#Donna Bondy

[roskirambles]

(Archive) Christmas movie of the day: It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Originally posted: December 21st, 2021 Sometimes, Christmas alone isn't enough to bring the best out of us. Life isn't always easy on people and that won't stop being the case just because it's winter. Which is strangely enough the set up of, according to many, one of the most uplifting movies ever. A movie that despite not being completely timeless on it's every avenue it certainly still resonates with audiences, a feat that cannot be said for every movie that is 75 years old. Interestingly enough it isn't just a happy, go lucky film despite what it's reputation may make it sound like. No, it uplifts you. That means you have to be down so you can go up.

Disillusion, deception, despair and sacrifice are at the core of the movie; a man often being willing to sacrifice many chances of fulfilling his dreams so he can support others, constantly, frequently and substantially until reaching his breaking point. Even death rears it's head early on, showing a very simple strength for the film: it understands life is hard. This however doesn't mean the movie is bleak, nihilistic, or even humorless. In fact, the movie is befitting of it's name: it looks at life with enthusiasm and hope even with it's harshness.

A story about the power of altruism in the face of unfairness and injustice(Potter is just an evil capitalist incarnate), it shows hope against hope in a way that can be reinvigorating after times of duress for many(…even if it literally operates on a Deus Ex Machina with Clarence, the core message about helping others during times of need is still relevant).

That being said, there's plenty of this movie that has aged…ungracefully. The alternate fate of Mary is devoid of gravitas (or even that much logic) and there's lots of things that only make sense in the context of the 40's(like Mr. Gower being presented as sympathetic despite hitting kid George). Still, it's not hard to see why people still like this movie…except for Batman.

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[adamwatchesmovies]

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Everyone knows what It’s a Wonderful Life is about. How many times have we seen a television series ape its story? The protagonist is at their lowest, they begin believing things would be better if they had never been born, some otherworldly presence comes to show them otherwise. That is what happens in this 1946 classic but it’s also an oversimplification. Until you’ve sat down and actually watched it, you have no idea what this movie is actually about.

All his life, George Bailey (James Stewart) has wanted to travel the world. Unfortunately, his selflessness and responsibilities have prevented him from leaving Bedford Falls. Eventually, he inherits the responsibility of running the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan - a small bank that welcomes anyone who doesn’t want to go to the greedy Henry F. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). When the bank’s funds go missing, he loses all hope and contemplates suicide.

There’s much more to this story than its central conflict. A major portion of the plot concerns the romance between George and Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), the woman who’s had a crush on him since they were young. Their first date has the kind of moments that will remind you why you fell for the guy/gal next to you. What Mary saw in George back then and what she does now is so obvious. Money-wise, he may be poor but in spirit and in friends, he’s rich.

James Stewart is so good in this role. He’s cheery and easy to laugh with but there’s always a hint of sadness right there, behind the main thing. Over and over, you see George slice a little bit off the top and give it to someone who needs it. What he has left is meagre but he always manages and although he doesn’t realize it, we - and everyone who’s ever met him - recognize him as a hero. Not the kind that wins medals; those you only need during extraordinary circumstances. George Bailey is the everyday kind of hero, the kind who refuses to compromise even when raising his hand and speaking out could be to his detriment. Opposing him at seemingly every turn are normal, everyday injustices, unfortunate chance, and greed, all of which Henry F. Potter embodies. You hate Potter because he’s so real. You know there are people just like him everywhere and there are far too few George Baileys to stand up to them.

If you go into the film for its iconic Christmas scenes in which everything goes wrong and George prepares to make a decision from which there is no turning back, you’ll be waiting a while. The picture is over two hours, with the bulk of it focussing solely on George, his relationship with Mary, their family, and the town that comes to love him. If you're going in just to see George's guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers) show him how he has touched the lives of the Bedford Falls community, It's a Wonderful Life can feel long. It’s one of those cases where the film’s reputation doesn’t do it any favours because you expect one thing and get something else. Once you get over that initial shock, however, you’re completely won over. After seeing George work hard to do what’s right every day, no matter what, you want more than anything for him to see what you see. Everyone wants to believe they matter. Being shown first-hand how much good one person can do lifts your heart. You might not be George Bailey, but you might be half of one and that’s still pretty great.

