Structure wise, it follows three acts fairly close. The first act turn appears to be George's father's death and his decision to stay. The second act turn is George on the bridge and his visit from Clarence. It's interesting to see each decision is marked by what is arguably what is one of the central themes regarding greed/selfishness vs. selflessness. Every time George is in a position to do something for himself, extenuated by temptation from Potter, he's forced to look at who he is and finds the answer in an act of selflessness. Early on, in the dinner scene with his family, his father tells him no - move on and get out of Bedford Falls. Just when George thinks he's getting his wish, he's forced to choose between a selfish desire to escape and the selfless to stay. This plays nicely into the later scene with him contemplating suicide, believing everybody else would be better off without him. We all know suicide is a selfish act and once again George is tempted by Potter who has called the cops on him (earlier, he's tried to tempt him with a position and salary). Whereas George is often tempted to do something selfish to acquire what he wants, he always takes the selfless road - whether it's dancing with somebody's kid sister and eventually marrying her despite his desire to leave, using his honeymoon money to stop a crisis, or loaning money for an old friend to find her own way out, these are all selfless acts that counter the greed and manipulation of Potter. In the end, it's the town who rewards George in their own act of selflessness by coming to his aid and bailing him out. I know some of this touches upon thematic elements, but it's hard not to discuss them when they are in fact part of the story's structure (or in this case, the apparent argument the story is making with regards to values and morals vs. greed).

One thing I noticed about the structure of this story is that, like many older movies, the setup is long, but unlike many others, the length of the first act doesn't seem to drag out. The story moves quickly, we see the conflicts and love interests develop, and so by the end of the first act, we are fully absorbed in the storyline. I think this feature helps make it timeless for a new generation of movie watchers.

TBBB, I agree with your analysis, especially those two pivot points: George's response to the death of his father and his first moment on the bridge. And like all great story structures, they SHOULD be tied to theme, psychology, emotion, etc. In both cases, George acts in, as you say, a selfless manner. Both in dramatic fashion. Yet each a reflection of the selfless approach George takes day after day with the Bailey Building & Loan. I picked up something else in reading the script I've never quite seen before - shocking to think after having seen the movie so many times! - but that will have to wait for tomorrow and Thursday. Thanks for your analysis!

Daniel, you are so right, it's a long setup which I will note in my comment below. But because there are so many relationships, each compelling in their own right, the story both NEEDS that time to establish each subplot AND uses the time well because each storyline is so engaging. Also let's not discount the fact that the entire story is framed with the opening where we learn George is on the verge of committing suicide, so that question plays underneath everything that happens leading up to his first moment on the bridge. If produced today, you can almost be certain the studio would INSIST on tightening the setup ["The audience doesn't have the PATIENCE to wade through all this."] But then the studio would get it wrong, wouldn't they?

In reading the script, here are the major plot points I noted along the way with a full accounting of events in Act Three: 4: Jump from angelic intro to George as a boy. 18: Jump from George past to George young man [after Gower poison pill incident]. 25: George and his father at the dinner table [to me, this is a key to understanding much of what goes on in the story's psychological journey, so even though an understated, reserved moment, it is critical]. 32: George intersects with a grown-up Mary Hatch at the dance. 43: Peter Bailey dies. 48: “They’ll vote with Potter otherwise.” So George has to stay. To me, this is the end of Act One, locking into place this pattern whereby George turns away from his dreams in order to do the selfless thing for the greater good. 67: George and Mary transition moment, where they end up kissing, admitting they love each other. 79: Run on the bank. 93: George rejects Potter’s offer to work for him / Baileys having a baby. 100: Shift to today [after series of scenes about Baileys expanding as a family and WWII]. 107: Uncle Billy loses the $8K to Potter. 122: Description of George trashing his models / assaulting family. When George ends up at the bridge, ready to commit suicide, that is a classic All Is Lost moment. 131: George dives into river to save Clarence. 136: “You haven’t been born.” 138: Tree: “Pottersville” 144: Nick’s Bar 148: Bedford Falls has changed. 152: George’s house, now uninhabited. 154: Ma Bailey’s house. 156: Cemetery. Harry Bailey was drowned. 158: Library/Mary/Downtown Bedford Falls. 159: George prays on the bridge. Back to present. 161: George running through Bedford Falls. 165: George at home. People show up to support George. 168: Ending. There are a lot of sequences in the story -- I didn't count them, but at least 10, maybe 12 or more -- but the narrative does follow the three broad movements of Beginning, Middle, End. Or per J. Campbell: Separation, Initiation, Return. Act One: 48 pages Act Two: 83 pages Act Three: 37 pages Proportionally those fit the overall dynamics of what we expect in a movie: a thorough setup, nearly double the length of time exploring narrative options, and a shorter than Act One resolution to the story.

