“It’s a Wonderful Life“ tops list of inspirational films

15-Jun-2006
Written by: J. Rachel Anderson

The American Film Institute has very fine taste.

I am a sap of the highest order, I must admit. I even cry at Hallmark ads.

However, no one could deny that the number one film on AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Cheers list deserved that honor. Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” came out on top of the American Film Institute’s list of the most inspirational films. The fable stars Jimmy Stewart as an all-American family man whose life seems to fall apart in a moment. On the verge of suicide, he prays for help, and gets an angel who shows him what the world would be like if he had never existed.

The top of the list was fairly predictable, as Capra’s film was followed by “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the classic featuring Gregory Peck as the Southern lawyer who stands up to his entire town by representing an innocent black man. Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust drama “Schindler’s List” came in third, followed by sports epic “Rocky.” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” another Capra-Stewart piece, ranked fifth.