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Video: The new, more honest It's a Wonderful Life trailer
Hot Air.com ^ | December 27, 2015 | ED MORRISEY

Posted on 12/27/2015 3:53:30 PM PST by Kaslin

It’s a Christmas classic, perhaps the original Christmas classic — but its original gave few hints about the nature of It’s A Wonderful Life. Those who watched this giant of American cinema over the past week will recognize the scenes in its original theatrical trailer, but not the movie the subtitles and narrator promise:

It's A Wonderful Life - Trailer

Zena Gray at The Cinefamily agrees. Two years ago, she cut a new trailer for the film, although it didn’t get much attention until Slate picked up on it this week:

After all, on his way to the film's happy ending, Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey has to traverse some pretty dark terrain. It's a Wonderful Life was never the lighthearted romp its theatrical trailer implied old Hollywood glitz aside, it's a powerful, haunting movie about the nightmarish reality of people who are near suicide.

Cinefamily's trailer, first produced last year, may be harder to take, but it's much more moving than the original. And for anyone who hasn't seen the flick, it says clearly why they should.

Oh, come on … who hasn’t seen this film already? Berman’s right about the (relatively) new trailer, though. Except for an annoying organ undertone throughout, this film captures much more accurately the tone of It’s a Wonderful Life and the crisis of its protagonist, George Bailey. The original trailer made it look like a typical silly rom-com of its era and gave almost no hint of the darkness brought so acutely to the screen by James Stewart. In other words, the original trailer sold both itself and its audience short.

Perhaps its commercial disappointment on first release might have had something to do with the poor marketing that the original trailer represents. RKO lost over a half-million dollars on the film on box office of $3.3 million — roughly equivalent to $35.1 million today and a $5.6 million loss. It didn’t get very good reviews at the time, although some saw what would make it into a classic later. It took television to change the critical and commercial value of a film that not even Frank Capra considered to be a Christmas movie, at least not in its initial incarnation.

And actually, I agree. I wrote about this almost thirteen years ago in my pre-blogging days when I wrote movie reviews for fun at IMDB, one of my favorite websites. The writing is a little rough, but the point comes across that It’s A Wonderful Life is more of an Easter film than a Christmas movie:

George, having had to put his own dreams on hold or away on at least three separate occasions now, prospers modestly and builds a family, and his disappointment stays below the surface until disaster strikes. His unreliable Uncle Billy (Capra regular Thomas Mitchell) unknowingly hands Potter the bank deposit, literally putting the means for George’s destruction in Potter’s hands. Potter informs the bank examiner and the DA about the $8000 shortage at the S&L, and George faces ruin and prison for embezzlement. He tries asking Potter for help — crawls for it, actually — and Potter gleefully refuses. George, while holding onto his low-equity whole-life policy, realizes that the policies make him worth more dead than alive and plans to commit suicide. That’s when an angel steps in and shows George what his world would have been like had he never been born.

Some people think that George is owed something monetary by the townspeople, but actually George has prospered modestly by helping them prosper. In terms of money, neither really owe each other anything. In terms of friendship, George has been what Potter is financially — as rich a man as any other. But George, in his plight, doesn’t see this. All he sees is financial, legal, and social ruin because he’s looking through Potter’s eyes; Potter has succeeded (temporarily) in ruining him spiritually. He even turns into a low-rent Potter on his initial return home, barking at his kids and his wife, smashing things, yelling at the schoolteacher, before righting himself somewhat and trying to apologize to his terrified family. He leaves for a bar, where his friends try to find out what’s wrong, and he sends up a desperate prayer to God for help in one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever watched. (And then he gets punched in the nose by the husband of the schoolteacher, in one of the most wry moments ever on screen.)

The look at what Bedford Falls becomes without ever having a George Bailey isn’t as important, although Potterville certainly is the inspiration for Back to the Future Part II’s alternate Biff-run Hill Valley. George comes back to reality with his soul and his faith restored, running through the restored Bedford Falls with joy while heading towards certain ruin. His faith leads him back to his wife, who has been his support and his partner through all his setbacks. Instead of ruin, his friends — not his debtors — have all heard that their friend is in serious trouble and have come to help. Their faith in their friend George never wavered (they know he didn’t steal anything), even if his faith in them failed, mirroring the faith that God has in each one of us even when we don’t have faith in Him or in ourselves. Even Sam Wainwright, from whom he ‘stole’ Mary, sends a line of credit that guarantees George will be saved. His brother, a Medal of Honor winner who was to make a triumphant entrance the next day, instead comes back in time to say what George finally realizes: he is indeed the richest man in town.

At its core, then, this movie isn’t about Christmas, it’s about faith: faith tested, faith failed, faith restored. George loses faith in himself and God and his friends and family, and is shown why their faith in him won’t completely fail. In a way, this is really more of an Easter story — Potter crucifies George, who becomes reborn. In order to make this work, you have to see George lose his soul, as he does in those moments after he realizes the ruin that Billy has made of their lives, and that means George has to do some unsympathetic things. A couple of the actions he takes at home borders on emotional abuse, which is why his wife asks him to leave. In order for the film to work, he has to hit bottom, and Stewart masterfully portrays this. …

When watching this film at any time of year, we are reminded that while events can cause us to lose faith in God and in ourselves, we can still hope that those around us do not lose their faith in us. We are not defined by how much or how little money we have; our goodness comes through in how we treat others and how we all help along the way. All the money in the world cannot save us from death, but God (and our friends) can save us from spiritual death in times of crisis. That’s why this is one of the greatest movies ever made and why it belongs in the top 10 of anyone’s movie list.

