(B)adaptations Script: It's a Wonderful Life

JESSY

Hi I’m Jessy DeFrancisco!

JAY

And I’m Jay Neilson.

JESSY

And we’re here to talk about a

good, old fashioned, classic

paper to pay per view adaptation.

JAY

That’s right; It’s A Wonderful Life.

JESSY

Yes, but so is the film we’ll be

talking about.

JAY

Unknown to many, this classic holiday story began as a compilation of Christmas cards written in 1939.

JESSY

It’s a Wonderful Life’s story was born in

November of 1939 to writer Philip Van

Doren Stern, under the title The Greatest

Gift. After unsuccessful attempts to

get the story published, he retired it

as a 21-page pamphlet which he sent to

family members and friends as a Christmas

present in December of 1943.

JAY

Immediately captivated by this

rogue story, Frank Capra scooped up

the Van Doren Stern original

and began producing the adaptation we all

now know as It’s A Wonderful Life.

JESSY

Let’s jump right in, shall we?

(Potentially show a clip of George from the film jumping into the river to save Clarence?)

JAY (V.O.)

We shall!

The film follows the life of George

Bailey and the impact he makes on

his small town and the people who

inhabit it. While George spends his

younger years dreaming of exploring

the world, he feels a moral obligation

to continue running his father’s bank in

order to fight against the infectious bigger

bank owned by the richest and most

morally corrupt man in town, Mr. Potter.

George’s efforts continue with increasing

difficulty; however, and after a fatal

flaw made by his business partner, he

loses hope. When the angels in heaven see

George contemplate suicide, they send a

novice angel, Clarence, to rebuild his

faith in humanity. To do so, Clarence

brings George into an alternate timeline

of Bedford Falls in which George was

never born and through experiencing its

sheer depravity and decrepitude, George

understands just how important he truly is.

JESSY

Let’s start with the characters.

How did we feel about James Stewart

as George Bailey?

JAY

I thought he was fantastic! The film came at a super interesting time for him as he had just returned to Hollywood from a 5-year hiatus fighting in World War II. It’s clear to me that his time in the war helped him develop an incredibly rich understanding of George Bailey’s personal struggle.

JESSY

Personally, I was surprised at how the

George character was portrayed in the

film. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely

loved James Stewart. I love everything

James Stewart does. But the film George

seemed very different than the Christmas

card George to me.

JAY

How so?

JESSY

Well, we don’t get any backstory in

the card so he’s just this guy on a

bridge when we enter the story. But

in the film, Capra really builds

George up as this man about town who

knows everyone and everyone loves him.

So then when it’s time for the big,

dramatic moment on the bridge, we

feel something. It really has an

effect on the overall story. Do you

agree?

JAY

I totally agree. I think it has a lot to do with how the stories were told. While most films are made from novels and are re-written to fit a shorter time frame, It’s a Wonderful Life is an excellent representation of a story that had to be expanded to fit a feature length film. For the film, George Bailey’s character had to be greatly expanded upon and, thus, he makes a greater impact.

JESSY

Yeah it’s interesting how this adaptation differs from others in that way. I think this example provides great insight into how the film industry functions. Oftentimes, producers will only listen to super quick pitches made by writers and discern whether the story could sell. This short story was probably seen as something similar to a pitch in that way.

JAY

You know, you’re probably right. They clearly did a lot of re-writing but the script of the film doesn’t shift too critically from the source material. What’s interesting to me is how, normally when books are made into movies, they decide to do so because the book is already culturally known and has sold well, which is kind of the exact opposite in this case. I believe that allowed them to feel more freedom in their own expansion of the story.

JESSY

True, but you’re kind of contradicting yourself there by saying the film doesn’t shift critically and yet it was clear how they felt a lot of freedom to expand. My main struggle with the plot differences is that the story is originally written in retrospect while the film takes place in real time. We see all

of the things that happen to George as they happen in the film but we only hear about them in the written story after the fact.

JAY

That’s a strong point that changes my thinking a bit. The whole time aspect of the film is a pretty big change between the two. I think it’s specifically that difference that highlights the power of translating the story into cinema. We can really feel the jumps in the narrative through the flashbacks, and once we get to know George Bailey after studying him as a kid, our understanding of his character and inner turmoil is much greater. We can really visualize and feel his growth from child to adult while watching the film and not so much through reading the short story.

JESSY

How do you feel about the obvious

addition of many of the themes in

the film?

JAY

What exactly do you mean?

JESSY

I found that the original story

really only tackles the theme of

self-redemption but the film takes

on romance, money, success, and

jealousy all through the addition

of the plot fillers that we don’t

get in the literature.

JAY

Yeah at the end of the day they’re both two different narratives. I don’t think It’s a Wonderful Life would have been the standout classic it is today if Capra hadn’t greatly expanded upon the original story, and I don’t think the short story would’ve caught his attention if it had been oversaturated with themes. Not to say The Greatest Gift wasn’t a great read, but it’s overall simplicity is what makes its fundamental point of the importance of life so much more poignant. Out of the two, which do you prefer?