It’s a Wonderful Life is a deeply moving film. It highlights humanity’s very best qualities. It’s also romantic, occasionally funny, wonderfully acted and full of life. The characters feel like real people, people you’ve met before, collected together to tell you this very personal message. It takes no effort for you to set aside your initial disappointment because while Frank Capra’s most iconic film (that’s saying something) might not be the movie you think it is going in, it is the movie you want it to be by the end. (On Blu-ray, December 13, 2020)

[the-rewatch-rewind]

Happy Christmas in July!

Transcript below the break.

Hello and welcome back to the Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I will be celebrating Christmas in July by discussing number 18 on my list: Liberty Films and RKO’s 1946 holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, and Jo Swerling, based on a story by Philip Van Doren Stern, and starring James Stewart and Donna Reed.

George Bailey (James Stewart) has always had big dreams of traveling and building things, but instead he’s stuck in his small hometown of Bedford Falls, New York, managing the family building and loan business. When his absent-minded Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) misplaces $8,000 of company money, George feels that he is worth more dead than alive and plans to end his life on Christmas Eve, when he is stopped by Clarence Oddbody, Angel 2nd Class (Henry Travers) who has been sent from heaven to save him. George tells Clarence he wishes he’d never been born, so Clarence shows George what the town would be like without him.

As I’ve mentioned before, my family didn’t have a VCR in the ’90s, but we did sometimes watch movies together when they came on TV, so we caught It’s a Wonderful Life pretty much every year. I don’t know exactly how old I was when I first watched it, but I do remember being confused that it was in black and white. Once we finally got a VCR, we taped it one year so we could watch it whenever we wanted, and then eventually we got it on DVD. At some point we decided that it made a good Thanksgiving movie in addition to a Christmas one, since it’s about being grateful for what you have, so I tended to watch it once or twice a year for a while. I’d probably seen it about 10 times before I started keeping track, and then I saw it once in 2003, once in 2004, twice in 2005, once in 2006, three times in 2008, twice in each year from 2009 through 2012, and then once each in 2013 and 2014, and then once in each year from 2020 through 2022. I don’t remember exactly why I took such a long break after 2014, and I think it was probably a combination of factors, but I do remember reading an article probably around then arguing that Bedford Falls actually would have been more fun without George and that he should have gone to jail anyway that kind of ruined the movie for me a bit. While I recognize that there are legitimate criticisms to be made of the story and message and other details (such as the nonsensical decision to make AS2 the abbreviation for Angel Second Class), for me, the good definitely outweighs the questionable.

For one thing, the acting is superb. Everybody’s at the top of their game, with character actors such as Ward Bond, Frank Faylen, and Beulah Bondi doing some of their best work, and some very impressive child acting, particularly from Bobbie Anderson and Karolyn Grimes. Thomas Mitchell knows exactly when to play Uncle Billy’s memory issues for comic relief and when to reveal how devastating they can be. Henry Travers similarly gives the audience a perfect balance of chuckles and tears. Frequent femme fatale Gloria Grahame makes the initially shallow Violet Bick surprisingly sympathetic. The character of Mary Hatch Bailey is also deceptively simple on the surface, but Donna Reed brings her to life with so much warmth and depth and complexity that it takes several rewatches to fully appreciate her. Lionel Barrymore perfectly embodies the evils of capitalist corruption as Potter, in one of the most diabolical villain performances of all time. And then there’s James Stewart. My man Jimmy. I’m kind of surprised I haven’t had an opportunity to talk about him on this podcast before now, since he’s definitely one of my faves. His performance as George Bailey is SO. GOOD! Just thinking about it gives me chills. We see George go from a young man full of hopes and dreams to a frustrated, drained, broken middle aged man at the end of his rope, to a man trying to make sense of the reality of his non-existence who ultimately learns that he’s a better and more important person than he thought he was. It’s a major emotional roller coaster, and Jimmy Stewart absolutely nails every moment of the ride. It’s rare for a Hollywood film to let a male protagonist get anywhere near as emotionally raw and vulnerable as George Bailey is at several points throughout this film, but Stewart was clearly not afraid to cry on screen, and it’s beautiful to watch.

