Vision: It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

It’s a Wonderful Life is the last film on our watchlist every festive season because it is, hands down, not only the best Christmas film of all time but one of the best films ever made. Bold claim I know, but within its hallowed frames It’s a Wonderful Life contains not only the very spirit of Christmas, but an essence of the One who we celebrate.

On Christmas Eve in Bedford Falls, George Bailey (James Stewart), a businessman, desperate and alone, is contemplating ending it all but is rescued by Clarence, his guardian angel. He takes George on a journey through his life, showing him all the lives he has touched in his community and the dire consequences of what would have happened to the people in his town if he’d never been born.

Some films, even though they may be works of art, can only really be watched once. We know how they turn out; the curtain has been drawn, the mystery revealed, and they lose some of their appeal. And then there are other films that are not only masterpieces, but they grow with multiple viewings, entertaining and moving you in new and fresh ways. It’s a Wonderful Life is one of those rare films.

Borrowing from Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol, It’s A Wonderful Life is Frank Capra’s vision of human flourishing: an individual can make a large and positive difference in the lives of those in their community. James Stewart was one of the best American actors who ever lived (check out his other superb work - Rear Window (1954), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and is the perfect heart and soul of the film. For a film that is nearly eighty years old, it feels, in its entertainment value and themes, completely timeless as if it was made for modern audiences.

In a world where capitalism and consumerism fool us into believing that big and brightest is best, It’s A Wonderful Life is a sharp critique of that. Even the church has been infiltrated by this pervasive notion - slick, light filled, entertaining, mega churches. Big is better, we're told.

But in the fable of It’s a Wonderful Life we see on full display that giving oneself to our community, pushing against our cultural ideal of more for me is best, can truly be a wonderful way to live. This Christmas I hope that as you sit down with your family and experience It’s a Wonderful Life and that we will take the message of George Bailey and Bedford Falls to heart and live it out in our communities.

Lyall Carter leads Young Life New Zealand, a trust that works with young people in East Auckland, and is the editor of film and TV review website, The Movie Army.com