It's a Wonderful Life: Author's Choice

It's a Wonderful Life exemplified a traditional holiday, romantic comedy/drama, especially for being in the late 1940's, but also touches base on a topic that, up until that point (and slightly still today), was seldom ever talked about outside of a home let alone in a movie. The topic of "Suicide" being used as a tool of drama in this movie created a buzz of controversy through the initial viewers.

In the movie, George Bailey reaches the end of his rope with being able to control his life, and decides that he is no longer of any use, so he proceeds to take his own life by jumping off of a bridge into the icy water below. Although the movie ends in a positive light with George realizing what a tragic mistake taking his life would have been thanks to his guardian angel who showed him what life would be without George Bailey, the idea of "suicide IS a choice when things get tough" is still provided to the impressional audience.

The 40's were a time of modesty, and a strong emphasis on living and portraying "proper" family values and morals. Suicide was barely talked about, and if something like that happened within a family, the news rarely left the mouths of the family members who were left behind. It's a Wonderful Life was one of the first movies to really express the concept of suicide, and used it as teaching tool to show the importance of life and how everyone, no matter how insignificant, effects more people then they realize, thus creating a positive moral to the story.