The sets and visual effects are also beautiful and noteworthy. Falling snow on film used to be created with cornflakes painted white, but a new snow effect using fire extinguisher foam mixed with soap and water was developed for It’s a Wonderful Life. Using this allowed the sound to be recorded live, which had been impossible with crunchy cornflakes, and I feel like it enhanced the performances to not have to record the dialogue separately. The Bedford Falls set was one of the longest sets that had ever been made for an American movie, and the streets and buildings do an excellent job of bringing the audience into the town. Apparently three different cinematographers worked on this movie (they kept getting fired due to disagreements with the director), but the look and feel of the film is remarkably consistent and unique. Plenty of movies set in small towns were made during this era, but somehow none of them feel quite like this one. That could just be my own nostalgia, since this was the first one I saw, but there’s just something about Bedford Falls that sets it apart from other movie settings, and that’s a big part of what I love about this movie. The sets and the lighting and the performances are so engrossing that no matter how many times I rewatch it, I still feel like I’m part of the town, and like I’m interacting with the characters, in a fresh and unique way.

It's interesting that I’m talking about two 1946 movies in a row because I think that, like Notorious, It’s a Wonderful Life could really only have been made that year. James Stewart had left Hollywood to fight in World War II and was considering giving up acting for good when Frank Capra asked him to star in this film. Capra had spent the war making documentaries and propaganda films, and this was also his first post-war movie. Now, I’ve never fought in a war, and my parents are baby boomers so I definitely wasn’t around for World War II, but it stands to reason that their wartime experiences significantly impacted the people involved in making this film and were still fresh on their minds. Stewart apparently said that his PTSD and depression from the war helped him relate to George Bailey, and that acting out George’s anger and frustrations was cathartic for him. The US was also at its most anti-fascist at this time, as James and I briefly discussed last week, which I assume is what allowed this movie to be so blatantly anti-capitalist. Building and Loan associations don’t really exist anymore, but based on my understanding of the Bailey business from this movie, they seem kind of like mutual aid mortgages. Because George holds onto this institution, the people of Bedford Falls are able to afford to buy decent homes for themselves. The alternative that Potter wants is everyone paying him exorbitant rent. By capitalist standards, George is a failure, and was incredibly foolish for turning down Potter’s lucrative job offer in the middle of the movie. But the film portrays him as a hero precisely because he values people over money. When he’s at the end of his rope, Potter has the power to save him (especially because he’s the one who has the cash that Uncle Billy lost) but he refuses; it’s George’s friends and family who rally around to help him. And that sounds like something that would have been considered dangerously close to socialism in the McCarthy era. The Hollywood blacklist started in 1947, so I feel like It’s a Wonderful Life couldn’t have been made even a year later than it was without significant modifications.

One of the main focuses of the story is the romance between George and Mary, but I feel like even that is used as a demonstration of the shortcomings of our capitalist society. They are clearly drawn to each other, but George initially tries to pretend otherwise, in large part because he doesn’t feel good enough for her. She has a college education; he does not. Their wealthy friend, Sam Wainwright, is interested in Mary, and George feels like she would be better off with Sam, even though all she wants is George. They spend all their honeymoon money on supporting Building and Loan clients during a bank run, at Mary’s suggestion, but George later regrets that he couldn’t afford to provide for both his clients and his wife. Mary is perfectly happy with their life, but George feels like a failure by society’s standards and can’t see anything else, so he needs Clarence’s reality check to show him that he has always been enough for her. If George wasn’t constantly being bombarded with the message that he should be making more money, that he should have been able to leave Bedford Falls and make something more of himself, that he should be able to buy his wife and children extravagant things, maybe he could have been happy without divine intervention.

