It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life is an American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra. It was based on the short story "The Greatest Gift", written by Philip Van Doren Stern. The movie was released in 1946 and stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community would be had he never been born. It's a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Oscars without winning any. The American Film Institute placed it number one on its list of the most inspirational American films of all time.

It's a Wonderful Life was initially considered a box office flop due to high production costs and stiff competition. However, the film has come to be regarded as a classic and is a staple of Christmas television around the world. Time magazine said, "It's a Wonderful Life is a pretty wonderful movie….Director Capra's inventiveness, humor and affection for human beings keep it glowing with life and excitement." In 1990, the movie was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry. In 2002, Britain's Channel 4 ranked It's a Wonderful Life as the seventh greatest film ever made.