This is one of the most complicated movies I have ever seen. At first glance, it doesn't seem that way. It pops every year at Christmas time, and the advertisements always play up its sentimentality. The ending of the film certainly has that element, and it should not be overlooked. But what the ads do not tell us is how dark this movie is, and how paradoxical its protagonist is.
For the few of you out there who have not seen this classic tale, here's a brief summary:
Meet George Bailey (James Stewart). He is a husband and father of 4. He lives in a big, old, drafty house on the edge of the small town of Bedford Falls. His wife (Donna Reed) has been refurbishing the old house for years. In his view, he has never made a choice in his life that he wanted to make. He had to stay home rather than travel because his father passed away and he had to settle affairs with the family business. After that, he had to give up going to college so he could keep the family business going. After that, he gets married almost against his will, due to finally acknowledging his love for Mary. After that, children come along, and his dreams of traveling and building skyscrapers are taken from him. When the family business and his life are in jeopardy due to a clerical error at work, all of the choices he hasn't had over the years come to a head, and he becomes so depressed over the state of his life that he contemplates suicide so that the family can be saved on his life insurance policy. Enter Clarence the Angel. Clarence saves George from his suicide attempt and then shows him his hometown as it would have been if he had never been born.
This is the hook of the movie. The ending is one of the emotional zeniths of the film pantheon, as George Bailey realizes he does have a wonderful life. What makes the movie complicated to me is how selfish and full of rage George Bailey is. This is easy to gloss over as we come to the end. However, if the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, Mary Bailey may want to hire a therapist for her husband. As a husband and father who has had to deal with my own share of shifting ground and changing priorities, I can identify with some of George's pain. But when he is willing to take his own life, going nuts and smashing his models in front of his kids, there is a tension and a disturbance that is rare in movies. There is a harsh reality to this movie. In spite of the happy ending, George Bailey still will have to deal with an unfulfilling career and a life where many of his visions go unfulfilled. Christmas brings him a shallow hope, as the charity of the Yuletide saves him, and his community rallies around him. As a viewer, I hope that this spiritual experience he has had will catapult him out of his resentment, but the real world calls to all of us, and we know very well he may have times when life catches up with him again.
For those of us who use this time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ, we know that Christmas is more than a family time, or a time to remember what is important in life. In fact, for many, this time of year does not bring happiness, but it can bring hope. It is a time we can remember that God came in the flesh into a horribly screwed up world, and gave us reason for hope. He never claimed he would fix everything, and he never claimed he would make life easy. Instead, he walked through life as a human being, watched close friends and family suffer and die, saw almost everyone he loved abandon him, and took upon himself all of our sin and wrong doing. As he left this earth, he promised to walk through life with us and chisel away at our hard hearts until we are made more like Him. God uses communities like Bedford Falls to help people through hard times. I have no doubt that communities are a great gift to us all. But beyond that, there lies the central message that Christians observe each year. We reflect on this crazy story about a child born in Bethlehem who grew up to say some radical stuff. What we do with Him, His life, and all of his teachings (not just the ones we like), is important. If there is indeed a hope in this world that seems so forsaken by God at times, it is the notion that God left his supposed distant existence. In leaving his place in heaven, he suffered the injustices of this world for which we often blame Him. He also walked among others who suffered. He loved them, and offered Himself to them. In a world devoid of hope comes this person. Into Bedford Falls comes a presence that dwells on a different plain than money, wars, civic squabbles, family, and greed.
I wonder what George Bailey would think about that.