But also we need to talk about what happens to Mary in the alternate reality when George doesn’t exist because I have some very mixed thoughts about that. Earlier, right after George turned down Potter’s offer, he asked Mary why she married a guy like him and she replied, “To keep from being an old maid.” So when George doesn’t exist, she is an old maid. I remember as a teenager who didn’t know that being aroace was a thing and didn’t want to examine why I only ever had “crushes” on celebrities who were already dead, thinking that Mary’s attitude made perfect sense: if you can’t marry Jimmy Stewart, why get married at all? The part that has always confused me is when George begs Clarence to tell him where Mary is, and Clarence says, “You’re not going to like it, George.” Wouldn’t he like it less if she had married someone else? Isn’t it good that she’s consistent with her assertions that he’s the only man for her? I like to think that Mary is on the aromantic spectrum, and feels romantic attraction so rarely that if she hadn’t met George she would never have felt it at all, but even I have to admit that the movie isn’t really trying to say that. It seems to be implying that Mary ending up a librarian with no husband is the worst possible fate for her, which is an infuriatingly amatonormative attitude for a story that otherwise encourages resistance to societal pressures. But overall, I give George and Mary’s romance a pass, because I do think they have a fascinating dynamic, and also because the movie focuses a lot on community and other non-romantic relationships too.

There’s a lot of emphasis on family relationships, and the brotherly bond between George and Harry that is slightly tinged with envy is particularly well done. Harry gets a lot of opportunities that George wants, but George chooses to be happy for and supportive of him rather than resenting him too much. And Harry’s toast at the end – “To my big brother, George, the richest man in town” – is one of the moments guaranteed to make me cry every time. When George is young, he kind of looks down on his father, but finally starts to appreciate him shortly before his death, although not quite enough to understand that it’s good that he follows in his father’s footsteps. His relationship with his mother is very sweet, and the part when she doesn’t recognize him is perhaps the most devastating moment in the movie. I really wish we got to see George interact with his children a bit more; we mostly see them when he’s taking out his work frustrations on them, which doesn’t seem like a typical interaction. His scene with Zuzu and the flower is adorable though. And then there are all the friendships. I don’t know if the Sesame Street characters were named after them, but Bert the cop and Ernie the cab driver have a fun relationship with each other and with George, and I appreciate that we get glimpses of how miserable they both are in the alternate reality. Violet is another interesting character, and at some points it almost seems like she’s being set up as a romantic rival for Mary, but she and George remain a rare good example of male/female friendship. And there are so many other great interactions between the townspeople; it feels like a real community. And it is that community of friends and acquaintances that come together at the end to help George and show him that he’s not alone, and that he has made a positive difference in all their lives. Granted, it’s very clear that Mary is the most important person to him, so the movie does reinforce the relationship hierarchy established by amatonormativity, but at the end, what does Clarence write in the book? “No man is a failure who has friends.”

I want to talk a little bit about representation in this film. There is only one black character, Annie, played by Lillian Randolph, who is, predictably, a maid, and while she is a pretty awesome character, she’s not in very much of the movie, and all the other characters are white. Disappointing, but not surprising for a 1940s Hollywood film. Similarly, while we get a few fabulous female characters, there are a lot more men than women. However, I feel like this movie has better disability representation than the average 2020s movie. It’s a Wonderful Life shows that it’s not that hard to incorporate an actor’s disability into a movie without it being the main focus of the story or the character. They really said, “You use a wheelchair? Awesome, your character uses a wheelchair now.” Of course, they were probably willing to provide more accommodations for the legendary Lionel Barrymore than they would have for an unknown disabled actor, but even he had been replaced in the 1938 film version of A Christmas Carol, in which he’d been slated to play Scrooge, because he couldn’t walk anymore. So I really like that It’s a Wonderful Life showed how effectively he could play a Scrooge-like character without walking.