When discussing the structure of “It’s A Wonderful Life”, both Daniel and Scott commented on the long setup, but also noted the speed with which the film zips by. Sometimes a good story just takes longer than 120 pages. Here in Moscow, Russians have their own beloved holiday classic called: “The Irony of Fate, or, Enjoy Your [Banya] Steam” (1975). Co-written and directed by Eldar Ryazanov, this Soviet-era film clocks in at 3 hours and 5 minutes (yes – that’s 185 minutes total) and people can’t wait to watch it. It starts out as a satire, then changes into a drama, finally becoming a RomCom. (But you can do that when you’re working with 185 minutes). So – I guess all around the world we like our holiday fare to be familiar and meaty. :-) Now, what interested me about the structure of “It’s A Wonderful Life” (IAWL) is that it’s passive. Yes – it’s a great movie. But the structure has George Bailey reacting in almost every situation. He’s almost never proactive. This is not the usual Hollywood model. (Interestingly, we’ve watched IAWL dozens of times. But we never noticed this while watching the film. Only from reading the screenplay). So Structure-wise, where does that leave us? Is George on a Hero's Journey? Does George leave the Hero’s Old World and enter the New World? Pursue his goals with a single minded obsession and fight passionately to . . . ahh . . . noo . . . that’s sort of the game plan for active Protagonists. George has labored at the Building & Loan for decades. Somehow never left Bedford Falls. Even considers himself a failure. Uh, oh . . . If the writers have set up the structure so that George Bailey is a reactive Protagonist (and that’s perfectly okay with us - BTW. Every story is different) we should ask: exactly how does he react? How is he tested? Then later we can ask the BIG question: Is George Bailey a Hero? ACT I: Is George tested during ACT I? * His kid brother Harry Bailey falls through the ice while playing in winter. George jumps into the frozen river and pulls Harry out. * His (after school) employer, the druggist Mr. Gower, is devastated upon learning of the death of his son. Drunken and distraught, he mistakenly mixes poison into a prescription. Young George makes the very adult decision to withhold delivery of the meds to the sick patient. * In Depression-era, small town America, George postpones college and puts his future on hold while his younger brother finishes high school. That’s quite mature behavior for a 21-year old (Especially since the America of that era was transitioning from rural-to-urban. The importance of college was clear to everyone, especially to an ambitious young man who “wanted to build big things”). * George’s father Peter suffers a stroke (p.42), then passes away. This event rocks George’s world. * At the post-death B&L Board meeting, George stands up to both the powerful Henry F. Potter and to the Board itself. These men were the civic leaders in town. Young George defends the good works of the Building & Loan in a very heroic moment. ACT II: Is George tested during ACT II? * When George courts Mary at her home, rival suitor Sam Wainwright calls her long-distance. Mary unexpectedly passes the receiver to George, who turns an awkward situation into a business opportunity – Sam’s father is looking for a cheap factory building to buy. Bedford Falls happens to have one. Employees will be needed. * There’s a run on the bank. Averting mob panic and certain financial collapse for the B&L, George hands out cash -- from his honeymoon stash -- to calm the angry mob in his lobby. * Mr. Potter offers him an unbelievable 3-year employment contract, and his financial worries would be over. But George doesn’t even need to sleep on it – he confronts Potter and exclaims: “You think the whole world revolves around your money. Well, it doesn’t” (p.93). Then he yells at Potter’s receptionist for good measure, :-) on his way out the door. * WWII hits. Physically unable to serve, George fought “The battle of Bedford Falls” (p. 99). * Then catastrophe strikes – Uncle Billy misplaces $ 8,000 (a fortune in 1946) on the very day that Mr. Carter, THE BANK EXAMINER, visits town for his annual audit of the B&L. As soon as Uncle Billy confides in George, he senses the impending disaster: “One of us is going to jail! Well, it’s not going to be me!” (p. 113). * A stressed out and panicked George returns home. When Zuzu’s teacher, Mrs. Welch, calls to check up on her winter flu, George reads her the riot act on the phone. Then Mr. Welch angrily gets on the line. * The hectic, frenzied holiday atmosphere brings George to the boiling point. Almost at wits’ end, he escapes – and goes straight over to see Mr. Potter for an emergency loan. The banker responds by first berating George; then Potter picks up the phone and starts to swear out a warrant for George’s arrest. Panic