A new "cinematic audio" adaptation by David Ossman of the Firesign Theatre was produced and directed by Ossman and his wife Judith Walcutt of Otherworld Media in December 2019 at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. Their version combined elements of traditional and radio theatre, with costumes, sets, makeup, and lighting effects, as well as live music, live sound effects, and over 20 microphones. [112] Remakes [ edit ] Paller, Rebecca (December 25, 1997). "A Different It's a Wonderful Life on PBS, Airs Dec. 25 in NY". Playbill . Retrieved September 6, 2020. McBride, Joseph. Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success. New York: Touchstone Books, 1992. ISBN 0-671-79788-3. In 1990, It's a Wonderful Life was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being deemed as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Capra's direction is brilliant. His genius is bringing human stories to life in a ways that not only make a point, but that totally involve the audience in the lives of the characters. He is always extremely optimistic about the human condition. He is known for testing his characters with overwhelming adversity to make them struggle to triumph in a way that causes the world to change and the character to grow. For this reason his films were always crowd pleasers and this film was the best of all in that regard.

Cox, Stephen. " On a Wing and a Prayer". Los Angeles Times December 23, 2006: E-1. Web. January 9, 2012. George Bailey (James Stewart), Mary Bailey ( Donna Reed), and their youngest daughter Zuzu ( Karolyn Grimes) Price, Michael H. " 'Life' gets even more wonderful two generations later". Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 14, 1991. Retrieved July 31, 2011. Those who remember the scratched, dark, damaged prints of It’s a Wonderful Life that were shown on TV decades ago will be especially amazed at how the film looks in this digital restoration. The screenplay is sentimental, but director Frank Capra elicits such first-rate performances that the characters become real and the film has become timeless. Both Capra and James Stewart singled out this film as their personal favorite.It's a Wonderful Life - Opening Night". Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. December 6, 2019 . Retrieved December 27, 2019. Daven Hiskey (December 23, 2011). "It's a Wonderful Life was Based on a "Christmas Card" Short Story by Philip Van Doren Stern". TodayIFoundOut.com. Travis M. Andrews (December 21, 2017). " 'It's a Wonderful Life' is a holiday classic. The FBI thought it was communist propaganda". The Washington Post . Retrieved October 27, 2020. The Last Temptation of Clarence Odbody is a 2011 novel written by John Pierson. The novel imagines the future lives of various characters if George had not survived his jump into the river. [110] According to rare stills that have been unearthed, several sequences were filmed but subsequently cut. [49] Alternative endings were also considered. Capra's first script had Bailey fall to his knees to recite "The Lord's Prayer" (the script also called for an opening scene with the townspeople in prayer). Feeling that an overly religious tone undermined the emotional impact of the family and friends rushing to George's rescue, the closing scenes were rewritten. [50] [51] [52]

a b "Notes for 'It's a Wonderful Life'". Retrieved October 29, 2011. TCM Movie Database, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2010. Computer Gaming World said in April 1994, "The picture quality still has a way to go before it reaches television standards", but was "a noble effort" that would "please fans of the film". [100] DVD and Blu-ray [ edit ] Ebert, Roger. "It's a Wonderful Life". Chicago Sun-Times, January 1, 1999. Retrieved February 24, 2008. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ achieves a fine balancing act between pathos and feel-good that is delivered by an outstanding cast. Even the minor parts are populated by some of the finest character actors and it produces a movie of timeless quality and relevance. ‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ isn't just a festive holiday favourite, but a great film by almost any standards. There are a few cynics who will disparage this film, but, in a "feel good" genre clogged with imitators and inferior features, ‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ stands high above the rest. Whether you view this film in the middle of the summer or at Christmas, Frank Capra's greatest film represents one of the most transcendent and joyful experiences any movie-lover can hope for. It is truly a "feel good" film, but a word of warning, please have the box of Kleenex tissues handy, as you will experience an emotional rollercoaster of this unique magic of motion picture.Stewart, Jimmy. " Jimmy Stewart Remembers 'It's a Wonderful Life'". 1977. MyMerryChristmas.com, 2012. Web. January 9, 2012. Chen, Will (December 24, 2006). "FBI Considered It's A Wonderful Life Communist Propaganda". WiseBread. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011 . Retrieved March 2, 2012. It is commonly believed that the characters of Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the cabdriver. However, in a correction for the 1999 "Annual Xmas Quiz" in the San Francisco Chronicle, which made this claim, series writer Jerry Juhl confirmed that, per producer Jon Stone, the shared names were merely a coincidence. [126] Despite this, the 1996 holiday special Elmo Saves Christmas references the rumor, during a scene where Bert and Ernie walk by a TV set, which is playing the movie. The pair are surprised by the line: "Bert! Ernie! What's the matter with you two guys? You were here on my wedding night!" Henry Fonda, Stewart's best friend, was also considered. [30] [31] Both actors had returned from the war with no employment prospects. Fonda, however, was cast in John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946), which was filmed at the same time that Capra shot It's a Wonderful Life. For 17 supporting roles [32] in the film, Capra considered more than 170 established actors. Today, It's a Wonderful Life is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time and among the best Christmas films. [7] It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made. [8] It was No. 11 on the American Film Institute's 1998 greatest movie list, No. 20 on its 2007 greatest movie list, and No. 1 on its list of the most inspirational American films of all time. [9] Capra revealed that it was his favorite among the films he directed and that he screened it for his family every Christmas season. It was one of Stewart's favorite films. [10]

You don't have to be a technical expert to immediately notice the striking improvement of the picture AND sound in this 2006 edition. The print is crystal-clear and in my view, has more vividness and sharpness than ALL other previous releases of this title on home video. RetroWeb Image Gallery | It's A Wonderful Life". Retroweb.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015 . Retrieved December 20, 2012. Jamieson, Wendell. "Wonderful? Sorry, George, It's a Pitiful, Dreadful Life". The New York Times, December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2008. In 2002, the television film It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie premiered on NBC. The film is a homage to It's a Wonderful Life. In the film, Kermit the Frog wishes that he had never been born. [107] In 1990, It's a Wonderful Life was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry. [64] [65] [66]In 2002, Channel 4 in the United Kingdom ranked It's a Wonderful Life as the seventh-greatest film ever made in its poll "The 100 Greatest Films". The channel airs the film to British viewers annually on Christmas Eve. [67] Burr, Ty. "ABC'S OF CD: Delivering the Future". ew.com via Entertainment Weekly, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2009. a b c Edgerton, Gary R. (Winter 2000). " "The Germans Wore Gray, You Wore Blue": Frank Capra, Casablanca, and the Colorization Controversy of the 1980s". Journal of Popular Film and Television. 27 (4): 24–32. doi: 10.1080/01956050009602812. S2CID 159900256.