It’s a Wonderful Life tops our festive film poll
Th e vo t e s h ave b e e n cast and the poll is now closed - and we can reveal Reformer readers really are a soppy lot when it comes to Christmas.
Yup, there were no big shocks in our favourite Christmas movie poll, with It’s a Wonderful Life coming out on top.
The 1946-classic starring James Stewart won with over a third of your votes, taking 35 per cent.
In second place was Elf, starring Will Ferrell, which gained 29 per cent of the vote while Home Alone won 19 per cent.
It’s A Wonderful Life is your festive season favourite
Die Hard managed just 12 per cent, perhaps as people finally questioned whether it’s a Christmas film or not, while propping up the rear with a mere six per cent was Love Actually.
It’s a Wonderful Life has become as synonymous with the festive season as turkey, crackers, family fights and unwanted socks as presents.
The film initially performed poorly at the box office, but it’s story of hope and human kindness continues to strike a chord with audiences.
James Stewart played everyman George Bailey. We see how his life developed in his home town of Bedford Falls. Despite wanting to go to college, George stays to help sort out family business, a building and loan association, when his father dies.
However, he never makes it out of Bedford Falls, but he does marry Mary Hatch and have four children, and he finds himself in conflict with slum landlord, Henry Potter.
Through a chance event on Christmas Eve, George finds himself broke and facing charges of bank fraud.
Drowning his sorrows at a bar, George decided he’d be worth more dead and throws himself off a bridge into a freezing river. But instead of dying he saves Clarence who has also jumped in. Clarence reveals to George he is an angel sent to Earth to earn his wings.
A sceptical George remarks that everyone would have been better off if he’d never been born, and Clarence is able to show him that is far from the truth.
The final scenes see the townfolk come together to raise the money to save the building and loan. Among the donations is a copy of The Adventure’s of Tom Sawyer with the inscription: “Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends. P. S. Thanks for the wings! Love, Clarence.”
Reformer reporter Jonathan Geddes, was one of many who nominated the film, and he was delighted to see it come out on top: “It’s A Wonderful Life has rightly been considered a festive classic for many years, and it’s great to see that Reformer readers still rate it top, even with so many Christmas favourites having been released in recent years.”