It's a Wonderful Life

Starring:James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Todd Karns, Samuel S. Hinds, Mary Treen, Virginia Patton, Charles Williams, Sarah Edwards, William Edmunds, Lillian Randolph, Argentina Brunetti
Director: Frank Capra
Studio: Republic Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton

Description

George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide?

Customer Reviews:

It certainly is a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-27

Not only do I own this movie, I have the board game as well. No Christmas season is complete without at least one viewing of this classic movie. It stresses the idea of being grateful for what you have and seeing the silver lining in any given situation. Children of all ages should watch this one every year.

It's a Wonderful Life.......2007-06-25

The quintessential Frank Capra film and a heartwarming holiday treat year in and year out, "Life" is the ultimate optimistic statement on the value of love, life, and community. Capra's masterful handling of the bittersweet storyline--in which Bailey sacrifices his own dreams to run the family savings-and-loan business and keep his hometown of Bedford Falls out of Potter's greedy paws--is pure Hollywood magic. Reed and Barrymore give exceptional performances, but Stewart, in one of his all-time great roles (a personal favorite), is the dynamic, all-too-human force holding it all together. Revived in the '70s after languishing in copyright limbo, "Life" is nostalgic and achingly sentimental, but doesn't shrink from portraying the dark side of American life. If "Zuzu's petals" don't put a lump in your throat, wait till a revivified George finds a special surprise waiting for him back home. Let those tear ducts flow, because "It's a Wonderful Life."

Quintessential christmas movie.......2007-06-11

This movie is a tradition in our house during the Christmas season to watch at least once! It never grows old to see Jimmy Stewart realizing that being rich sometimes has very little to do with how much is in your bank account and more to do with how many friends you have. Get the hot chocolate out, cuddle up with your sweetie, build a roaring fire in the fireplace and put the DVD in the machine and remember that your life does matter in the world.

It Was Indeed a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-04

What would the Christmas holiday season be like without Frank Capra's 1946 classic, It's A Wonderful Life? For millions around the world, watching this inspiring, heartwarming movie starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed is as much a part of the Christmas celebration as putting cookies and milk out for Santa Claus, caroling, drinking eggnog, or trimming the tree.

Of the hundreds of movies I've seen during the forty-one years I've lived so far, there isn't one I can think of that is so quintessentially American as It's A Wonderful Life. Part comedy, part melodrama, and part supernatural fantasy, the film recounts the life of an apparently ordinary guy, George Bailey, who keeps getting the short end of the stick when it comes to realizing his extraordinary dreams and plans for the future.

However, I've learned first-hand that professing my love for this film is sure to provoke arguments with those who accept the ethics of objectivism (the philosophy of Ayn Rand). On its face, the message of the film appears to endorse self-sacrifice for the good of others. But I disagree with that interpretation. In fact, I think that the choices made by George Bailey during his life were truly wonderful, embodying a full and proper conception of personal, long-term self-interest, but without preaching egotism.

The movie opens to the voices of George's loved ones, family and friends who are sending up prayers to God to take care of and watch out for George, who's fallen on the hardest of hard times on Christmas Eve. George's bad luck doesn't look like it's about to change when he is assigned a guardian angel ("second class") named Clarence, a benevolent bumbler who hasn't even "earned his wings." We then learn what has brought George Bailey to the brink of tragedy as director Capra tells the man's life story in a long flashback that makes up most of the picture.

Ever since boyhood, George Bailey has been there for others. When he was twelve, he rescued his brother, Harry, from drowning in a pond after he had crashed through the ice while sledding. Later, working as a drugstore delivery boy, he prevented his distraught, drunken boss from accidentally dispensing poison in prescription capsules.

As he grows up, George dreams of bigger things than can be found in the confines of his small town: seeing Europe, becoming a civil engineer. About to head off to tramp through Europe before going to college, he shares with his girlfriend, Mary (Donna Reed), his secret aspirations:

"Mary, I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow and the next day, and next year and the year after that. I'm shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world! I'm gonna build things: I'm gonna build airfields. I'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high! I'm gonna build bridges a mile long!"

