It's A Wonderful Life

It's A Wonderful Life is rightly stated as one of the greatest films of all time, and it is certainly Frank Capra's best film. This film above all his rest managed to capture the exact tone he seemed to be trying to establish with all of his other films. Where others he could fall on the sides of melodramatic or corny at times, this is never the case in this film. Capra strikes the right balance as he does have some sweet moments in there, but overall it's actually a depressing story of a man who fails to live out any of his dreams sacrificing it all, at his own choice, for the common good. The film brilliantly builds to its supernatural climax which comes in a surprisingly effective fashion. The performances are uniformly excellent with James Stewart giving his career best performance which is really saying something. The supporting cast does not have a weak element with some memorable turns particularly from Lionel Barrymore and Henry Travers. It really is the film Capra spent his whole career building to as it is the perfection of his style. It is also proof that a happy ending can be just as effective as a sad ending, as this has one greatest endings of all time.
5/5