Talkin’ IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE With Rachel Thuro

If you’ve been following this series, you’ve probably become accustomed to reading about movies from the 80’s and 90’s, but one of my best blogging friends presented an idea that was too tempting to pass up.

While I act aghast when people mention classics they’ve never seen, I’m only acting. I do of course understand that there are only so many hours in the day.

How-ev-errr….

The one film I’ve heard mentioned more than once that blows my mind is Frank Capra’s holiday classic IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. The only – and I do mean only reason this surprises me is because come december 1st, it feels like this movie is airing nightly on TV. However, the holidays being as busy as they are, I guess some haven’t found the two hours to tune in. That, or they’ve seen the big payoff and assume they know the rest.

One such heathen was the charming and talented Rachel Thuro. However, I am pleased to report that she has gone from the darkness into the light. While this film is an all-time favorite for me, Rachel just had her first experience with it and was kind enough to talk to me about her thoughts.

Ryan McNeil: For the longest time, this film would be played endlessly every Christmas. How was it that you never happened to see this movie before?

Rachel Thuro: As with most things in my life, I lovingly blame my mother. I’m not sure if she’s ever seen it, but we never watched it as I was growing up. For some reason we didn’t really watch many Christmas movies at all. I didn’t even see A Christmas Story until two years ago, either. After awhile, I just assumed I knew everything about the film due to it’s place in pop culture, plus I’d seen it parodied many times, so there was no point in ever actually seeing it. But I decided to give in for my classic film watching goal this year.

RM: So with the amount that classic film lovers like me have talked the film up over time, did you have any particular expectations going in?

RT: Well, since it is the most beloved Christmas classic, I was expecting more Christmas, which doesn’t really play into the film until the last half hour or so. And I was expecting more of the “fantasy” element of George seeing the world without him.

RM: What surprised you about what you hadn’t seen?

RT: I knew that George was contemplating suicide and an angel was sent down to show him what his life would be like if he’d never been born. What I didn’t realize was that was only the last 25 minutes and first we’d have to see just how depressing George’s life was. And I think it went a bit long showing us all that on the front end.

RM: Paints things in sort of a bleak manner doesn’t it? Not only is the fantasy angle such a small part of the film, but not much of it has all that much to do with Christmas! What did you think of it on the whole?

RT: I must say I was quite surprised. It’s not what I expected. I didn’t dislike it, but I’m not sure why it’s such a beloved CHRISTMAS film, and I couldn’t make a tradition of watching it annually for the holiday because it’s rather depressing.

RM: I think part of the reason people come back to it is the humility George has and the wry humour he always seems to weild until things become too much for him on hat fateful Christmas Eve. That, or they are gluttons for punishment.

Were there any details about it that you especially liked?

RT: I did like George and Mary’s courtship. I thought their relationship in the beginning was quite sweet, and because of that I was much more invested in their relationship when things got really rough. It takes a very strong or very stupid woman to stick by a man like that, and I’m glad Mary was the former.

RM: Interesting – that’s obviously not what most people gravitate towards.

I often ask about a film feeling dated, but in this case it seems a little unfair give that the film is a clssic. Would you say though tht the film has aged well, or does it seem too out of date for a modern audience?

RT: There was the classic melodramatic acting, but not to the point that it distracted me, like SUNSET BOULEVARD. Certain scenes, particularly Pottersville, are very sensationalized, which I had to chuckle at. But I found that the most dated aspect was that of God and the angels. Religious elements are very scarce in mainstream films these days unless they are strictly dealing with religion.

RM: Yeah, no kidding! Things in this world are sorta bleak these days. Does the film’s message of karma and hope still land?

RT: Actually it does. I wasn’t terribly impressed when George has a change of heart and goes home with a renewed spirit. Honestly it all felt forced and very egotistical that the world would be so much worse off without one man. But when the entire town of Bedford Falls drops in to help out the family business on Christmas Eve, I actually started to tear up. For me, that was more of testatment to how much George had positively impacted those around him, much more than “Potterville” ever did.

RM: One can only hope for that sort of community. Given how much I love this movie, I’m almost afraid to ask this, but what didn’t work for you in the film?

RT: Mainly it was just two very long hours of one incredibly despressing scene after another. I wanted to like George more, but since he was too good and noble, he ended up being more of a flat character for most of the film. Until that fateful Christmas Eve, there was little internal conflict for him, because he would immediately sacrifice his own happiness to help out.

There are certainly moments where we see his disappointment, but it was brushed off and on to the next scene too quickly, that is until it all comes to a head and he decides to jump off the bridge. I think more of that inner struggle was needed. Or maybe I’m just a pessimist.

RM: Perhaps, but I think the disappointment is expressed most early on, when George sacrifices so much in the best interest of his father and Harry. I think once we get past those moments, his internal conflict was understood.

Perhaps, like your grumpiness with Captain America, you just aren’t fussed with a character who is innately good?

RT: I agree that George’s disappointment is very much expessed in the beginning when he can’t leave like he’d been planning for so long. However, after that, it seems like his desire to do good is nothing more than a natural reflex no matter what the consequences to him or his wife. He didn’t even really blink when he had to skip his honeymoon to take care of business. Nor did Mary, which I also found a bit naive.

It’s not that I don’t believe there are genuinely good people in this world, but here (and Captain America) it’s so black and white. There is nothing wrong with being good and self-sacrificing, but when that’s the only quality you can attribute to character, it makes them less interesting. I still like the last 30 minutes when we really see a different side to George, but I think the lead up to that was a bit long and tedious.

RM: Perhaps, but it’s all neccessary to see just how much he has given of himself to others – not just his immediate family. What do you think of the overall message that nobody who is a good person, and has good people around them can be considered a failure in life?

RT: I think the message is especially important and makes the film succeed, and it’s probably one people of today need to know and understand more than they did in 1946. We live in a world where every move of the Kardashian Sisters is documented and eaten up by the celebrity-hungry masses, but these women are not making any positive impact on the world, yet there are many out there obsessed with obtaining that level of fame and fortune with no work invovled. Just look at all the reality shows making it possible for any idiot’s potential 15 minutes.

I think reinforcing the idea that it’s how you treat those around you speaks volumes of what kind of person you are, far more than the fame and fortune you obtain.

RM: Is the fact that it isn’t a wall-to-wall Christmas tale help it succeed as a film? Rather than something that feels like “a very special episode”

RT: I don’t think the lack of a Christmas theme makes or breaks it as a film, but it’s certainly not one I could watch annually to get into the Christmas spirit. With a majority of the film lackig in holiday references until the end, it probably works just well when seen at any time of the year, but I wonder how many actually bother watching it outside the month of December.

RM: Like me?

RT: Maybe. Do you watch it every year? Was it a family tradition to watch it or something you sought out on your own?

RM: I didn’t see it for the first time until I was about 18, and at that point it wasn’t a family tradition so much as it was a movie I sought it out on my own. Interestingly, since then it has become a tradition between Lindsay and I. There’s a local theatre in town that shows a screening of it every December, and we always go. Because of that, it’s become the film I’ve seen on a big screen the most often (eight times).

So it sounds like you got your bells jingled and your halls decked. What would you give the film on a scale of one to ten?

RT: Though I complained about the gloomy first two hours, the end did uplift it enough to make the journey worthwhile. I’m glad I finally watched it, but it’ll be a long while before I give it another shot. So I’d say 7/10.