I also really appreciate that It’s a Wonderful Life is very similar to A Christmas Carol, but kind of flipped. A Christmas Carol motivates the wealthy miser to change his behavior by showing him how happy people would be without him; It’s a Wonderful Life motivates the poor man to change his self-perception by showing him how unhappy people would be without him. A Christmas Carol’s message is that nobody is beyond redemption, which I do believe, but It’s a Wonderful Life responds with, “Let’s be realistic: the extremely rich aren’t going to change their ways; we need to do what we can to limit their power.” Which is a message that, if anything, has only gotten more relevant in the last 77 years. Most of my top 40 movies are fun, silly, entertainment that I use to escape the harshness of reality, but while this movie does have some fun moments, it’s less of an escape and more of a reflection of that harshness. I watch movies like Emperor’s New Groove and Mamma Mia and Bringing Up Baby and Ella Enchanted when I need to laugh; I watch It’s a Wonderful Life when I need to cry. Sometimes I have trouble regulating or understanding my feelings, and a big part of what I love about movies is the way they let us experience deep emotions in a relatively safe and controlled environment. It’s a Wonderful Life has been scorned by some film critics as overly sentimental, and perhaps it is, but I guess I don’t see anything wrong with being overly sentimental every once in a while. Sometimes you just need to feel feelings.

Thank you for listening to me discuss another of my most frequently rewatched movies. Next up is the shortest in a 4-way tie of movies I watched 22 times in the last 20 years, which is another one that I had seen many times before I started keeping track. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “This is yet another example of the late neoclassic Baroque period. And, as I always say, ‘If it’s not Baroque, don’t fix it!’”

[m2024a]

