It’s a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life
by Frank Capra
245 pages
Fiction – Original Screenplay

This movie plays on repeat every Christmas season to the extend that I don’t really pay attention to it. Do-gooder George Bailey constantly puts others' needs above his own but then gets frustrated that he never got ahead in life. In a moment of crisis, George considers suicide and wishes he had never existed. He is visited by his guardian angel, Clarence, who shows him what life would be like if he had never been born. George realizes the profound impact he has had and that life is truly wonderful.

Reading this screenplay brought the story of George Bailey alive to me. In a fun format change from traditional novels, this screenplay contains mainly dialogue and some scattered paragraphs with scenery notes. It was an easy read; perfect for the holiday season. The dazzling visuals of Hollywood are stripped away but after adjusting to this, the core story shone through more brightly. I was struck by the humanity captured within the work. It depicted the real struggle to know if our lives are worth living. The truth is that life is hard sometimes.

This work is sometimes hailed as a great Catholic classic. Capra has spoken about pouring his own Catholic faith into the work as a way to refute growing atheism. However, it contains significant theological errors. In the screenplay, deceased humans become angels by earning their wings posthumorously. This idea is immortalized in the famous line “every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings”. Clarence is also assigned to be George’s guardian angel temporarily in an hour of great need. He must then learn about George’s life which offers the screenplay the chance to review significant moments in George’s life.

There are entire courses available on the Catholic understanding of angelology, but here is a very short note: The Catholic Church teaches that angels and human are separate types of beings. A human can not become an angel. It is also generally believed that due to the immense dignity of the human soul, a guardian angel is assigned to guard each soul from the moment of its creation. As St. Jerome said: “how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it”.

That said, this screenplay did feel distinctly Catholic in several ways. Protestant films often end when a person accepts Christ and lives happily ever after. Catholic films often depict the hard reality of living a life of genuine faith. By the end of the film, George’s life circumstances do not change so much as his outlook. He realizes that his true wealth lies in his relationships with others. We see him invest deeply in those relationships throughout his life and participate fully in community life, including raising a large family of his own.

In the Introduction of my edition, Scott Thompson (CFO of Cluny Media) also points out these catholic values highlighted by the screenplay: self-sacrifice, humility, the importance of relationships and not committing suicide. PS - I recently discovered Cluny Media, a boutique Catholic publishing house. This was their book of the month for December. I love their mission and curation. I love that they publish works that otherwise might not be available. (This is not a paid endorsement, it's just my opinion!)

RECOMMENDED FOR: Catholic parents, and other readers, who sometimes wonder if their lives amount to much. This work is a reminder about the inherent value of a life well lived.