'It was probably the strongest picture I made': How Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life became a Christmas classic

'It was probably the strongest picture I made': How Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life became a Christmas classic Alamy Released in 1946, Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life was derided as an "over-sentimental" Christmas yarn. On its release in 1946, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times critiqued It's a Wonderful Life for its tone, noting that "the weakness of this picture is the sentimentality of it". However, while It's a Wonderful Life concludes with pure-hearted George winning out over the greed-ridden Mr Potter, the film exposes the grim, unspoken struggles of the ordinary man. In an era of masculine stoicism, when mental health went largely undiscussed, Stewart's portrayal of George's desperation addressed issues of anxiety, depression and the sense of personal failure.