Free Republic

We think of It's a Wonderful Life as a great American movie, a great Jimmy Stewart movie, a great Frank Capra movie — and, of course, as a great Christmas movie. We don't think of it as a great Italian-American movie. But we should, especially at Christmastime, when Italian-Americans — of Capra's generation and beyond — can be heard in every shop and restaurant singing many of the songs that define the season. Capra was born in Sicily, and at age 6 moved to Los Angeles. It's a Wonderful Life is spiced with subtle but significant references to his fellow...

This wonderful Christmas perennial is very unusual for films in that Hays Code Era, a villain gets away with the crime. Does that affect your feelings about this movie? For me, when I saw this movie in my youth, it did catch my thought and I remember asking my parents why. Now as a seasoned adult, I think that I appreciate a movie that does not wrap up all of the threads into a neat package.

THE ONLY PART YOU NEED TO SEE: "United States Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke noted that economic indicators did not adequately capture the economy in relation to the Earth’s natural systems. “This is like flying a very large airplane with no map,” he said. Societies had already exceeded planetary boundaries in terms of climate, biodiversity laws and overproduction of nitrogen. A “de-growth” agenda was essential. “We have to get discourse about de-growing the economy going, especially in North America,” he insisted. The sustainable development discourse should be grounded in the Earth Charter, a document developed over a decade of...

Click to scroll to commentary. Pottersville Rocks! Salon.com ^ | 12/22/01 | Gary Kamiya Posted on 12/26/2001 7:08:20 AM PST by Clemenza All hail Pottersville! The "bad" town in "It's a Wonderful Life" jumps and jives 24/7 with hot bars and cool chicks -- while "wholesome" Bedford Falls is a claustrophobic snooze. By Gary Kamiya