But at every crucial turn in his life, George's grandiose dreams are thwarted by the responsibilities of everyday life. As he's about to set sail, he learns that his father had a fatal stroke. After the funeral, George stays in Bedford Falls to run the Bailey Bros. Building and Loan, the family business that his father and Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) had built up, rather than allow it to slip into the grasp of the family's avaricious nemesis, Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). Potter is the town's Scrooge-like magnate, a corrupt, power-lusting slumlord who owns most of the key businesses in Bedford Falls. George puts his dreams on hold while he manages the business--and while he watches his younger brother, Harry, go off to college instead.

Then, rather than jump at the opportunity to invest in the promising plastics industry, George instead goes after his real love, Mary, finally proposing to her. One of the movie's pivotal scenes occurs on the day of their marriage. Just as they are about to embark on their European honeymoon, fate again steps in: their wedding date is "Black Tuesday," October 29, 1929--the day of the stock market crash. En route to the train station, George and Mary see the people of Bedford Falls running toward the building and loan. George rushes over to find that Uncle Billy has panicked and shut the doors to depositors, having disbursed all the money on hand. Worse, Mr. Potter telephones and tells George that he will "help" bail out the building and loan by offering its members fifty cents on the dollar for every share.

While everyone is losing his head, George keeps his cool, despite the throng of terrified customers demanding their money. George staves off the building and loan's collapse not by whining to the crowd to bail him out, but by appealing to their long-term self-interest: by asking them not to sell out their future to Potter.

"You're thinking about this place all wrong, as if I have the money back in the safe. The money's not here. Well, your money's in Joe's house, that's right next to yours. And the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Maitlin's house and a hundred others. You're lending them the money to build, and then they're going to pay it back to you as best they can....Now, listen to me, I beg of you not to do this thing. If Potter gets a hold of this building and loan, there will never be another decent house built in this town.... Joe, you had one of those Potter houses, didn't you? Well, have you forgotten, have you forgotten what he charged you for that broken down shack? Here, Ed, remember last year, when things weren't going so well, you couldn't make your payments? Well, you didn't lose your house, did you? Do you think Potter would've let you keep it? Can't you understand what's happening here? Potter isn't selling, he's buying! And why? Because we're panicking and he's not.... Now, we can get through this thing all right, we've got to stick together, though. We've got to have faith in each other."

I once argued with an Objectivist about that scene, maintaining that George and Mary did the right thing by using their $2,000 honeymoon nest egg to help their depositors weather the storm. But all my friend could see in that scene--indeed, in the whole movie--was altruism. "One of the very first lines in that movie," he told me, "is `he never thinks of himself'!"

But was that true? Consider what would have happened had George and Mary gone on their honeymoon instead of bailing out their building and loan. Yes, they would have had an enjoyable, relaxing couple of months in Europe; but what would they have come home to? The business that George's father had sweat blood to create and keep afloat would have gone bankrupt. Not only would George and Mary have had no source of income, but their depositors--family, friends, loved ones--would have seen their life savings evaporate. The housing development George had built would have fallen into Potter's hands.

For George, the choice was between short-term pleasure and long-term priorities. Did he choose irrationally?
What makes It's A Wonderful Life work so well is that we get to see a different, less readily apparent kind of heroism in George Bailey. Sure, it's easy to notice and admire the swashbuckling valor of a Scarlet Pimpernel or the "damn the torpedoes" military bravery of a John Wayne. But the real world doesn't always present opportunities for obvious and flamboyant heroism. More often than not, it presents instead tough value choices that reveal an individual's true priorities--and his true character.

It's A Wonderful Life is a testament to the power of free will when the going gets tough. In every instance when George faces adversities, he could easily make the easy choice, opting for the fleeting promise of instant gratification. But instead, he consistently makes the harder decision to delay immediate pleasure in order to achieve or preserve his larger, lasting, most profound values.

