriate according to the narrative of the story. In this case the obvious thing would be that Somehow Mr. Potter getting arrested or some other bad thing happening to him would probably be their happy ending but from what we’ve seen in the movie would that really fit into the movie? To give two examples, one a movie and one a videogame(s) I present I am legend and the mass effect games (specifically the third).
For those who never saw it 1. Spoilers and 2. Quick synopsis: a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in struggles valiantly to find a cure. Now the story is that there was an ending that was more faithful to the book (which admittedly I have not read) that was replaced after a focus group decided to go for a more generic black and white version. While I would not exactly say the one they went with is a totally happy ending since the MC dies (which ironically makes the other one the happy ending since everyone survives) but it also doesn’t make too much sense if you think about it when you compare the two and ask yourself which fits more with what you are presented.
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Like the movie a quick synopsis if you didn’t play the games (spoilers ahead), your character discovers and leads a plot against a being called the reapers that were made to destroy life (there’s more but the “logic” that was presented for this was so stupid that I’m not going to try to explain it). Anyway after three games of built up, they gave us “endings” that was so untimely hated that money was raised for them to be fixed, and unfortunately all we got is a Band-Aid. To be fair what we got was still better then what we had but Band-Aids only cover up the pain not eliminate it since the main issue was not addressed in the DLC but the existing “choices” were fleshed out more so they actually felt more like choices. Also I have to say that it was nice the fact that they (EA and Bioware) actually did anything other than just flip us the bird.
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@@experiment0789 If you think the problem is a lack of happy ending, you didn't understand the point.
@@jeanmarietodd7457 Was my point not clear enough, I know I didn't just out right say it thinking saying I agreed to the main post was enough? If I must say it , I don't think IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE needed a "happy ending",what I was talking about how not all type of endings or appropriate for all story's, and then I included two examples of what I meant.
One scene I liked that wasn't covered in this film, and I had missed myself for a long time until I was all growed up. When he's blowing up at his family on Christmas Eve, there's a moment where he pauses in the foreground and then just trashes the writing desk in front of him.
What I didn't notice at first was that he's standing there looking at these model buildings and bridges and all these drawings he had made. They never show him doing this in the film, but all the architect stuff he talked about at the start, he kept reaching for that even when all this stuff was happening in his life. He kept dreaming about building cities of the future. And in that moment he saw the last of his dreams for his life being ripped away. And so he destroys the things he had been working on in his private time, that last little piece he had been clinging to. And it's heartbreaking.
Right! That was gut wrenching to watch as a kid- I felt like Janie... "Oh Daddy!" and sobbing. Something of the kids' world had just been taken away. And it's hard to watch as an adult. The thing he chooses to focus his rage on is the very area of how he identifies himself. IRL to see your spouse fall apart or to know what your S.O. has to watch when you fall apart it's just about as low as it gets. But in the film (and in life!) It makes the resolution much more powerful and redeeming later.
I've seen this movie dozens of times and never noticed that detail! Thanks!
What I also love about that scene is it's really well acted by James and Donna. In turn the emotions are really relatable. George is at his wits end and because he's human he starts taking it out on his family. Then he realizes what he's done and doesn't know how to fix it. He wants things to go back to the way they were but it's not possible. Mary, in turn, who has been patient finally snaps and says something back to him "Why don't you just..." She doesn't finish it as to not say something she knows she'll regret as well. As he leaves she realizes that that wasn't her husband/the man she loves and something must be very wrong. Brilliantly done.
I love that detail because it just adds yet another layer to the scene. There are so many things in the film which go almost entirely unspoken, yet when you notice them it enhances future viewings tenfold. So many films from that era do this, (probably to keep people coming back to watch them) and I love how effective it is.
This movie is a MASTERCLASS in acting, screenwriting, directing. You wanna get into the movie industry, whatever part of it, study this film. It is a diamond mine where every time you sift through the dirt, there's another shiny piece to explore
I'm not crying. You are crying. Ok, we are all crying. Merry Christmas!
And to you, Merry Christmas!
Yes!!
@@CinemaTherapyShow please view my comment , I’m so curious to see what you think!
Merry holidays!
One thing I think is important to note: You mention at the end how "Sam is finally good for something" in reference to him wiring up to $25,000 to George. Sam was always trying to do right by George. Every chance he got he offered George investment opportunities, jobs, quality time together away from George's problems. But, and this speaks to Point 6, George never let anybody help him before this. His stubbornness and pride led to his uncompromising attitude in regards to his future plans, and it's very possible that his life would have been much better if he had let Sam help him before. So I think it's just a little unfair to say that Sam Wainright is 'finally' good for something. His offer of (in todays money) over $400,000 for his childhood friend is just the capstone of a lifetime of attempts at helping and connecting with his friend.
Absolutely phenomenal review in every ohter aspect though, I just think Sam deserves a little more credit for trying!
Yeah, especially after Sam had a reason to hate him. Sam was dating Mary, and she dumped him to date George. He could have been bitter, but he was happy for them! Sam is the best.
One thing that's always bugged me was when Sam offered George a partnership in the plastics business he was starting and George turned him down in order to stay with the building and loan. Essentially George was sacrificing his chance to get rich in order to stay and help the people in his hometown while Sam went off and became a millionaire. I keep wanting to grab George by the shoulders and tell him, "Dude, don't you get it? You could go off and get insanely rich too and STILL help people! Think about how much you could do for the people here if you came back with a dump truck load of money to invest in the town!!"
