Post by Weirdraptor mini™ on Dec 26, 2021 13:00:51 GMT -5
So, I was in a topic about "works of fiction that have aged perfectly", and this one guy listed It's a Wonderful Life and of course, everyone started dogpiling him because of that one scene when we discover that George Bailey's wife became a spinster in the World Without George Bailey. So I tried defending the film and everyone dogpiled me, too. The fact so many people got caught up on that one little thing is ridiculous.
It's hope this movie gives people. Its core message is that every single person is important and valuable (even the ones who took a very wrong turn somewhere), and both you AND the world would suffer if you just jumped off a bridge. It might not have predicted the internet hellspace like Metal Gear Solid 2, but it didn't need to. It offered something a lot more profound than that:
One person doing the right thing makes all the difference, in fact, far, far more difference than they will likely ever realize. Well, not unless a God-sent angel shows you a world devoid of your web of influence.
George Bailey is driven to suicide and is only barely saved by Clarence's (clumsy) intervention. Before he thought he had nothing left to live for, that everything he'd built for his family and the community was about to come crashing down, that he'd let everyone down, and that no one could or would help him, because George had spent so much time being the helper, it didn't dawn on him he could ask for help. But after Clarence's sneak peek of the world without George Bailey, he realized how much he DOES have to live for, that he DOES have friends who will help him (and they do), and no, it isn't all over. At the end, the community comes together to give back to the person who'd helped them so many times before. And it's all sold by the absolute perfect-acting of the cast. And to me, this means more than anyone predicting memes.
And even earlier than that in the film: a young, ambitious man fails to escape the confines of his hometown and is never able to achieve his big dreams? Whether it was his sense of responsibility to his family and community, or genuine unavoidable obligation. Bet that hits close to home to a lot of us. George literally gives up one of his biggest chances for his little brother. George Bailey is still a very relatable character.
Also, looming debt threatening the community? A corrupt business executive stealing nearly $10,000 just to screw over his competition? A corrupt business executive trying to screw the little people for his own gain? A local business owner being driven to the breaking point by his competition playing dirty and is now staring down the gun barrel of his life and assets about to go down the drain while also thinking about how his poor employees are going to be out of jobs very soon.
But no, let's skip over all that and fixate on a tiny bit of a great movie because it's not woke enough. Or hating George Bailey because he runs a savings and loans.
It's hope this movie gives people. Its core message is that every single person is important and valuable (even the ones who took a very wrong turn somewhere), and both you AND the world would suffer if you just jumped off a bridge. It might not have predicted the internet hellspace like Metal Gear Solid 2, but it didn't need to. It offered something a lot more profound than that:
One person doing the right thing makes all the difference, in fact, far, far more difference than they will likely ever realize. Well, not unless a God-sent angel shows you a world devoid of your web of influence.
George Bailey is driven to suicide and is only barely saved by Clarence's (clumsy) intervention. Before he thought he had nothing left to live for, that everything he'd built for his family and the community was about to come crashing down, that he'd let everyone down, and that no one could or would help him, because George had spent so much time being the helper, it didn't dawn on him he could ask for help. But after Clarence's sneak peek of the world without George Bailey, he realized how much he DOES have to live for, that he DOES have friends who will help him (and they do), and no, it isn't all over. At the end, the community comes together to give back to the person who'd helped them so many times before. And it's all sold by the absolute perfect-acting of the cast. And to me, this means more than anyone predicting memes.
And even earlier than that in the film: a young, ambitious man fails to escape the confines of his hometown and is never able to achieve his big dreams? Whether it was his sense of responsibility to his family and community, or genuine unavoidable obligation. Bet that hits close to home to a lot of us. George literally gives up one of his biggest chances for his little brother. George Bailey is still a very relatable character.
Also, looming debt threatening the community? A corrupt business executive stealing nearly $10,000 just to screw over his competition? A corrupt business executive trying to screw the little people for his own gain? A local business owner being driven to the breaking point by his competition playing dirty and is now staring down the gun barrel of his life and assets about to go down the drain while also thinking about how his poor employees are going to be out of jobs very soon.
But no, let's skip over all that and fixate on a tiny bit of a great movie because it's not woke enough. Or hating George Bailey because he runs a savings and loans.