Today, most people watching the scenes in the building and loan's offices probably cannot quite grasp the bold, life-changing message on the banner that hangs there: "Own Your Own Home." But I remember as a kid talking with my father about what it was like for him growing up in a Depression-era coal mining town in West Virginia. "You had to have at least a fifty percent down payment to buy a home in those days," he told me. "If you were poor, you had to rent." More than any other movie I've seen, It's A Wonderful Life makes real the enormous benefits of the credit revolution, a tribute to "man's faith in man."

To Frank Capra, it was men like George Bailey who helped lift the working class into the middle class. Capra considered this film his personal favorite, and put into it a lot of his own experiences as a first-generation immigrant from Sicily. It's A Wonderful Life is his love letter to the American Dream.

What makes the movie so credible, and Jimmy Stewart so believable as George Bailey, is that he and Capra had both faced those tough choices just months before it was shot. It's A Wonderful Life was the first movie they worked on after World War II. Shortly after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Stewart joined the U.S. Army Air Force and served as a decorated bomber pilot. Capra spent most of the war shooting the Why We Fight series of propaganda films that proved so crucial to the Allied war effort. Both men could easily have avoided service: Capra was too old when the war began, and Stewart flunked his first physical, being too thin for service. But they put aside the glamorous lifestyle and money Hollywood afforded them for the higher purpose of defending America and freedom. I only wish that such values were held in higher esteem by Americans now, in supporting the war effort against the terrorist threat. Today, we seem less eager to make the kind of hard choices that the men and women of Capra's and Stewart's generation did.

The movie's famous climax takes place on Christmas Eve. Bedford Falls awaits the return of its hometown hero--George's brother, Harry Bailey (Todd Karns). As a Navy fighter pilot, Harry saved a transport ship full of American troops by shooting down a Japanese torpedo bomber. However, a few hours before his arrival back home, the building and loan comes up short $8,000. Uncle Billy has absent-mindedly mislaid the money, and now, with the bank examiner and police breathing down his neck, the distraught George sees his entire life coming apart. After fighting Potter all his life, he's reduced to pleading before him, begging to borrow the cash to rescue the building and loan. His only collateral is $500 equity in a life insurance policy. The smirking Potter mocks him, saying, "Why, George Bailey, you're worth more dead than alive!"

George soon finds himself standing alone in the blustery snow atop a bridge, weeping in drunken desperation, thinking about jumping into the icy rapids below.

At that very moment, guardian angel Clarence Oddbody (Henry Travers) leaps into the river himself, giving George the opportunity to let his inherent goodness emerge once more. George rescues Clarence, then slowly learns the incredible truth: that the old man is an angel sent to protect him.

But still believing that his life has been a failure, he informs the eccentric Clarence that he's wasting his time. "I wish I'd never been born," George mumbles bitterly.

The words inspire Clarence to grant George his wish. In the film's closing moments, he gives the man a shocking tour of what Bedford Falls would have been like if George Bailey had never existed.

The housing subdivision that George envisioned is never built; it becomes "Potter's Field," a graveyard for paupers. The wife of his cabbie friend, Ernie (Frank Faylen), leaves him because Ernie wasted his money paying rent for one of Potter's tenements, instead of investing in his own home. Deprived of the chance to lead a productive life with the building and loan, eccentric Uncle Billy is eventually committed to an insane asylum. George's beloved Mary remains a spinster; their children are never born. And Bedford Falls itself--a small, thriving American community right out of a Norman Rockwell illustration--deteriorates into "Pottersville," a sleazy town full of bars, strip joints, and pawn shops.

Most devastating to George, Clarence leads him to his brother Harry's gravestone in Potter's Field.

"You're brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice, and drowned at the age of nine," he informs George.
"That's a lie!" George protests. "Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport!"
"Every man on that transport died," Clarence corrects him. "Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry.... You see, George, you really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?"
"You have been given a great gift," Clarence adds. "A chance to see what the world would be like without you."