Yep, Sam is a gem! He wanted to marry Mary too, and shows no ill will to the family.
@@gemmahunt2968 But I really don't think that Sam was really that serious about Mary. And she obviously wasn't interested in him. He wasn't very faithful to her. When he called her, he had a girl practically on his shoulder. And Mary probably knew he wasn't faithful to her. That's one reason why she preferred George.
@@snowangelnc I don’t think you are being realistic. There wouldn’t have been any way for George to go off and get rich without Potter taking over the Business and Loans and driving it to the ground. He would have the whole town living in his run down houses paying high rents. That is the whole reason George couldn’t go off to college after his dad died. That being said, I do think George could have invested some money with Sam’s plastic business and stayed in Bedford Falls.
Look for the helpers. That's what Mr. Rogers said;
“My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world.”
No matter how many times I watch this movie (and it's been many, many times) that last scene always leaves me crying, especially when Harry says, "to my brother, the richest man in town!" It's such a beautiful moment.
"Let others help you"
When I lived in California in the 90s, I was going through some difficult times financially. I had a friend who was married to a successful actor. She would always offer to lend me money but my pride wouldn't allow me to accept until finally, I reached a point where I had no choice. I needed to borrow $350, which may not sound like a lot, but was a lot to me. She gladly offered it to me and asked me to meet her for lunch. During lunch, she went to hand me a check but she told me there was a condition--that I consider it a gift that didn't have to be paid back (this is leading somewhere, I promise).
Of course, my pride couldn't allow that. I told her no, I would definitely pay her back. Then she said to me, "do you like giving gifts?" I said yes and she asked me why. I told her because it gave me joy. She said, "Why would you deny me that joy?"
I was stunned. I had never thought of it that way before. When we turn down an offer of help in the form of a gift, we're denying the giver joy. Now, when someone offers me a gift (that inwardly I either don't think I deserve or am too proud to accept) I remember what she told me and I accept graciously. There's joy on their faces every time.
Let others help you. It gives them joy.
*sniffle* I love this.
I watched this film for the first time this year, and I was struck by just how relevant George's struggle is today; particularly the scenes where he's a bright eyed young man that wants to see the world and get an education. It's the millennial struggle. Potter is as relevant today as he was back then. The film was suspected of anti-capitalist propaganda, but really it's just depicting the struggle of being a working class person; the same struggle that has always existed. Such a beautiful, heartbreaking yet optimistic film.
Jonathan's mother (may she rest in peace) as Alan and Jonathan are filming: What are you doing down there?
Jonathan: He's making violent love to me, Mother
OMG. Amazing.
Definitely can't wait to watch this one, sometimes the holidays aren't the most wonderful time of the year for some..
It’s the perfect movie for this holiday season...
Why just watch it on Christmas? You can watch it any time of the year!
@UCM_Tu8UMghD-DrUFWXwhPxA So sorry to hear of your tragic loss. 🖤 Just to clarify, I was saying that it is a perfect film to watch in the context of this particular holiday season, with the global pandemic and all. I lost my grandpa to COVID a few days after New Years, and my grandma got COVID a short time later. She is still fighting the virus in the hospital, but her situation is not good. Basically, this movie for me is about finding hope and happiness even in the darkest of times and circumstances. That’s why I love it so much. God bless you and give peace to you and yours💖
Holidays have become a mixed bag for me the last 7 years. I work in retail so it can be stress inducing trying to help out customers and I can't ask for the time off around Christmas to visit family for the holidays.
@@ritaruggerone4434 this Christmas time of 2021, is also a time to watch this movie as we are still dealing with covid19 and new variants. I hope that your family has some positives now and ahead. Have a Wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.
The lesson I take away from this is that the man thought he was a failure and discovered he wasn't. I watch this movie all the time, not just at Christmas. At the beginning of the film, when Clarence asks Joseph "Is he sick?" and Joseph responds "Worse. Discouraged.", that's the first time I cry at this movie. Discouragement, even more than depression sometimes, gets to people and makes them think about ending it. There are just too many beautiful scenes in this film for me to mention, but I really love the part where Mary has her arms around George and she tells him this was her wish when they were throwing rocks at the house years earlier. I get a lump in my throat the size of an onion when that scene comes on.
It was actually my grandfather‘s favorite movie and he later in his life contracted a traumatic brain injury where he actually began to forget things not be able to speak not be able to comprehend a lot of stuff people were telling him. But there’s always one instance in this movie throughout all the years that always made him laugh despite what was going on in his brain. (The scene where Violet crosses the street and everyone in distracted and a guy almost gets hit by a car.) My aunt actually talked about it in his eulogy. The exact instant that that scene came on the following year (we watch it every year) after he had passed my baby little cousin had stepped on the remote and turned to TV off while everyone was starting to choke up. This movie contains so many positive memories and nostalgia for me. I feel connected with my grandfather every single time this movie plays and it’s a beautiful thing. So glad other people see all the amazing things about this movie! 😅👍🏻
For whatever reason people have forgotten how dark Capra movies are. They remember them as being schmaltz and overly sentimental. But really they are all stories of ordinary people fighting against the darkness of the world like greed, corruption, cynicism, depression etc.
