Abstract: Watching It’s a Wonderful Life has become a family habit in the USA, as well as decorating the tree and distributing gifts. The film’s effect is based on a contrast between the pessimistic portrayal of the life in a small american town and the supernatural ending. A True digest of Capra’s films, It’s a Wonderdul Life is a bulwark against resignation and defeatism. The director points out that the very function of cinema is to allow the spectator to regain confidence in life when he leaves the movie theater or turns his television off.