As I do every Christmas, this year I'll again be watching It's A Wonderful Life with my family. I'll once more share with my loved ones Frank Capra's timeless tale of a man who always remained loyal to his highest and dearest values, and who ennobled the lives of everyone he touched through his common sense, farsighted thinking, and uncommon integrity.

To those who might dismiss George's story as not the stuff of epic heroism, I can only repeat the director's own words. Decades after It's a Wonderful Life first appeared, Frank Capra said: "The importance of the individual is the theme that it tells. That no man is a failure, that every man has something to do with his life. If he's born, he's born to do something."

He added: "To some of us, all that meets the eye is larger than life, including life itself. Who can match the wonder of it?"

A Timeless Classic.......2007-06-04

It's A Wonderful Life is a one-of-a-kind christmas movie with a hint of horror. Not only is this movie unique, but it also has a charasmatic cast. I bought this movie to add to my modest DVD collection, and its the perfect flick arund christmas time.

Average customer rating:

It certainly is a Wonderful Life!
It's a Wonderful Life
Quintessential christmas movie
It Was Indeed a Wonderful Life!
A Timeless Classic

It's a Wonderful Life
Starring: James Stewart , Donna Reed , Lionel Barrymore , Thomas Mitchell , and Henry Travers
Director: Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Republic Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00062J00S
Release Date: 1995-09-19

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Customer Reviews:

It certainly is a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-27

It's a Wonderful Life.......2007-06-25

Quintessential christmas movie.......2007-06-11

It Was Indeed a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-04

A Timeless Classic.......2007-06-04

Average customer rating:

It certainly is a Wonderful Life!
It's a Wonderful Life
Quintessential christmas movie
It Was Indeed a Wonderful Life!
A Timeless Classic

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)
White Christmas
A Christmas Carol (Original B&W Version)
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ASIN: B00005QCVY
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Product Description

Excellent condition, includes the original DVD, case, and paperwork, fast shipped, ask me for my DVD List! :)

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

It certainly is a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-27

It's a Wonderful Life.......2007-06-25

Quintessential christmas movie.......2007-06-11

It Was Indeed a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-04

A Timeless Classic.......2007-06-04

Classic Christmas Collection (It's a Wonderful Life / White Christmas)

Average customer rating:

It's a Wonderful Life is not color
Wonderful sincere schmaltz
Movies ok, but....
Two Feel Good Holiday Classics To Be Watched ANYTIME You Need A Lift
It's a Wonderful Life

Classic Christmas Collection (It's a Wonderful Life / White Christmas)
Starring: James Stewart , Donna Reed , Lionel Barrymore , Thomas Mitchell , and Henry Travers
Director: Frank Capra , and Michael Curtiz
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HWZ4KM
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Description

This 2pk includes 2 of Christmas's all-time classics - It's A Wonderful Life 60th Anniversary Edition and White Christmas

Customer Reviews:

It's a Wonderful Life is not color.......2007-06-05

Just so no one else buys this and thinks they are getting a color version of this movie. It's in Black and white. In the descripion on Amazon it says it is in color. The color version is only on VHS.

Wonderful sincere schmaltz.......2007-05-07

Yes, from all I've seen it was a pretty wonderful life, for most Americans, from 1945 to 55 when we ruled the world. Both of these movies capture some of that unquestioning nationalistic sentimentality and disingenuouness that would finally evaporate completely in the jungles of Viet Nam. For now though we had a ton of food and tent space and it was worth a try since nothing we did ended badly, yet.

Jimmy Stewart is perfectly cast as the George Bailey,kindhearted but bitterly disappointed by life so far. With techniques that borrow heavily from AA and Charles Dickens he is finally convinced that his life has been is a force for good. The sentiments are soggy but the movie has an almost noirish realism especially in the nightmare of what his quaint small-town turns into without him.
This movie ends with a rousing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "White Xmas' ends with a rousing, (What else?")"White Xmas" as the long-awaited snow falls behind them. There is no pretense of realism in this movie, and much of the enjoyment here is just the tremendous camp fun especially with Dany Kaye devouring the set in every other shot.