They are national treasures for their sincerity, honesty about human flaws, hope, and compassion. The darkness gives the stories necessary contrast. They remind us that there are good people in the world, and we can be like them.
And that's exactly what occurs on It's A Wonderful Life. George Bailey throughout his adult life had to battle the greedy and corrupt Mr. Potter! He does go into a depression because he sacrificed his own dreams and desires just so his friends and family would all have better lives. The sad part is that even though he won out this time he will still have to battle Mr. Potter forever!
This is my dad’s favorite Christmas movie and he cries every time, I can’t wait to watch this with him!!!
Same! I just watched this with my Dad today! :D
My dad's too haha. Took me a while to warm up to though
I’ve always noticed (at 17:10 for example lol) that Potter has a portrait of himself in his office, meanwhile George has a picture of his father. Not to say that you shouldn’t look at yourself in a good light, or that you should idolize your parents lol. But it always struck with me that Potter only thought of himself, meanwhile George and Mary always held George’s father’s ideas about loving and taking care of other people
Alan, never be ashamed of crying. I’m a huge crier myself, and once someone said to me, “Crying is just our soul leaking a little,” which can be either sweet or creepy, but I chose to see it as sweet 😂 thank you both very much for your videos!
I think it’s sweet too 😄
Fun fact: Crying is how you brain flushes out excess neurotransmitters, so that statement's actually not far off the mark.
Did you know that this movie originally failed at the box office and it’s a “classic” because tv companies bought it and just played it every Christmas till it became considered a classic.
They didn't even buy it! It was available for free, because some dummy let the copyright lapse, so TV stations and networks scooped it up and played it on repeat, because they didn't have to pay any royalties! No copyright from the early 70's till like, 1996.
Still, it's a great film (Alan here) I LOVED watching it for the first time this year, definitely a new (old) holiday classic in our house!
Either way they made a right move. This movie is important.
@@CinemaTherapyShow That dummy was Uncle Billy. Someone needs to get that man a pack of post-its.
@@CinemaTherapyShow this is one of my all-time favorites. I remember when it only aired around the holidays, and was such a tradition to watch (I was born in the 70s). My husband and I watch it now several times during the holiday season, and then again on every Christmas eve while wrapping presents. Such a classic!
@@CinemaTherapyShow its one of my required favorites, I didn't know it failed the box office, I always thought it did great
Jimmy Stewart was feeling genuine anger and was dealing with PTSD from his time in the military. He was a wonderful actor and person.
“Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.” Just READING that quote makes me g\tear up... nevermind the ugly sobbing when I'm actually watching. This is my favorite Christmas movie by a MILE because (along with the birth of Jesus Christ and all of that, which does not apply to everyone) this movie is the meaning of Christmas.
I watched this for the first time in my 48 years last night and I truly feel like I have missed seeing something beautiful and poignant for most of my life.
I've spent many Christmases wishing I could just jump off a bridge, or wishing I'd never been born, so it kinda hit hard.
This is the first Christmas since I was a kid where I didn't feel like that, so I think the time was right to finally watch it.
You're beautiful, and I'm happy you're here. ❤❤
I am glad you made it to that point.
HEART ❤️
You are understood and supported my friend. I'm glad that you've reached this point in your life. If things get hard again, remember this time and that you're still able to reach this point again.
Have some nice holidays ☺️
It doesn't matter how many times I see this movie, and I don't care how unrealistic it is, when everyone comes in with the money I LOSE IT😭
It's not unrealistic. Something very similar happened to me recently (an injustice threatened to destroy me), and everyone in my life (except my accusers) circled me and steadied me-financially, emotionally, spiritually-until the threat collapsed. This film means more this year than ever before.
"some of my favorite memories are when we had no money and had to get creative" that reminded me so much of my childhood ,where there was a year when we had absolutely nothing for Christmas and my sister, my brother and I took pictures of us around town and in our backyard, got a plank of old wood from the garage and printed out all the pictures and glued them to the board. We gave it to my mother and father for Christmas and they still have it on their wall. My mom says it's her favorite gift she's ever gotten because it showed her that she hadn't spoiled us rotten and even in extremely tough times when we were hours away from losing the house, we were able to do something meaningful for the family.
Alan: "I am not a sentimental person."
Also Alan: Cries almost every episode of Cinema Therapy.
There are 2 really tearful moments for me in the film. The first one when he goes to the cemetary and finds Harry's grave and Clarence tells him his brother fell in the snow and died and George doesn't believe him and how he his brother was a military hero saved all those people on a military transport. Then Clarence tells him how all those people died because he wasn't there to save him. We really dont know the lives we touch, that moment still is extremely impactful to me to this day.
My second is when the snow begins to fall... such a cinematic cue of the miracle of life and how rich we are through the lives we impact no matter how small we feel in our own heads.
Me too! I've always liked snow, and I think this movie is one of those reasons. It's been kind of my own private symbol of hope.
I noticed it started snowing again after George cries, "Please, God."
This movie always makes me cry. My uncle and I would sit, watch it and bawl our eyes out.
I'm in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Jimmy Stuart is from this area.
I think the best part of the handshake, is Stewart's eyebrow does the little lift of "did I just do that? Did I really?"
