Although, the book “American Film and Society Since 1945” gives detailed explanations of films from the 1940’s; I find it difficult to understand the interpretations. For example, it is comparable to attempting to write a book report; without having read the book. Without the experience of actually watching the films mentioned in our required text; I feel lost in the translation of films that are considered iconic in American Culture. However, after doing some research, I do have opinions that seem valid.
I found that people in the 1940’s commonly choose what to view films based on what they already believed. The power of film-makers portrayed influence that knowledgeable people depend …show more content…
Perhaps, the title should be “Things Could Be Worse.” As far as George Bailey’s, life seemed to be truly heartbreaking. I can’t argue that “It’s A Wonderful Life” is the best movie ever made; nevertheless, the title belongs to a film with a gloomier plot. The approach in which Graham tries to relate modern politics to a film created in 1946; and, after Americans were emergent of a War and the Great Depression. I think that Capra had a better grasp of what Americans of the 1940’s appreciated. Sharing a New York penthouse with a loose woman may be the idea of a “wonderful life” but, certainly not the way Americans of the 1940s looked at the world. The family life that George Bailey lived was the life that many Americans lived, and others sought. The anti-hero of the movie, played excellently by Lionel Barrymore, characterizes the forces of modernization would soon be available for small-town America. Additionally, Capra’s foresight of a Bedford Falls without George Bailey represented what many feared about the devastation of small-town lives. The film is about the idea that material achievement in life isn’t as key to individual success. Although, Bailey is encircled by friends and family coming to his rescue at the end; Mr. Potter is alone in his office in a conflict that this is somehow the