Movies ok, but...........2007-03-24

The movies were great and what I wanted, with one exception... In the description it states that they are in color, where in fact "White Christmas" is in color but "It's A Wonderful Life" is not. That is the only gripe that I have about this duo-set. I have been trying for several months to get a copy of the colorized version of "It's A Wonderful Life". I saw this advertized as color and ordered it. I received it and watched the movie, only to find out that it is not in color, but in fact black & white. I am very disappointed of this fact.

Two Feel Good Holiday Classics To Be Watched ANYTIME You Need A Lift.......2007-02-10

You do NOT have to wait until Christmas to open this gift. Frank Capra's wonderful film of 1946, may be enjoyed anytime of the year. "It's A Wonderful Life" is THE feel good movie of the all time.It should be watched anytime you need a lift!(Okay, Okay , you can watch it at Christmas time too!).

ASC(Angel Second Class), Clarence Oddbody needs to get his wings.George Bailey is desperately in need of an Angel. So the powers up above arrange a meeting. It's a story made in heaven.

Clarence gets to view George Bailey's life from the time he was a young boy until the present, when George is having so many problems he thinks he would be better off if he'd never been born (it may be safe to say we have all had days like that!). We watch as George touches the lives of so many from boyhood to adulthood. He saves his brother's life,he stops his boss(a druggist) from making a fatal mistake, he saves the family business, "The Building and Loan Assoc" from the hands of the Scroogelike Mr. Potter, is friend and mentor to so many, and although never gets to follow his dreams of travel, settles down with the girl next door in his town, "Bedford Falls".

But things start going amiss for poor George,an accidental misplacement of a large sum of money, and the auditor showing up just at the wrong time, causes George to face loosing everything he THINKS is important. He's on the bridge, ready to pack it all in when his guardian angel Clarence shows up in the nick of time.Clarence shows George what life would REALLY be like if he was never born. It's not good! George must realize that "It's A Wonderful Life" before he can exist again.

Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey. He is just tremendous in this role. We see the full range of his talents as he runs the course of going from carefree, to distraught, to bitter and finally elated with life as he discovers Zuzu's petals have reappeared in his pocket.The petals that disappeared from his pocket when he disappeared from existence. Henry Travers is Clarence and there has never been a more cherubic angel than he. Donna Reed as Mary(George's wife) is exceptional at making a wonderful life for George and looking great doing it. And Lionel Barrymore is the mean Mr. Potter who we love to hate. There are so many other famous faces to look for that do such a superb job, here are a few...the great character actor Thomas Mitchell is the forgetful "Uncle Billy", Lillian Randolph is "Annie", the housekeeper, Beulah Bondi as Mrs. Bailey, Ellen Corby, the lady who only wants $17.50, Gloria Grahame is Violet and don't miss Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, mischievous as ever at the pool scene.

So it's clear as a bell(oh..I think an Angel just got his wings!)if you're feeling a little down, watch this movie and like Zuzu's petals, your smile will reappear.

"White Christmas"...The film is a treasure. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye,Rosemary Clooney,and Vera-Ellen are the stars of this 1954 musical with songs by Irving Berlin that you'll want to sing along with and keep humming long after the film has ended. Directed by Michael Curtiz it's a feel good film that although takes place during the Christmas season, is another one that you can pull out and watch anytime of the year.

Bing and Danny were Army buddies, now a successful song and dance team and are out to help their favorite old retired General(Dean Jagger),who is having trouble coping with retirement. The General is now running a country inn in Vermont, but the big problem is there is no snow to bring up the tourists. Bing and Danny to the rescue, as they turn the inn into a showcase of talent, and fall for the Haines sisters along the way. Can these wonderful voices also bring the snow out of the sky?...well..you know.