The longer I live, the more real and raw this movie feels. George Bailey's struggles, if anything, become more relevant as the years go forward.
My favorite part of this movie (or one favorite part) is Bert and Ernie singing outside the window in the rain. You hear them sing "I love you truly, truly dear." at the beginning and end of the song, but they are singing a verse in the middle when the scene cuts to George and Mary inside. The verse they sing here (that you can't hear quite as well) is, "Life with its sorrow, life with its tear,
fades into dreams when I feel you are near." That's their life right then! It's the perfect song for that moment.
I'm homeless right now. I made a lot of sacrifices, turned down offers from the potters in my life, and continue to be loving and teach compassion through my work. I needed this movie to remind me that its honorable whqt im doing. Thank you
Is there anyway we can help or send you a couple dollars for a nice meal this Christmas? :)
@Melissa there’s probably plenty of homeless projects in your area that would love any help they can get, all it probably takes will be a google search to find them.
I was homeless for awhile too. I’m so sorry my friend. It’s grotesque that homelessness is such a problem. I will pray for your safety and you sons like a beautiful person.
Also people don’t realize that this movie is one best love stories ever told.
I cry like a baby at the end of this movie. Poor George was so afraid of the burden he'd be on the world for having nothing, but after all he gave up to make everyone happy, eveyone gave something back and it saved him. They were all so loving and happy and together at the end, it just gets to me. I'm already sniffling when they're laughing and pouring in donations (and I cry a little over what Mary does for their honeymoon too), but I dissolve when they hug and sing Auld Lang Syne. No man is a failure who has friends.
I love each character in this film. Like you know not only how George feels and will act, but all the people around him. Potter was played by Lionel Barrymore (Drew's grandpa I think?) and he's proof that a tiger won't change its stripes. Mary is just amazing, she's one of my very favorite examples of a strong, dignified and gentle female lead.
Making love used to mean making out. It wasn't sex it was kissing and maybe some light touchy stuff. Making violent love meant passionate kissing and holding each other tight.
Thank you for pointing that out. My grandparents have my maternal great grandparents love letters they exchanged. In the letters, they often talk about how they miss making love to each other. They were devout Catholics though, and my grandma says her mother told her several times that she was a virgin when she got married. But because of these letters, a lot of family members have tried to tell my grandma otherwise. They don’t want to believe my grandma that this was the language used for kissing at the time. They just want to think they can judge things from the past using modern definitions. It got to the point where my grandma stopped showing anyone the letters. It makes me feel awful that family members embarrassed my grandma over something they are to closed minded and ignorant to understand. My grandma was born in 1939, so these letters are from a few years prior to that.
21:58 That moment in the film is chilling. All of a sudden, Jimmy Stewart's face fills the screen with the kind of horror you expect from a television episode from the 1960s. The holiday atmosphere falls away to the kind of scenario that might be hinted at by a tight-lipped Rod Serling. "Picture, if you will, a small-town man, an average Joe, whose life has come to a crisis. A crisis of money, a crisis of faith. He makes a wish, the kind of wish anybody could make in a fit of frustration, anger or desperation. But George Bailey's wish is about to true, taking him to an alternate universe in...the Twilight Zone."
I bet Alan will cry at this. And I will cry with him 😂 this one gets me every freaking time
I will not take that bet.
I start getting choked up just talking about this movie. It's such a powerful message that you have value, your life matters.
Yes. Alan. We both cried at the same place as predicted. This is such a wonderful show.
Alan's story about him working in Red Robin and feeling as if you were failing in life hit me so hard, because that's exactly what I'm feeling right now. I was unemployed for 4 fricking years after my graduation, and just when I found a good job in my field (music), the pandemic hit and I'm unemployed again (just like Alan, there's just no job right now). And I feel like a complete failure. But to see you doing well (obviously I have no idea about your private life, but you co-create a fantastic channel that gained traction, you enjoy what you do and it makes people happy) gives me hope. Perhaps we don't always get what we want in the moment we want it, but we can get what we truly deserve when we least expect it. I'm doing my best to find joy in the darkest of times even though sometimes it feels impossible. Right now the only thing I'm telling myself that no matter what I will be okay.
Thank you for another amazing video.
It'd been a year since this very vulnerable comment...I hope you've seen better days and that the tides are turning. God bless you friend.
Hope you are okay! Good luck and blessings to you!
I doubt this will even get seen, but I wanted to thank you for the Red Robbin, crying, felt-like-a-failure story because that absolutely hit home for me, and to see someone who looks (what I would say successful) like you, and that you've been there before... it means a lot.
Can you guys do one for Megamind? I feel like that one showcases the self-fulfilling prophecy (I think that's what it's called) in that he was told his whole childhood he was bad so that's what he tried to grow up to be. I would just love to see your guys' thoughts on that, and the whole rest of the movie too!
I love that movie so much!!!!
@@nicolepatterson5078 It's one of my favorites!
