Clarence it's a wonderful life
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Clarence gets the early sympathy points as soon as we find out that he is not quite the most respected ethereal guardian to grace the unseen higher plains of existence.ĬLARENCE: Sir, if I should accomplish this mission, I mean… um. We learn all about the life that George Bailey took for granted right along with Clarence - from his point of view. We begin with Clarence as a spirit without “flight flaps”, and end off with Clarence going from the human form of a senior citizen, back to his spiritual splendor. Even with all of the wonderful life emerging from high concept elements like angels and Bailey seeing his world without him in it, there is still a smart book-ending framework.
#CLARENCE IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE FULL#
The writing team saved the idea of having wasted scenes for the pesky amateurs, and allowed every idea that is introduced to come full circle, including Clarence’s angel assignment. They brought the humor, the humanity, the heart break, the well-developed 2nd and 3rd string characters, and the subtle set-ups, like George Bailey’s idea for a pool under the floor of a gymnasium, followed by consistent pay-offs, like when a jealous rejected lover later opens up that floor for revenge. With these 12 eyeballs hovering over the pages, the end result is a fantasy film that has thought of everything. Philip Van Doren Stern received story credit, with the screenplay duties being split between Frank Capra himself, Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich - with a little magic sprinkled in from Jo Swerling for “additional scenes” and a few uncredited contributions to the screenplay from Michael Wilson. It’s a Wonderful Life plot summary from IMDB:Īn angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed.Īs far as the specific scribes involved in crafting this timeless tale, it gets rather complicated, as can often be the case. Smith Goes to Washington, It Happened One Night) in 1946. But Travers was already a veteran of the British theatre stage prior to the silver screen - and before playing the heavenly Clarence for the beloved director Frank Capra ( Mr. The affable angelic one - Clarence - was played by Henry Travers ( Shadow of a Doubt, The Invisible Man), who was practically 60 years old when he released his first feature film performances in 1933. But he also has enduring “mentor” traits in his screenplay DNA as well, as he guides the suicidal George Bailey (James Stewart) through his unlived alternate reality. When it comes to “trixter” characters in movies, those who can keep us entertained while manipulating the protagonist to get their way - Clarence the “Angel Second Class”, in the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life, is one who will do what he must to earn his wings.