Sharon Verzeni, la famiglia: «Non si parli di raptus, Moussa Sangare è uscito per uccidere». Il killer in cella da solo, Sergio Ruocco torna a Terno Moussa Sangare è apparso «frastornato». Il 31 enne fermato per l'omicidio di Sharon Verzeni, la barista 33enne uccisa con 4 coltellate a terno d'Isola (Bergamo) la nottetra il 29 e 30 luglio, si trova nel carcere di via Gleno e ha incontrato il suo legale Giacomo May. Da solo in cella, sotto stretta vigilanza e seguito dagli psicologi dell'istituto, il giovane si sarebbe chiuso nel silenzio e finora avrebbe chiesto solo da bere. In giornata sarà inoltrata al gip la richiesta di convalida del fermo per omicidio aggravato dalla premeditazione e dai futili motivi. Un omicidio «senza alcun movente» come spiegato dalla procuratrice facente funzione di Bergamo, Maria Cristina Rota. L'uomo era uscito di casa con quattro coltelli «per colpire» e la donna «si è ritrovata nel posto sbagliato al momento sbagliato». In casa di Sangare i carabinieri di Bergamo hanno sequestrato una sagoma umana di cartone contro cui lanciare i coltelli. La vittima e il suo presunto assassino non si conoscevano. L'arresto e la confessione Per arrivare all'arresto di Moussa Sangare è stata fondamanetale la testimonianza di due ragazzi italiani di origini marocchine. I due erano usciti per allenarsi e hanno spiegato in un'intervista a Repubblica: «Era più o meno mezzanotte, eravamo a Chignolo vicino alla farmacia e davanti al cimitero dove ci siamo fermati per fare delle flessioni. A quel punto sono passati due nordafricani in bicicletta, poi un terzo. Lui ci è rimasto impresso, perché era un po' strano. Aveva una bandana in testa e un cappellino, uno zaino e gli occhiali. Ci ha fissato a lungo e poi ci ha fatto una smorfia. Non lo avevamo mai visto prima. Abbiamo raccontato di quel ragazzo quando siamo stati chiamati in caserma». Una descrizione fondamentale per gli investigatori, che ha permesso loro di individuare Sangare, arrestarlo e interrogarlo. Fino alla confessione: «L'ho uccisa io, ma non so perché». Attesa per la perizia psichiatrica Se il movente non c'è, Sangale ha agito per problemi psichiatrici? La risposta arriverà solo dopo la perizia. «È molto verosimile che ci sia una problematica psichiatrica», ha fatto sapere l’avvocato d’ufficio Giacomo May. La stampa, la politica e l'opinione pubblica ha utilizzato spesso la parola raptus per descrivere il sentimento che ha mosso Sangare. Ma gli esperti non sono tutti concordi nell'utilizzare tale termine. «È troppo presto parlare di malattia psichica», spiega al Giornale Emi Bondi, presidente della Società Italiana di Psichiatria, perché «la malattia mentale raramente esordisce con un omicidio. Ha una serie di sintomi preliminari, di segnali che ci sono prima ed hanno un loro decorso che raramente porta a comportamenti aggressivi». Il passato nella musica Nel 2016 per Moses Sangare, il nome d'arte di Moussa, la musica è tutto. Ha collaborato con il rapper Izi registrando il brano "Scusa" di cui canta il ritornello. «Abbiamo cantato il ritornello di un assassino»: il singolo di Moussa Sangare con Izi da 14 milioni di views e la foto in studio con Ghali E di quegli anni è anche una foto che lo ritrae in studio di registrazione con Ghali, Shade, Charlie Charles, Tedua e lo stesso Izi. Ruocco torna a Terno Intanto Sergio Ruocco, il compagno di Sharon Verzeni, è tornato a Terno d'Isola, nella Bergamasca, dove viveva con la fidanzata. «Sto andando a salutare il don», ha detto ai cronisti, riferendosi al parroco con il quale lui e la 33enne avevano frequentato il corso per fidanzati in vista del matrimonio. Non ancora un rientro definitivo nel piccolo Comune, in quanto nella villetta dove abitava con la donna sono ancora presenti i sigilli. «Ci faranno sapere qualcosa la prossima settimana», ha detto Ruocco a chi gli ha domandato se avesse avuto notizie in merito a un eventuale dissequestro dell'abitazione. Dal giorno dell'omicidio l'idraulico abita dai familiari della vittima a Bottanuco. Sono in tanti i compaesani che fermano Ruocco per le strade di Terno d'Isola, per salutarlo ed esprimere la propria vicinanza. Con i giornalisti l'uomo scambia solo poche parole e poi si allontana. La famiglia di Sharon: «Non parlate di raptus» Il legale della famiglia di Sharon Verzeni, Luigi Scudieri, respinge l'idea del raptus che potrebbe aver colto l'omicida reo confesso della donna. «Ho sentito parlare in queste ore di 'raptus improvviso', di 'scatto d'ira' e assenza di premeditazione. Tuttavia faccio notare che il signor Moussa Sangare sarebbe uscito di casa con ben quattro coltelli e prima di uccidere Sharon ha avuto tutto il tempo di minacciare anche altre due persone. Queste farebbero bene a farsi avanti». «Mi ha molto stupito - aggiunge - che si sia parlato di 'verosimile incapacità' subito dopo il fermo, prima ancora di un esame completo di tutti gli atti».