@@Immossible same here!!! It's so incredibly quotable!! My family used to watch it more than once a week lol
@@nicolepatterson5078 Whenever my mom calls me, I almost always say "Olo?" when I answer XD
@@Immossible I always answer the phone saying "ollo"!!!!!! And if it's somebody who's seen it they almost always answer "uh it's hello" before realizing that they were even doing it!! Hahahaha
I loved how you said: "What speaks to me so strongly is that George's integrity comes back to him, his kindness, his love for others comes back to him." This statement perfectly captures the heart of this film and harkens back to the plaque George's father had on his office wall that read:
"All that you can take with you is that which you have given away." Thank you for this thoughtful analysis of this beloved movie.
Thank you all for watching! Please consider sharing with someone who needs this message. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
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I'd love you both to talk about Scrooge. :-) That'd be fascinating.
@@SevenEllen Which version do you prefer?
@@CinemaTherapyShow a Christmas Carol (1997) is mine
Yaaaaay that is so cool!
Such a great video. You guys are so talented and smart! Looking forward to the dark knight episode!
Also I really love that you are normalizing that it is okay for men to cry. I work with youth in a contract position a few weeks in the summers as a counselor. The number of times kids come to me with problems and get upset that they're feeling upset is numerous and upsetting to me. I've had to tell many young males that my office is a safe space, it's okay to cry and examine their feelings and I won't tell anyone. Some young folks apologize to me for crying and I know then that they've probably been told in their lives to stop crying and being emotional. I always tell them my office is a crying room and point out the 4 boxes of tissue I keep around. I then tell them they're not the first person to cry in my office and I promise they will not be the last. Some times I need to tell them I'm not judging them and I won't mock them. Those are the really hard kids because they have been so hurt they are skeptical of any helpful person willing to allow them to feel anything.
You didn't show the part that always makes me cry -- when George can't hold it together any more, and yells at his kids (approximately 1:30:00 into the movie). He immediately apologizes, but the kids can tell there's something very very wrong here, and reflect his upset, because he's not the emotional anchor they've come to expect. As a father of five, that really hits me in the gut.
I was astonished to hear that Alan had never seen this movie. This is my absolute favorite movie of all time, bar none. It gets me every time. Every time.
"Could I have seventeen fifty?"
Not only is George Bailey investing his own money in the wellbeing of his people, but he inspires people to invest back in the business in each other by not collapsing the bank.
I had seen this movie, probably, about 6 times previously and liked it but didn’t have an emotional moment until one year I watched this and this scene came on. I lost it at the moment those words are uttered and George’s reaction.
I've always thought the interesting twists with the movie and real life. This man had so much depth in his experiences, he had that to draw from for his roles.
George Baily wanted to build things - Jimmy Stewart had a bachelor's in architecture from Princeton. His professors were so impressed with his design for an airport, they arranged funding for him to do a PhD. He went to NYC to act instead.
Harry Baily was a fighter pilot - Jimmy Stewart was a bomber pilot, he commanded the 703 bomber squadron. (35 planes with a crew of 10 each. Fun fact: Walter Matheu was a sergeant under his command.)
Like George Baily - Jimmy Stewart's men loved him.
He was a full-bird colonel on the short list at the end of the war.
He said if he hadn't made a successful return to acting - he would have gone into his 2nd love. Aviation.
That's really interesting to know! I had heard about him being a pilot but I never heard (or forgot in my old age) the part about him being a would-be architect!
Thank you for posting this little bit of his bio. One of his stepsons died in VN. He was no stranger to the pain of real life.
@@melissa9375 He adopted his wife's sons from her first marriage.
He was on the front lines in battle - he well knew the ups and downs of life. It gave tremendous depth to the characters he portrayed.
There have been times his real emotions were expressed on screen - some in It's a Wonderful Life. (They didn't call it PTSD in those days, but he said it helped him.) When he filmed Mr. Kruger's Christmas, there is a scene where he's talking to the baby Jesus in the manger. He told them to get it on the first take because the emotion was real.
I've had people tell me about something I did for them years later. It weighed so little to me until they told me how it affected them.
I’ve literally never seen this movie but every time I hear that “I wanna live again!” line, I cry lmao
This is one of my favorite films and I think there’s a lot of details people don’t notice that take it one step further. When Mary tells George her wish from the night they went to the dance, she says it into his deaf ear, just like when she tells him “I’ll love you til the day I die.” He never really hears her wish, but we do.
Brilliant! I think by that time, we've sort of forgotten that he is deaf in that ear!!! Great call, Aaron. Thanks for pointing it out.
You mention that it's Jimmy Stewart's first film after WWII. Reading about his PTSD and his experiences on this film changed my perspective on the movie. It adds a lot to my understanding of his performance.
"Every time a bell rings, I'm gonna do some passionate necking."
--Cinema Therapy 2020
One of many things Jimmy Stewart has done. Why he is so high in my list as an actor.
He began flying combat missions and on March 31, 1944, was appointed Operations Officer of the 453rd Bomb Group and, subsequently, Chief of Staff of the 2nd Combat wing, 2nd Air Division of the 8th Air Force. Stewart ended the war with 20 combat missions.
I had been looking forward to this episode, but today, after helping plan my mother's funeral and dealing with a ton of issues from her having a sudden heart failure, and my own depression going through the roof, this is helping me reach out to people around me and helping me get through Christmas and finding things to push through that, so I put on a dress Mom got me for Christmas and am going to services - with a heads up to the others at service so they know I'm not alright. And am having my brother and a friend getting me through tomorrow. I wish I could have shared this with Mom. She loved It's A Wonderful Life, and actually met Jimmy Stewart when she was going to college.
