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This article appears in the new issue of Southern Exposure Magazine.

It’s almost a misnomer to label “It’s a Wonderful Life” a Christmas movie. Yes, the story begins and ends with the Christmas season, but like “White Christmas”, most of the narrative is dedicated to other things, in this case an extended flashback chronicling the life of George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), a man who, despite having a loving family and a decent job, is down on his luck. He’s a good man, but his dream of leaving his small town of Bedford Falls to explore the world has never materialized. What George can’t see is just how lucky a guy he is.

I’m sure you know the story. When George decides to take his own life, he is saved by his guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers), who proceeds to show him what life would be like if George had never been born. The final act of the film contains some of the most moving moments I’ve ever seen on celluloid. Sixty-two years later it still resonates.

When first released, the film was considered a critical and commercial flop. It was only later, when the film’s copyright expired in the early 1970s and it began to screen on television during the holidays that it became ingrained in the collective subconscious. The film is now considered a classic, with the American Film Institute listing it as #11 of all time.

And for good reason. Honestly, I can’t think of any other film with as many memorable scenes. Consider the dance in the high school gymnasium, when the floor opens up and everyone falls into the pool. Or the scene in which George walks Mary (Donna Reed) home and she loses her bathrobe in the bushes. Or the sequence in which George comes over to Mary’s house and they end up on the same telephone, and eventually in each other’s arms (one of my favorite scenes of all time). Or the scene when they have to give up their honeymoon cash to keep their customers at the Building and Loan. Or the scene where Bert and Ernie, the two cops, convert Mary’s favorite abandoned house into a honeymoon suite for the newlyweds. On and on and on.

What’s so impressive to me is how director Frank Capra doesn’t waste any space. Every scene pushes the story forward. Every line of dialogue is important. And rather than skimping on the supporting characters, he chooses to make them colorful and endearing. Every person on screen, regardless of their role, has value in Capra’s eyes. Perhaps that’s the message he’s trying to get across.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is what I like to call a miracle movie. It all works, and there’s nothing missing. Roger Ebert describes a great movie as one you can’t the bear the thought of never seeing again. “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of those films for me.