This film is filled with Berlin's wonderful tunes. When Bing takes Rosemary's little hand in his and croons "Count Your Blessings" to her..well it's movie heaven. Rosemary also treats us to several numbers, Vera-Ellen does some fabulous hoofing, and Danny clowns and keeps us smiling like only Danny can. And how much fun is it watching Bing and Danny do the "Sisters" number together?...alot! Then there's the goose bump evoking, wonderfully nostalgic scene of the four of them singing "White Christmas" together with the Winter Wonderland of Vermont as a backdrop.I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful character actress Mary Wicks, she's a great busy-body who causes misunderstandings, and also keep an eye out for George Chakiris and Barrie Chase.

Thanks Paramount for bringing us this great old classic holiday films on in one package.

Happy Year-long Viewing, ...Laurie

It's a Wonderful Life.......2007-02-03

A Christmas classic. All these years later, life can still be the same as in this movie. Lot's of us are always striving, longing for a "better" more exciting life and many times if we stepped back and looked at ours it couldn't get any better, we just need to appreciate what we have and make the best of our life.

Average customer rating:

It certainly is a Wonderful Life!
It's a Wonderful Life
Quintessential christmas movie
It Was Indeed a Wonderful Life!
A Timeless Classic

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

7-9 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

10-12 Years | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6305064490
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

It certainly is a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-27

It's a Wonderful Life.......2007-06-25

Quintessential christmas movie.......2007-06-11

It Was Indeed a Wonderful Life!.......2007-06-04

A Timeless Classic.......2007-06-04

Average customer rating:

Kafka - the way you've never seen him before!
a note on absurdity
in defense
Corny Spoof on Kafka!! Rest is the Best...

Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Starring: Elaine Collins , Julie Cox , Jessie Doyle , Richard E. Grant , and Samantha Howarth
Manufacturer: Vanguard Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005ASP8
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Description

Stumbling over how to complete the first sentence of what was to be his masterpiece "Metamorphosis," Kafka writes: ...Gregor Samsa woke up one morning and found he had been transformed into a giant..." A giant what? A banana perhaps? A powerful sustained joke on both the perceived image of Franz Kafka and the powerful sentiment of Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." Also includes "Seven Gates" - Brothers David and Daryl travel home to their family farm for Christmas; "The Deal" - A clandestine meeting between the world's two most powerful businessmen who negotiate a deal so immense, so awe-inspiring, so "BIG." The meeting progresses from the enlightening to the bizarre; "Mr. McAllister's Cigarette Holder" - In 1961 Georgia, Mr. McAllister lives alone. His reality leaves little room for pride, except for a unique cigarette holder he has. On a trip to town with his albino girlfriend, a sacrificial gift saves his pride and allows him to retain his dignity.

Customer Reviews:

Kafka - the way you've never seen him before!.......2003-09-15

As most people will surmise, the very title of this DVD is a sardonic inside-joke. The term "wonderful life" goes along with Kafka about as well as tropical vacations in Antartica. When I first saw the title I knew I would not be able to resist buying this DVD - even if only out of curiousity.

The DVD is four short-stories set to film; only the 1st one relates to Kafka. In the title story there is an attempt to comically discern the nature of Kafka's inspiration for his famous short story, THE METAMORPHOSIS. It's kind of like what they did with Shakespeare in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, only this time it's in a twisted Kafkaesque sort of way.

Of the rest of the production, stories 2 and 4 are so-so. Story 3, however, called THE DEAL, is absolutely hilarious. It pokes fun at 2 pompous CEOs who get together and make asinine decisions while untold thousands of jobs hang in the balance. Anyone who has followed the scandals of ENRON, WORLDCOM, etc. will find this a refreshing satire.