I'm so sorry for your loss.
I love that the turntable is also turning the chickens in the fireplace-That's some real Gilligan's Island engineering there!
I'm watching this at the end of 2022 and I'm facing hardship that I've not had to face in about a decade. I'm catching the bus to work as I can't afford to run my car; my husband, adult offspring and I are hitting the places that hand out free food simply to make sure we've got enough to eat and still be able to pay our bills. I'd been contemplating taking on work I don't want to do because it negatively impacts on my mental health. I may still ask about doing that work, but I know from the past that we can survive without my taking that step as I've put plans in place so that there is at least some access to food if we don't blow it all on two birthdays (one either side of Christmas Day) and Christmas - and most of the shopping for both of those is done. This episode is a valuable reminder that yes, there is hardship but there is also time for love, integrity and serving others especially in those hard times. Thank you and have a blessed holiday season.
Hope the New Year can bring better times
Good luck to you
Yeah, this year has been a challenge. I hope things go better for you.
Wishing you better times... I sense you are strong and brave and you will come through. My prayers to you and your family, especially this time of year when we are thinking about another family that was hungry, poor, tired and could have given up. The Holy Family is with you.
22:05 what's particularly great about this is that he starts by calling out to Clarence for help and he's running around and goes to the bridge to beg for his life. But it waits for the moment when he changes his wording and says, "please, *God* " and right at that moment the snow starts again and you know he was heard.
Yep, I remember the first time finally watching, "It's a Wonderful Life," and sarcastically thinking, "Ok greatest-Christmas-movie-ever, let's see what you got."
....and I just fell in love with this movie. It immediately became a Christmas tradition and it makes me cry (twice during it's run-time~ happy "it's so beautiful" tears) no matter how many times I've seen it. Merry Christmas!
I've never heard a man being so open about him crying it's amazing, I wish more men could talk that easily about them crying because I feel like it's so revealing of your personality when you say when and why you cry
It's a slow process but I'm glad that men are becoming more open to their feelings then their previous generations.
Quote of the year: “When we look after each other, we’ll be ok”
Words to live by... love it. 🥰👍🏻
At what point will Alan just accept that he *is* a particularly sentimental person? We're here for you buddy! :D
The ending scene makes me cry no matter how hard I try to resist it even after decades of watching this film - especially when war hero kid brother Harry, whose life was saved by George and who in turn saved the life of “every man on that transport” with his flying ace skills, toasts his brother and calls him the richest guy in town. Harry is beautifully lit and framed in the shot and dressed as in hero Navy WWII uniform, and it actually TOPs the sensational reading of the awesome telegram from Sam. You think it can’t be outdone - then it is - and then Clarence gets his wings…sniff
My son was born this year.
Finished my thesis this year.
This year has been awesome for me!
I was like Alan for so many years: I'd see the trailer and think, "ugh, so schmaltzy and sentimental." And I'd seen parts of it as it played on Walmart TVs or similar but never sat down for the full film. Then my folks got the newest DVD that included the colorized version, and I decided to watch it with them. I cried buckets of tears. My face was literally soaked with them. I had recently had a difficult time coming to terms with dreams unfulfilled and not choosing what was easy over my principles and morals. I was feeling a bit sad and was thinking my life was pointless and terrible and that I'd wasted it with the things I *had* chosen to do...and then I watched this film and realized I had friends and family who loved me and my life was wonderful after all.
Now, I can't wait to watch this film. It's the first one I suggest when anyone asks which Christmas film to watch. I've even watched it during other times of the year when I need a reminder about what I learned that day all those years ago.
My mother's favorite movie. Jimmy Stewart was an exemplary human being.
For a second when he reacted to the offer of $20,000 a year, I thought he was going to be indignant about how tiny a salary that was, then I remembered inflation.
I read that calculated for inflation that would have been around $270K annually. He was making only, what, $45/week ($2.3K per year). That's a pretty huge difference to allow your principles to dictate your choices.
It wasn't the money. It was the principle of the thing. If he worked for Potter than that meant that The Bailey Building And Loan would be shut down. To George it meant that him selling out to Mr. Potter would be like he was selling his soul to the Devil himself!
A dollar in 1945 could buy roughly 15 dollars' worth of similar consumer goods now (early 2021). So yeah, that's almost a $300,000 salary George is turning down to preserve his integrity.
The story of driving to your job, crying, working and crying again hit me *hard*. My grandmother is currently fighting cancer and it's not going well. I have to choose between meals or putting gas in the car so I can get to work, etc., etc. I've had panic attacks at work, broke out in hives because of the stress, my own health is declining... It's been a hell of a few years. I appreciate your honesty. You guys do important work, keep it up.
That clip we missed here where Mary looks out the back window of the car; where you know she knows. All of the emotions on her face. Donna Reed is fabulous.
I just did my annual re-watch of "Miracle on 34th Street" and I feel like that would be a great Christmas movie to do this or next year! I feel like there's a lot that could be done with either Doris' parenting style vs Fred's, or the psychology of kindness because of the conversations around cruelty being declared "normal" and Kris being committed for being a force for good.