stricken, George runs out of Potter’s office – into Martini’s bar, where Mrs. Welch’s husband exacts his revenge on George’s lip. There’s blood. ALL IS LOST MOMENT – George drives his car into a tree. Runs on foot to the bridge. Teeters on the ledge, in bad winter weather. Contemplates suicide (p.130). Lots of DOUBT up there on that bridge. * George then responds to a complete stranger’s crisis (because that’s who George is). He dives into the icy river and saves the stranger. Voilà - it’s Clarence. ACT III: ON THE OFFENSIVE: George’s guardian angel, Clarence, takes him on a tour. First they go back to George’s car, crashed into the tree. But it’s not there . . . “You have no car” (Clarence, p.138). Then he escorts George to Martini’s, where they go into the bar. But it ain’t the same joint . . . Clarence explains: “You’ve been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you” (p.146). FINAL STRUGGLE: After getting bounced out of Nick’s Place (né: Martini’s), George leaves Clarence lying there in the snow (p.146). “George then strides off hurriedly” alone, and searches out and interacts with all of the people important to him – when he was still alive. (Ironic side comment – that makes Clarence a “snow angel”, no? :-) DÉNOUEMENT: George races back home to # 23 Sycamore Street (p.162). He witnesses the affection, the love, the generosity of the community. He finds Clarence’s copy of “Tom Sawyer”, with this inscription inside: “Remember – no man is a failure who has friends”. The Central Theme of the film spelled right out for you. Is life worth living? A desperate George Bailey asked himself that question when he was deciding whether to jump off the bridge or not (p.130). He was wracked with DOUBT. One of the film’s Talismans – Zuzu’s petals – serves this Central Theme, and has significant narrative value. George Bailey came to this conclusion: “I want to live again. I want to live again. Please, God, let me live again” (p.159). George Bailey realizes that he’s had a wonderful life, after all. THE END. Now, is George Bailey a Hero? Consider some of the sacrifices he has made: * At age 18 he goes to work for his father’s B&L and defers his college education by four years so that his younger brother can finish his high school education (Hey – it was the 1930’s and 1940’s. Companies even had pension plans back then! It was different). All of his friends – George’s social circle - have meanwhile gone off to college and are now finishing up their studies, while George is still stuck in town. * When his father suddenly dies, George then defers his long planned trip to Europe, and his own start of college (for another four years!). Why? The B&L – and the community - needs George’s lending experience, and continuity, immediately. Talk about corporate branding! * Holds down the fort in Bedford Falls while little brother Harry studies – and stars on the gridiron - in college. Then Harry returns home and announces: “Surprise! I got married! And I’m leaving town for a job my father-in-law gave me – up in Buffalo!” That was definitely not the plan George agreed to. But notice closely – George doesn’t complain. * He sacrifices endlessly, first through The Great Depression, then through World War II, to help his customers put up a roof over their heads – passing up several lucrative business opportunities offered to him. Even finances a small development called “Bailey Park” so that the average worker in town can own his own home. Isn’t that a cornerstone of the American Dream? That sure sounds like a Hero to me. George did not actively pursue his dreams. Instead, he pursued helping the people of Bedford Falls with their dreams. A different Hero’s Journey, to be sure. But aren’t all of our journeys unique? Now, using Scott’s GITS terminology, does the structure of this story leave our Protagonist George Bailey in Unity by the end? Or is he still in Disunity? Do his wants and needs come together? Sure, George initially “wants” to see the world and “wants” to build big things. But by sacrificing those goals so that he could serve others – his family; his community – he comes to understand that he has lived the life he “needed” to live. It just took George several decades, and the help of Clarence the Ancient Angel, to figure that all out. By the end of the story, George desperately wants to live, and likewise, the community desperately needs him there in Bedford Falls. That sure sounds like Unity to me. * Quote: “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” (Clarence, p.152). An excellent movie that still resonates 65 years later. John A

Scott, just so you know, and there may be many others like me who do this, I read these script analyses quite often, but usually don't comment because I'm just not sure I'm there yet in skill. But I do learn a ton from the discussions.

Aggreed. True Story!