It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet The Greatest Gift, by Philip Van Doren Stern. James Stewart stars as George Bailey, who in a moment of despair, jumps off a bridge into the river. He is saved by his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, who shows George all the lives he has touched, and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be if he had never been born. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.
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