Bittersweet Christmas Countdown #1
It’s A Wonderful life!
Angels, suicidal ideation, connection, family, community capitalism and the ultimate triumph of light over darkness, there could only ever be one present at the top of our Bittersweet Christmas tree — Frank Capra’s 1946 masterpiece “It’s a wonderful life” — it’s something of a ritual in the Bowder household to watch this and have a good boo on or near Christmas!
This movie has been accused of a lot of things — closet communism through its sniping at bankers, overt sentimentality, naivety and old word Moral dogma. For me it portrays none of these things and manages to walk the bittersweet tightrope with aplomb. Right from the offset it proclaims something that is still important and relevant whatever your political leanings and values structure happen to be.
In George and Mary’s bountiful yet parsimonious love story we have a homage to the important and priceless facets of life. In George’s career we have a nod to community based capitalism and the reality of how we are all one inter dependent community. Even our selfish genes know that which is why reciprocity and cooperation are hard wired into the human experience, and never more so than in this beautiful film.
As George’s circumstances gradually unravel, he appears to be devoid of the ballast and fuel required to live a life akin to his moral compass and sense of duty.
The shame of failure he feels himself and toward his community lead to a near suicide attempt. Some of us have been close to people who similarly and tragically thought that this was their best course of action.
Enter Clarence, an angel earning his stripes by introducing George to a very different world that shows him the ripples in the millpond that we all create without sometimes knowing what we are doing.
He finds a miserable world that has been deprived of his kindness. His brother is dead having never been saved by him and his local community has become a hollow and neon lit sleaze pit.
This for me is an allegory around redemption from what sometimes appears to be our darkest hour. It also showcases the often unexpectedly large impact of small and decent actions.
Much has been written about ‘Potterville’ including pieces about how it looks more fun than Bedford Hills! Yes we live in a different age to Capra’s and there is probably little difference between his dystopian creation and a number of neon lit strips around the world. We might have even been dragged to one or two on bachelor parties. I think this misses the point though. For me Potterville is not a garish and biblical Gomorrah; It’s more a critique of unbridled selfishness and pleasure. We are reminded that this can become a kind of living hell that blocks out the beauty of care and contribution and waking up to the fact that life is not all about you.
When George himself wakes up, it is to a new paradigm where his revelation has rather belittled the shame and purgatory of prison that he once feared. Because he is no longer desperately clinging to an outcome, a solution presents itself. All of his grace, kindness and decency comes back with interest as the first chords of “Hark the herald angels sing” crank up and the brother that he once saved appears. Smothered in the love of his Wife and Children and community, he is forced to exclaim “Attaboy Clarence!”
At this point the scales drop from our eyes as well. For me the truth burning my aperture as the blindness clears is as simple as it is powerful. With every smile, every selfless good deed, every apology, every act of grace that we bestow, the ripples in the millpond and consequences both for us and those that we interact with can never be underestimated.
This is one of the most fundamental and beautiful truths of this season.
Wishing you and yours many blessings at Christmas and here’s to a happy healthy and prosperous 2020 for all of us!
