Its a Wonderful Life 60th Anniversary Edition (1946)

"...this film seems to improve with age.  Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"It's a gem for any time of the year and, as such, a vital part of any film fan's collection.  Liz Beardsworth, Empire Magazine
"...inspirational and heartwarming...  VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever

Editor's Note A good but slightly ineffectual man tries to off himself after an error that really wasn't his fault. In Christmas Carol fashion, his crusty-but-lovable guardian angel shows up to give him a tour of the world without his presence, and it isn't a pretty place. Moral courage, small-town American life, civic cooperation, and family love are glorified; corporate greed and self-involvement are vilified; at the climax, a blanket of snow like spun sugar makes everything pure and clean like redemption itself.

	Donna Reed
	Frank Faylen
	Gloria Grahame
	Henry Travers
	James Stewart
	Lionel Barrymore
	Thomas Mitchell
	Ward Bond
	Dimitri Tiomkin, et. al. - Original Music By
	Frances Goodrich, et. al. - Screenplay
	Frank Capra - Producer
	Frank Capra - Director
	Joseph F. Biroc, et. al. - Cinematographer
	Philip Van Doren Stern - Story By
	William Hornbeck - Editor

Sight and Sound
"...As appealing as ever..." 02/01/2001 p.61

Total Film
"...With the power to melt the coldest of hearts. James Stewart gives a flawless performance..." 06/01/2000 p.88

Entertainment Weekly
"...It looks more masterful than ever..." 01/11/2002 p.28-9

Premiere
"George Bailey's everyman charm reminds us that it doesn't take a war to make a hero." 04/01/2004 p.60

ReelViews 10 of 10
What is it about this film, an uplifting, sentimental fable about the importance of the individual, that strikes a responsive chord with so many viewers? Some might argue that it has something to do with the season, but I don't buy that reasoning. It's a Wonderful Life is just as good in July as in December -- the time of the year has little to do with motion picture quality. Rather, I think It's a Wonderful Life has earned its legion of followers because it effectively touches upon one basic truth of life that we all would like to believe -- that each of us, no matter how apparently insignificant, has the power to make a difference, and that the measure of our humanity has nothing to do with fame or money, but with how we live our life on a day-to-day basis. - James Berardinelli

Reel.com 9 of 10
Though producer-director Frank Capra never intended it as a Christmas film, It's A Wonderful Life has nonetheless become a beloved seasonal favorite, primarily because its climactic scene occurs on Christmas Eve - and because it's a film about giving...When the film first played in postwar theaters, critics blasted it for the sentimentality that characterizes a Capra film, and it lost $525,000 at the box office. But the movie has grown more beloved over the years, partly because it reaffirms the values of a WWII generation - patriotism, hard work, and sacrifice - while ushering in the values of the Baby Boomer/Eisenhower years (including, among other things, the notion that part of the American dream lies in family, home ownership, 2.3 children, and not just tolerable, but wonderful neighbors). - James Plath