I would recommend this DVD for all fans of Franz Kafka as well as people who like "different" sorts of short-stories. Be forewarned, however, it's not altogether done in good taste. If that does not bother you, then by all means put this one on your wish-list!

a note on absurdity.......2003-07-30

Kafka is well known for the achievement of absurdity in his work. It must be remembered, however, that Kafka's absurdity was not absurdity for its own sake, and though often comical, was nightmarish and profound. The absurdity seen here, though clever and very funny, isn't what Kafka was about. That doesn't at all discredit this short film, but it is important to make a distinction.

in defense.......2002-02-20

I have to speak in defense of "Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life." Yes, the idea of mixing Kafka and Capre is entirely absurd, but isn't that what makes it so incredibly Kafka? Kafka always used absurdity to depict the modern world, and I think he would have appreciated the short immensely for that (though the end was a bit shakey, but I guess that's what we have to give to Capre.) I loved this short, as well as the others on the DVD.

Corny Spoof on Kafka!! Rest is the Best..........2001-12-17

I like Kafka's work and I feel that Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life is what flaws the rest of this dvd. It is all too silly and corny and the idea of mixing Capra and Kafka is ridiculous and royally disrespects Kafka's genius. The rest of the dvd is great! I would like this dvd so much more if there were more short films like the ones following the title film. They have to reel you in somehow, and they got me by the title, and I heard it won an award for best short in 93 when it's just an unoriginal spoof of a film, kafka and capra'a film it's a wonderful life may be popular, but its just a catch which I'm kind of glad I got pulled into because I might not have stumbled upon Seven Gates, The Deal, or Mr. McAllistor's Cigarette Holder, which are MUST SEE shorts.

lindsay: you can't deny that this was a spoof short. The only person that could maybe get close to a real short of Metamorphasis would be David Lynch, if he got lucky. and Kafka rolled over twice already...

BAD = putting Richard E. Grant's face on the cover and titling by the worst of the 4 shorts on this dvd and of course for the first short on the disc.

Amazon.com

The 1992 documentary It Was a Wonderful Life won several awards for its depiction of homeless women--the "hidden homeless" who don't sit on the streets and beg for change, but who live in motels and cars, often with children, while they desperately try to set their lives right. Several of the movie's subjects were left helpless from a bad divorce; one woman, a former singer, was abandoned by her affluent husband while pregnant with his sixth child. He now avoids paying child support, trusting in an over-loaded bureaucracy with limited power to enforce the law. It Was a Wonderful Life isn't the most artfully made documentary, but after listening to the revealing stories of these women--all struggling but determined to survive--you'll find yourself sizing up your own life, wondering if a brief illness or a lost job could steal your own life away. Narrated by Jodie Foster with music by Melissa Etheridge. --Bret Fetzer

Description

In this award-winning festival standout, Academy Award nominee Michèle Ohayon (Colors Straight Up) presents a riveting and powerful account of six women who are members of America's growing "hidden homeless" population. Narrated by Jodie Foster, and with

Customer Reviews:

Great Documentary.......2007-05-10

Although this documentary was done fifteen years ago, I rented it because of the title. I find it interesting to know how women do end up homeless. I remember Sixty Minutes doing a segment on homeless women when I was in high school. I have to say that these women are more resourceful than a woman who has a job and a home.
It's a shame that our legal system can barely do anything to help these women to get back on their feet. Yet, they can respond quickly to high-profile cases that are sometimes too outrageous or frivilous. These were women who had good, if not great lives. They were married with children. Some of them were working to make ends meets and not having to worry about tomorrow. Then something happened.
Marital discord, medical injury, loss of employment turned their world upside down. I felt sorry for these women because they were struggling to stay afloat when things took a turn for the worse. Some of them wouldn't turn to their families or friends for assistance; and one didn't have anyone to turn to for assistance.
The thought of what these women are going through is a reflection of what can happen to me and several other women. As much as I whined and complained about not having a place of my own and having to struggle financially, there is always a ray of sunshine.
The only thing we as women need to do is to acknowledge our presence and look out for our well-being. And help each other.
I wonder if there was ever any thought to follow-up on this documentary. One committed suicide and the other was never heard from again. It would be interesting to know what they have been doing since this documentary was made.