[lamilanomagazine]

Poliziotti del Servizio di Sicurezza e Soccorso in Montagna bloccano un ladro alla fermata dell'autobus a Livigno e soccorrono madre e figlio dispersi in Pian di Gembro

Poliziotti del Servizio di Sicurezza e Soccorso in Montagna bloccano un ladro alla fermata dell'autobus a Livigno e soccorrono madre e figlio dispersi in Pian di Gembro. Continua l’attività del personale della Polizia di Stato del Servizio di Sicurezza e Soccorso in Montagna impiegato quotidianamente nell’espletamento di una forma specializzata di controllo del territorio nei comprensori sciistici più importanti della Provincia che, non di rado, sono operativi anche fuori dalle piste. In particolare, il 22 febbraio u.s., gli operatori del team di Livigno in meno di un’ora hanno recuperato e riconsegnato alla proprietaria un telefono cellulare sottratto in una delle aree ristoro del comprensorio sciistico. La donna accortasi del furto ha avvisato i poliziotti sciatori che, tramite localizzazione GPS, hanno rintracciato il telefono che risultava in movimento in strada, più precisamente in centro a Livigno. Uno dei poliziotti è sceso a valle e, tolti gli sci, ha raggiunto in bicicletta l’area individuata, guidato telefonicamente da un altro operatore che in tempo reale visualizzava gli spostamenti del dispositivo telefonico da ricercare. Tramite segnale GPS il telefono è stato localizzato nella zona della rotonda di via Bondi nei pressi della fermata dell’autobus. Vista la presenza di numerosi sciatori in attesa di prendere l’autobus, il poliziotto ha atteso la partenza del bus chiedendo aggiornamenti su eventuali spostamenti del dispositivo, ma per ben due volte il segnale è restato fisso alla fermata. Rimasti meno di dieci passeggeri in attesa di essere trasportati, l’operatore si è avvicinato ad uno sciatore sospetto e ha fatto squillare il telefono da ricercare. L’uomo ha iniziato ad agitarsi e a mostrare imbarazzo e, alla richiesta del poliziotto di consegnargli il cellulare, ha estratto il telefono dalla tasca interna della giacca da sci scusandosi per averlo sottratto alla donna. Sempre nella giornata di giovedì, i poliziotti del Servizio Sicurezza e Soccorso in montagna di Aprica dopo l’attività di chiusura delle piste a fine servizio sono stati attivati dai VV.F., che con il Soccorso Alpino erano impegnati nelle ricerche di una donna e del figlio dispersi in Pian di Gembro. Grazie all’utilizzo delle motoslitte in dotazione al personale della Polizia di Stato, in grado di raggiungere l’area impervia, le due persone sono state rintracciate poco dopo, infreddolite ma incolumi.... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article

[mumbojumbo84317]

It's a Wonderful Life

Premiered December 20, 1946 (New York City)

Directed by Frank Capra

Box Office : $3.3 million

Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen & Gloria Grahame

#beulahbondi #jamesstewart #henrytravers #itsawonderfullife #christmasmovies #donnareed #itsawonderfullife❤️ #thomasmitchell #wardbond #itsawonderfullifemovie #lionelbarrymore

[anantradingpvtltd]

Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his ... Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.37:1 Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No Language ‏ : ‎ English Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 17.3 x 13.6 x 1.2 cm; 300 Grams Item part number ‏ : ‎ PAR1U0110-MIG Media Format ‏ : ‎ 4K Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 10 minutes Actors ‏ : ‎ James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount Pictures | Excel Home Videos Producers ‏ : ‎ Frank Capra ASIN ‏ : ‎ B081LBXWYK Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ Poland Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1 Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Paramount Pictures | Excel Home Videos Packer

‏ : ‎ Excel Productions Audio Visuals Pvt Ltd Importer ‏ : ‎ Excel Productions Audio Visuals Pvt Ltd Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 300 g Net Quantity ‏ : ‎ 1.00 count [ad_2]

[thecrochetcrowd]

Crochet Study of Texture Afghan: Extra Credit Version

Crochet Study of Texture Afghan: Extra Credit Version

Crochet Study of Texture Extra Credit Version Crochet Study of Texture Afghan

Our guest designer, Donna Bondy, has mathematically figured out how to add an additional 20″ to your Study of Texture Afghan. Donna has also reformulated the pattern to be a rectangle as well. This information will work for both.

