Principal cast
James Stewart as George Bailey, Donna Reed as Mary Hatch, Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter, Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy, and Henry Travers as Clarence
Film 11 of 244 on the Screen Path
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a wonderful laugh! It's a wonderful love!
About the film
It's a Wonderful Life at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1946 film at stop 11 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Key craft credits
Joseph F. Biroc (director of photography), Joseph Walker (director of photography), William Hornbeck (editor), Dimitri Tiomkin (original music composer), and Albert Hackett (screenplay)
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Release
- 1946-12-20
- Runtime
- 131 minutes
- Genres
- Drama, Family, and Fantasy
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 25 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 25 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
25 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
Try Citizen Kane →Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.