How can two films both be considered classic holiday movies, yet be so different? Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life shows the life of George Bailey and his impact on the people around him. In contrast, George Seaton’s Miracle on 34th Street is a story about one man who believes he is the real Santa Claus. Both films exemplify all of the qualities of a classic film. However, these films focus on different ideas about life as well as life’s meaning. Viewers of both of these films will notice that they share many qualities. One similar idea that they both share is the theme of an idealistic man who is imprisoned for doing the right thing. George Bailey spends his entire life putting others before himself. His selflessness has led him
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One difference is that time frame of the movies. Miracle on 34th Street starts on Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas day of the same year. This means the film only took place within approximately a thirty-day span. It’s a Wonderful Life, on the contrary, spans across many years. The audience, as well as George’s guardian angel Clarence, is shown the highlights and lowlights of George Bailey’s life from the time he was a boy all the way to his forties. Another difference between the two films is the amount of characters. Since the story of Miracle only spans one month, there are only a select group of main characters: Kris, Susan and Doris Walker, Fred Gailey, Judge Harper, and Thomas Mara. Since It’s a Wonderful Life spans many decades in Bedford Falls, there are many more characters in the movie. The audience meets, and gets familiar with, many citizens of Bedford Falls. Finally, each movie focuses on different ways of being rewarded in life. Miracle focuses on the idea that one must have faith and to believe in something when you are told not to. When Fred, Doris, and Susan all believe in Kris, they are rewarded with a perfect house to start a family with. As for It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey does not have much belief; he is a man of action. It is his selfless acts that define who he is. In the end, it is these acts that bring the citizens of Bedford Falls together to
One difference is that time frame of the movies. Miracle on 34th Street starts on Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas day of the same year. This means the film only took place within approximately a thirty-day span. It’s a Wonderful Life, on the contrary, spans across many years. The audience, as well as George’s guardian angel Clarence, is shown the highlights and lowlights of George Bailey’s life from the time he was a boy all the way to his forties. Another difference between the two films is the amount of characters. Since the story of Miracle only spans one month, there are only a select group of main characters: Kris, Susan and Doris Walker, Fred Gailey, Judge Harper, and Thomas Mara. Since It’s a Wonderful Life spans many decades in Bedford Falls, there are many more characters in the movie. The audience meets, and gets familiar with, many citizens of Bedford Falls. Finally, each movie focuses on different ways of being rewarded in life. Miracle focuses on the idea that one must have faith and to believe in something when you are told not to. When Fred, Doris, and Susan all believe in Kris, they are rewarded with a perfect house to start a family with. As for It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey does not have much belief; he is a man of action. It is his selfless acts that define who he is. In the end, it is these acts that bring the citizens of Bedford Falls together to