Život je krásný

At the beginning of the story, we hear prayers for a man named George Bailey (James Stewart), who wants to end his life on Christmas Eve of his own free will. Because many people pray for him, the heavenly forces hear them and are about to send their representative, Clarence, to Earth. In order to help, he must get to know George's entire life. Together with him, the viewer follows the most important moments in the life of a good boy/man, whose adult life was filled with almost nothing else than helping his loved ones and the residents of the small town of Bedford Falls. The main negative character is then the bitter businessman Henry F. Potter (Lionel Barrymore), who only desires wealth. George's love of life, Mary Hatch, is excellently portrayed by the beautiful Donna Reed. Life is Beautiful is director Frank Capra's answer to the noir films of the 1940s. In its (post-war) time, the film was not very well received, and it only became an American Christmas classic over the years.