And why it — and its audience — are better served by Gray’s trailer.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: christmas; easter; film; itsawonderfullife
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1 posted on 12/27/2015 3:53:30 PM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

It’s a nice movie, but I never had any particular closeness to this film. I grew up looking at Miracle of 34th St. in Black & White. THAT was the Christmas Movie my whole family used to watch every year, then Charlie Brown came along, followed closely by Burl Ives and Rudolph.


2 posted on 12/27/2015 3:55:46 PM PST by lee martell
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To: Kaslin

When was the story of the little boy wanting a b.b. gun for Christmas first shown. I cannot even remember the title.


3 posted on 12/27/2015 3:58:40 PM PST by Graybeard58 (Bill and Hillary Clinton are the penicillin-resistant syphilis of our political system.)
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To: Kaslin
Zuzu.


4 posted on 12/27/2015 4:06:08 PM PST by Libloather (Embrace the suck)
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To: Kaslin

The most heartbreaking part about “It’s A Wonderful Life” is that it depicts America as it once was and shall never be again.


5 posted on 12/27/2015 4:06:20 PM PST by SamAdams76
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To: Graybeard58

A Christmas Story


6 posted on 12/27/2015 4:08:42 PM PST by Excellence (Marine mom since April 11, 2014)
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To: SamAdams76

Pay more attention to Potter and you can see it.


7 posted on 12/27/2015 4:12:55 PM PST by inpajamas (Texas Akbar!!!!!!!)
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To: All

I like what “Artie” on THE KING OF QUEENS said about the movie. The town was jumping when he wasn’t there but was boring when he showed up. “I wish he’d never been born!”

SNL did a skit and shows George kicking Potter’s butt. I always wondered how he got away with stealing the money.

But I do love the movie. It reminds me of my older brother.


8 posted on 12/27/2015 4:25:07 PM PST by VerySadAmerican
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To: Graybeard58

[[When was the story of the little boy wanting a b.b. gun for Christmas first shown. I cannot even remember the title.]]

A Christmas Story (1983)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/


9 posted on 12/27/2015 4:28:13 PM PST by Lera (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
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To: Kaslin
They need to update the dialogue...

Every time Hillary speaks a moonbat in hell has its wings burned off!

10 posted on 12/27/2015 4:35:00 PM PST by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
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To: Kaslin

We watch this every year. For me, it’s the fifth-best Christmas movie, after Ralphie, Alistair Sim (with a cameo by John Steed), Charlie Brown, and Miracle (John Payne is a much cooler version of Kevin Spacey, and I love the way Maureen comes home unbothered by the fact that her daughter is hanging out with an adult man next door, and a pipe smoker at that).

Am I the only one who thinks each time I watch it that “maybe this is the year George will get away”?

And each year Uncle Billy seems like more of a DB. Come to think of it, he does look a little like Barney Frank.


11 posted on 12/27/2015 4:36:14 PM PST by PlateOfShrimp
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To: Kaslin

Lionel Barrymore (Stagename for Lionel Herbert Blythe 1878-1954) as Mr Potter is an excellent choice of an actor. Interestingly enough, he also voice-performed Ebeneezer Scrooge on an annual radio broadcast of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol!”

I also think that it is a great choice by Capra to leave unresolved the missing money. It just makes Mr Potter that much more evil!

I will have to see the ‘new’ trailer, Jimmy Stewart’s ‘desperation performance’ was as good as any I know of, not surprising for his ‘everyman’ appeal!

FYI: Given the number of shop bells and phone bell sounds, if this quote is correct; “Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”, then there are a LOT OF WINGED ANGELS!


12 posted on 12/27/2015 4:36:26 PM PST by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: Kaslin

The Lost Ending

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7sqx2_its-a-wonderful-life-lost-end_shortfilms


13 posted on 12/27/2015 4:37:35 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: Libloather

She hasn’t changed much


14 posted on 12/27/2015 5:02:33 PM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Graybeard58

A Christmas Story

First shown in 1983....not even close to being a classic

I always watch
1951 A Christmas Carol
It’s a Wonderful Life
The Bishop’s Wife
1947 Miracle on 34th Street
White Christmas

Let me see those and my holidays are complete


15 posted on 12/27/2015 5:21:42 PM PST by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: SamAdams76

Not true. Don’t know where you live but throughout the state of Georgia there are wonderful stories such as this happening every day....plus the news covers them


16 posted on 12/27/2015 5:22:38 PM PST by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: VerySadAmerican

That’s the major plot flaw of the film. He gave a pile of the bank’s money to a guy who can’t remember what he did with it. Oops.


17 posted on 12/27/2015 5:33:08 PM PST by sig226
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To: Kaslin

My Christmases are not complete without watching this movie. It may be because of one particular year, when my husband and I were newly married. We were living paycheck to paycheck on a very small income, and I was pregnant with our first child. We had no idea how we would be able to pay the doctor and hospital bills. This movie gave us courage to keep fighting the good fight, live a modest life, and be thankful for everything the good Lord gave us.


18 posted on 12/27/2015 6:04:51 PM PST by FamiliarFace
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To: Nifster

No Holiday Inn 1942?....


19 posted on 12/27/2015 6:25:41 PM PST by basalt
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To: Lera

Phil Hartman as Uncle Billy and Jann Hooks as Mary Hatch/Bailey, r.i.p....


20 posted on 12/27/2015 6:44:24 PM PST by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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