This will start to take you back through the afghan. So to complete this extra credit, do…

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It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) Frank Capra

December 18th 2021

[jayfinch]

It's a Wonderful Life

[fourorfivemovements]

Films Watched in 2020:

01. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) - Dir. Frank Capra

[featurespast]

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) (colorized version)

[moviehealthcommunity]

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

This is a Movie Health Community warning. It is intended to inform people of potential health hazards in movies, and does not reflect the quality of the film itself.

It’s a Wonderful Life has one scene with some WWII explosions in the distance, and another involving twinkling stars at night, but none of this poses any strobe light risk.

There are a couple of scenes involving minor handheld camera work.

Flashing Lights: 1/10. Motion Sickness: 1/10.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: There are certain aspects of culture that were acceptable in the 1940s present in this film that are no longer acceptable. None of these aspects are more than background subjects. We also see a man spiral into a suicide attempt.

[80slater]

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

[ourdallasvideofestthings]

Bart Chat 12/22/20

Cinematic Conversations As we get close to Christmas, we bring you a classic, no, the classic Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, this Wednesday at 7:30 CST. You can see the film on Amazon Prime. In the age of Trump, the Frank Capra view of the world is a reminder of how good, brave people can make a difference. As we endure this difficult time, this film has become more than a holiday tradition, it is chicken soup for the country's soul. Joining us to talk about this is our good friend, Allan Holzman. Allan has brought many of his great films about directors to our festival over the last several years. His film about Capra is compelling. He's also a great editor, so you can ask him any question about editing!!!  See you on Wednesday. Commentary This week, instead of a commentary, I will make a pitch.  It seems like every month has a giving Tuesday or something like it. We don't fill your mailbox or inbox with solicitations, but we do need support.  When the world shut down, we did not miss a beat. We pivoted. We ran our Alternative Fiction Festival online, we followed that up with DocuFest online and the drive-in.  and we started Cinematic Conversations, which we have been doing weekly for free.   We are also creating a series of five videos for ATT-PAC on how organizations can go digital and continued with a very successful season of Frame of Mind. When looking at the numbers, we are doing a bit better than POV and the Independent Lens series on KERA, and they both have national press coverage. That is something we are really proud of. And of course, there is this newsletter, which I hope you enjoy reading. If you appreciate our work, and if you are in good financial shape, please consider giving us a donation for the end of the year.  We are a small organization with a long history of serving our community.  Help us do more in 2021 to make your lives better.  

What to see

FYI next week, I will have my best-of lists for this section. This week I have a very strong recommendation that will take some dedication, but it is worth it. Frederick Wiseman’s City Hall will be on KERA on December 22nd at 7 PM CST. It’s four and a half hours long, but this is MUST SEE TV. Since the Reagan administration, Republicans have been saying the Government is bad. His quote was, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help”. Since then, they have thought that not only is Government not helpful, but there is some profound state of evil going on, too. This film proves this to be a lie. By showing the city government of Boston's day-to-day work, we see what the role Government plays, the character of people involved, and how they are helping the communities they serve.  You can see their dedication, knowledge, and compassion. The scenes go on for a bit more than any documentary filmmaker usually allows. In this case, it is the length of the endless meetings that give us a real sense of what is happening. No fast cutting or trickery; this is how it happens.  

It is interesting to compare recent Wiseman work to his early work. In films like High School, he delved into how institutions shaped the people who run them (not in a good way) and failed the people they were supposed to serve. With this film and EX LIBRIS (about the NY Public Library), he celebrates institutions that are not given the credit they deserve. Please watch this film. For more on the film, read about it in the NY Times. Have a great week, have a wonderful life, and talk to us about it on Wednesday night.