The Cinematheque concludes with the traditional screening of the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life.
In It's a Wonderful Life, Frank Capra once again tells the story of the honourable, ordinary person, and no one could tell such stories better than him.
Dutiful George Bailey has put his own dreams aside to continue running his family's mortgage bank after his father's death. Over the years, his job and modest financial returns have left him disillusioned, and he is also innocently suspected of financial crime. Shame and despair bring him to the brink of suicide. Not only do his friends have to help him change his mind, but angels also have to intervene for him to realise that life is wonderful and that the world would be a poorer place without his contribution.
When It's a Wonderful Life premiered in Christmas 1946, it was not a success; people found the film too depressing. Due to an administrative oversight, the rights to the film were not renewed when they expired in the 1970s, and it became public property – something that television stations in the United States make frequent use of. For the film, this led to increased interest and classic status.
Christmas is a time for simple messages, and no one can help but be moved when Bailey comes to the realisation that life is wonderful after all.
2 hours, 10 minutes
English dialogue, unsubtitled
Suitable for all
Tickets are sold at Odeon Kino Stavanger