A lot of people ask the question "what is the greatest film of all time?" Some people always go with the obvious answer whatever their personal favorite film is. Others however, examine film in a deeper way and try to analyze what film has had the biggest impact on film as a whole. Films that get into the conversation of best of all time include classics like The Godfather and Citizen Kane. I believe the best film ever made is the Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life. It was directed by Hollywood legend Frank Capra and starred Jimmy Stewart, maybe the greatest actor to ever live. The film was released in 1946 and has stood the test of time as a film everyone quotes and remembers with warmth. A lot of new broadcasting stations will even air It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve every year. Can you say that about any other film? What is it about It's a Wonderful Life that is so excellent and ring so true so many years later?

The movie is about a man named George Bailey and a guardians angels attempt to show George his self worth as a human. The film chronicles George Baileys life as a kid into a young man who wants to travel the world. Unforeseen circumstances keeps George Bailey from ever being able to travel the world and George feels stuck running the bank and loan business he inherited in the little town of Bedford Falls.

Mental health is something that gets discussed in the media and the world in general. I believe it has always been an issue but with the result of social media outlets gets more attention. In 1946 people were having the same issues we do now. George Bailey is a dreamer and longs to travel yet feels stuck where he is at. That is something I can relate to on a daily basis. We do what we do every single day to survive but sometimes we forget to actually live. This is already enough strain on a person. Along with this, George is a banker and wants to keep his families business afloat. He has to have this job he doesn't have much warmth for because he feels like he needs to keep his families name alive. Not only that, he knows if Mr. Potter wins the Monopoly over the town his capitalistic greed will ruin the town altogether. That feeling of obligation to stick to something because you know you need to rather than desiring to can also wear on a person.

We see George throughout his movie slowly lose hope. He is a good man who is always trying to help everyone else out that sometimes he forgets to focus on himself. Self love its something we all struggle with and don't think about as often as we should but it is so important that we have it. George Bailey doesn't hate himself, but he is a selfless person and while that is a good trait he needs to do soul searching for himself and realize what he could do to fulfill his own hears desire. This is something I tend to think about a lot in my own path in life. When George loses the 8,000 dollars he is at his ropes end. We see a scene that is so harsh of him lashing out at his family because of how stressed he is. He isn't acting like himself. Sure, this 8,000 dollars is a huge deal but it shouldn't change you. Yet, for a moment we see George lose perspective of his place in the world. He believes to be a broken cog in a machine that can be thrown away.

He ends up saving Clarence a man who is sent from Heaven to be his guardian angel. Clarence shows George an alternative world where George didn't exist. It was an awful gross place run by greed where people were unhappy.

"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"

George goes back to reality to appreciate everything around him. The place he's felt stuck in feels like a land of new possibilities and dreams. Even getting arrested or having to pay bail seems like a new adventure to him. We all know how this story ends. Everyone in town gets together to help pay George's debt and then some, making him the richest man in town. In the final scene, we see all the lives of the people he has touched since the start of the film. I get goosebumps when I watch it every time. This is the best example of cathartic cinema I can think of. It's the conglomeration of the story showing how everyone in this town learned to appreciate warmth and kindness. It showed George realizing that while his life hasn't gone as planned, he has had a wonderful one.

We all have bad days. We all have bad semesters. We all have bad work shifts. We all stress ourselves out for what will feel like nothing in the matter of a few months. It's hard to be an empathetic person because you truly feel sorry for just about everyone. You can see George here is an empathetic soul and this whole journey of self discovery is a poignant one. George realizes that just him caring for other people makes all the difference. In the end something like money won't have you remembered but it will be the impact you make on other people. The ending of It's a Wonderful Life reminds us why we all have our own place on this planet and why we should always do our best to treat everyone with compassion.

I believe that is why It's a Wonderful Life is the greatest film ever made. It's an excellent film with amazing performances, a compelling story and beautiful cinematography. Beyond just the aesthetics of the film though, it is about a poignant search for meaning in this world that is so accessible to anyone. A fifteen year old and a ninety year old could take something away from this film in the stage of life they are in. It is a film for everyone and it never exists to offend anyone but to rebuild them and make them feel better about themselves and the world. I believe that is why it is so important for It's a Wonderful Life to be played on TV every year. It is a poignant story about why we all exist and matter and as old as we get and as much as the world around us change, those universal truths will always be present.