European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1947, Darmstadt, Hesse James Stewart As the unselfish finds that wealth is no measured by Bank accounts but by friends t now showing in the zone its a wonderful life this Wei done modernization of a Christmas Carol is top screen entertainment James like All the other return ing Hollywood has been looked Forward to by his Many faithful but unlike most of the he got himself a Good director and a Good Story and turns out an excellent return performance in its a wonder Ful this is a Story of the boy who has great ambitions to see the world but unselfishly his wishes second or maybe third and becomes an altruist in spite of the fact he continues through it All hoping someday his life will be his do just As he not until he sees what would have happened to his friends and neighbors had he never been born does he realize that he has had a full life by giving his All to this whimsical Story by Philip Van Doren that first appeared in cosmopolitan As 14 a Christmas Short has been made into two hours and ten minutes of extremely enjoyable that a lot of time to sit through any but by running the Gamut from cleverly dry humor to the touching pathos of real life drama the picture keeps a Good and lags in Only a few the heaviness of every Day As heavy As Only Stewart can make is skilfully balanced by the fantasy of a charming Angel played by Henry who reads Mark Twain and is diligently trying to earn his wings on the whole its the kind of production audiences have grown to expect when the credit and directed by Frank on the its a wonderful life is a though movie that May without doubt be put on one of the upper Grade a Thomas Mitchell does a convincing Job As the All thumbs Uncle Billy Donna Reed is the understanding who incidentally holds together the pictures Only embarrassingly bad scene of a High school prom in the late twenties which ends with everyone falling in the swimming Lionel Barrymore Able characterization of the Meanie and Frank Albertson As the Zahrah Raccoon coat boy Arent like old can be counted do whats expected leave the audience time to get acquainted with the new its a wonderful life is one of the safest bets moviegoers could find on their schedule if there looking for enter while not delving much below the surf has turned out a first rate product for a