Regarding Bert and Ernie, found this on Google:
“A more in-depth response was given by Jerry Juhl, writing to The San Francisco Chronicle to correct the "Annual Xmas Quiz" from December 27, 1999:
I was the head writer for the Muppets for 36 years and one of the original writers on Sesame Street. The rumor about It's a Wonderful Life has persisted over the years.
I was not present at the naming, but I was always positive it was incorrect. Despite his many talents, Jim had no memory for details like this. He knew the movie, of course, but would not have remembered the cop and the cabdriver. I was not able to confirm this with Jim before he died, but shortly thereafter I spoke to Jon Stone, Sesame Street's first producer and head writer and a man largely responsible for the show's format. (Jon, sadly, is no longer with us either.)
He assured me that Ernie and Bert were named one day when he and Jim were studying the prototype puppets. They decided that one of them looked like an Ernie, and the other one looked like a Bert. The movie character names are purely coincidental.[1]
The show referenced the persistent rumor in the 1996 special Elmo Saves Christmas. In one scene, Ernie and Bert walk by a TV set, which is playing the movie. The pair are surprised by the following dialogue: "Bert! Ernie! What's the matter with you two guys? You were here on my wedding night!"
Right. Back when Sesame Street was being put together, IAWL hadn't yet lapsed into the public domain, which was what gave it the popularity it always deserved when networks ran it for free. It was rather obscure...this was before home video, and there weren't any theatrical re-releases. So it was doubtful that Jim and the production team would have had much memory of it.
I cried watching this too, Alan, but because Momma and I had a tradition of watching this movie around Christmas every year.
The end of this movie makes me cry every time because of the "No Man is Failure" line. I love this film. I got it for Christmas on Blu-Ray last Christmas.
The scene when George Bailey "breaks" is my favorite scene in any movie ever... Jimmy Stewart is so good... I know exactly what is coming, and I've seen this movie a lot, and it still gets me every time...
At our wedding, instead of rice or petals, I had people seeing us off ring bells because of this movie. 😁
Dear Jonothan and Alan, can't thank you enough for your videos!!! This year was very difficult for me and my family. My baby was born with congenital deffects, was operated the next day and spent 6 months on alv machine. I just wanted to die ...But things changed and we could leave the hospital. The hardest thing is the baby and me live by my mother as the baby has a trach in his throat and has servere lung falure, so getting sick can be fatal for him, while elder children stay with my husband. And the situation lasts over a year now. I can not go out, i always stay by the child, day and night, my whole life was turned over. I blamed my husbend alot, he was angry with me for my howling. So, as you see, family was tearing appart. But thanks to your videos i have found a sourse of inspiration, energy, very practical advice! Now i am improving my relations with my husband and the whole family and learning to accept help. Thank you for each and every video you posted, especially the last one! I owe so much to you!
We're so glad to be able to help you and your family in some small way through such a tough time. Sending love to you and your family, and hoping your baby's health improves. That is an incredibly hard situation to be in, but you are doing an amazing job trying to help your family through it.
I've been doing a lot of charity stuff this year, and when you got to "Let others help you" it hit me a bit more than I expected
I don’t need y’all to see this but you’ve helped me a lot with self, relationships, and some great ass free therapy. Keep doing what you’re doing.
16:00 it's not talked about a lot because he has to play opposite Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, but Lionel Barrymore turns in a performance here that shows why his family name has carried so much weight in Hollywood for the last hundred years.
I usually cry at the end of this movie and cried watching this! There’s something really beautiful about the warm smile on Mary’s face while watching everyone pour out love on her husband and reminding him of the value of his life. The way she looks at George there…love this movie.
i always got sad at the end bc potter never got his comeuppance for taking the money, but i guess that’s the point, that no matter what goes wrong you always have friends and family
This will hit the spot. th-cam.com/video/vw89o0afb2A/w-d-xo.html
@@CinemaTherapyShow Hahahahahaha
I think the ending is the ultimate just desserts to Potter. Inspite of his actions, he becomes irrelevant, not even a villan.
Plus his world philosophy is collapsed at the end. Friendship is not 'sentimental hogwash'.
That's got to break a man like Potter.
@@CinemaTherapyShow p.s. thank you for that. Taking the time share the link shows us that the comment section is more than 'subscriber engagement ' to you guys. Merry Christmas
The thing is even though Potter has money he has no friends. I don't think he desires friendship or love because he despises it! I probably bet that when Potter dies no one would show up at his funeral!
I lost my job recently, have been fighting with Unemployment for months now. I'm also filing for disability and have to wait until january for them to determine if I qualify. I Have been really struggling but I still have hope that things will work out.
We're rooting for you. Check in and let us know how you're doing :)
You got this!! Your hope is what will get you the support you deserve!
I felt you so hard about getting to work early so that you could cry before clocking in. When I was in 19 and had just moved out of my parents' house in my first attempt to break out of an abusive home life, I had some incredibly difficult jobs just trying to pay rent for the crappy little trailer I was living in. I'd do the same thing - get there early, cry, sit in my car and cry during my break, and cry all the way home. Some jobs can be so brutal and dehumanizing, and it's extra hard when you've never been in a situation where you've had to learn to struggle and deal with other peoples' crap all day just to get by. There's no primer for it, no way to prepare for it, and often no emotional support net to help you learn to adjust.
Bless you for sharing that.
Every Christmas Eve is manicotti and "It's A Wonderful Life" with my brother and parents. We quote it year round. We named our cat Zuzu. I put one of George Bailey's monologues on my graduation cap.
I could never fully express how much this film means to me. It's an experience, an instruction manual on how to be good. 💙
I am not sure how I didn’t see this last year!!! But this is one of my mom’s favorite movie and we just saw it. The end of this year she was diagnosed with cancer and has had a surgery and received one of several chemo treatments and has a general happy disposition. ☺️ Thanks for the insight into the movie!!
Why am I more excited for this than I am for Wonder Woman 1984
Because we're somehow better-looking than Gal Gadot?
Because this is a better movie than WW84
@@CinemaTherapyShow that must be it!
God damn it, I'm only halfway through this video and am already crying my eyes out. This film always gets me. If you read the history behind it it's even more fascinating. It was a box-office bomb, and we wouldn't all be watching it today were it not for the fact that it was such a failure the studio plain forgot to renew the copyright on it (as was required at the time in the US) just as TV was becoming popular and the stations were all searching for things to show...
Every time I see the ending of this movie, it makes me tear up...including this one. Going through a lot right now, parents getting a divorce after 30+ years, I still live at home helping to support, and now I'm my mother's caretaker. Thanks for the content, you guys are my new binge watch.
This brings back memories of when I was part of a radio show style stage production of this film. I played both Bert and Ernie.
How dare this movie make me cry for its beauty! 😭
As great as this ending is, I always like watching the SNL "lost ending" where not only does George Bailey's kindness come back to him, but then Potter's cruelty comes back to him as well.
I appreciate the uplifting subject matter during the holiday.
Also, a suggestion: MARRIAGE STORY
You're so welcome. And MARRIAGE STORY is on the docket for 2021 :)
@@CinemaTherapyShow I watched The Marriage Story and I really, really wished they had a trigger warning for when he accidentally cut himself.
"I wonder what context you'd use that in..."
"Anything with Oscar Isaac."
Alan, you're killing me 🤣🤣🤣
We need to get Oscar to come and sit with them once this craziness ends
This movie makes me cry every time (heck I cried during this video!). Because it’s good for people to see that being kind is good, being kind and principled and good to others can make both your life and the lives of others better. We don’t have to be cynical and hard. It’s okay to be good.
If you’re not good is it ok, then, to jump off a bridge?
"You're a beautiful man, look at you" I love that. It's so wholesome, so pure and so genuine. You guys are great
As for this year this has been a rollercoaster for me. Started with a mysterious illness that landed me in the ER and on IV infusions of high powered antibiotics, finding out my truth of my marriage in February, dealing with complications from my illness in January and showing symptoms of the neurological condition that plagues my late grandmother to the day she died, to finally my stepfather-in-law being diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer from Agent Orange. With everything going on it has been a knock to my faith, but I keep praying and hoping the light is at the end of this long, dark tunnel which has been my year.
Amanda, you are a strong woman just to still be carrying on!! I think it was Winston Churchill who said "If you're going thru Hell, keep on going" Baby steps, and when I'm in dark times I make myself each morning when I wake up name 6 things I can be grateful for. It can really change the attitude and truly does change the brain chemistry. So big or little (a ray of sun thru the window, how soft my cat's fur is, heat in my house, hot running water, a smile exchanged with the grocery store cashier ) it helps me to start every day this way. I'll be thinking of you in 2021, and trust you will see improvements. And remember, to ask for help, even if it's just sharing a cup of coffee with a friend, OR talking with a therapist.
I'm often reminded of the verse that says that we will "rise up on wings as eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint". Very rarely do I soar, very rarely do I run, but I walk. One foot in front of the other. And gradually you gain ground. But it is a slog, it's not glamorous, or mighty, it's laborious. And it can take so long. But you can make through.
Everytime I want to give up and think I can't go on any more, I rewatch this movie and I get myself together for another year or at least a few month.
This channel is saving me by calming my anxiety about this mess of a world. My heart is just heavy with ache for people I don’t know and the possible future that lies ahead. But your advice and your commentary means the world to me right now. Blessings to you two, from a hopeful teen in Chicago.
This movie always makes my mum cry, and hence why it always makes me cry
I finally sat down and watched what I thought was “It’s a Wonderful Life”. When it finished (although I liked it and thought it was a good movie), I was confused as to why so many people said it was one of their favourite Christmas movies. It wasn’t Christmassy at all! Well, it turned out that I had watched “Life is Beautiful” and not “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Oops 😬 Totally not the same thing.
I was in a stage show of this when I was a kid, so I always had fond memories of it. But I didn't know the whole plot and didn't really get the point.
I watched it all the way through for the first time a few years ago, and I cried through so much of it lol
It's definitely one of my favorites around the holidays
You've excellent taste! What did you do in the stage show?
@@CinemaTherapyShow I played Janie and young Mary. My sister played young Violet, but I don't remember her other role
I have such weird mixed emotions about this movie... There was a point in my life when I would watch it feeling only bitterness and despair because I genuinely believed I wasn't ever going to be happy again. Spoiler alert, I'm doing much better now! But I still feel a little too exposed continuing the tradition I accidentally started of watching it every year with my family lol
Glad you're doing better. ❤