Creativity over destruction - based on true actions of the cellist of Sarajevo.
George Bailey a Hero? (It's a Wonderful Life) What do today's kids think?
In the Frank Capra classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life", Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, who, in my mind, is a kind of everyday hero. There are lots of ways to sum up the plot of the movie, but one is to think of it as a the story of George, who forgoes a life of fun and adventure in order to help build a family and a community and who almost gives up when the unethical "big man in town" chooses to not return a large quantity of missing money, making George appear to have stolen the cash.
I think that George's life is heroic - not through any one big step (although he did pull his younger brother out of any icy pond as a child) but through dozens of small ones. He never betrays his ideals, even when tempted, and he doesn't implicate his uncle in the loss of the money, even though he could have easily done so.
He faces despair and contemplates suicide and in this, the premise is really quite closely connected to the current Will Smith movie "Seven Pounds". However, unlike the Will Smith character, George receives guidance from a guardian angel (remember, this movie was made in 1946) and the outcome is a happy one.
I have posted elsewhere (my blog http://elizabethtweets.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/seven-pounds/) about my reaction to "Seven Pounds" and I'd really like to know how others feel about it. And would those who view the movie and see Will Smith as a hero also understand the heroism of George Bailey? If not, what can each of us do as individuals to make it so that every day, plain, good actions are seen as heroic.
I've been involved in something lately that relates to this and is giving me a great deal of inspiration. As a fundraiser for a local art gallery, we're bringing Karolyn Grimes ("Zuzu", one of the child stars from "It's a Wonderful Life") to my hometown of Victoria, where she will speak about community values. The website for the event is http://wonderfullifeinfernwood.ning.com/ I've written on that site about how I feel about the quirky little community of Fernwood (inner-city Victoria) where I live and where this event will take place. And I've linked to lots of video clips as well so it's kind of a fun site.
I'd love to hear opinions -- especially about how to inspire people to participate in their communities.
I think that George's life is heroic - not through any one big step (although he did pull his younger brother out of any icy pond as a child) but through dozens of small ones. He never betrays his ideals, even when tempted, and he doesn't implicate his uncle in the loss of the money, even though he could have easily done so.
He faces despair and contemplates suicide and in this, the premise is really quite closely connected to the current Will Smith movie "Seven Pounds". However, unlike the Will Smith character, George receives guidance from a guardian angel (remember, this movie was made in 1946) and the outcome is a happy one.
I have posted elsewhere (my blog http://elizabethtweets.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/seven-pounds/) about my reaction to "Seven Pounds" and I'd really like to know how others feel about it. And would those who view the movie and see Will Smith as a hero also understand the heroism of George Bailey? If not, what can each of us do as individuals to make it so that every day, plain, good actions are seen as heroic.
I've been involved in something lately that relates to this and is giving me a great deal of inspiration. As a fundraiser for a local art gallery, we're bringing Karolyn Grimes ("Zuzu", one of the child stars from "It's a Wonderful Life") to my hometown of Victoria, where she will speak about community values. The website for the event is http://wonderfullifeinfernwood.ning.com/ I've written on that site about how I feel about the quirky little community of Fernwood (inner-city Victoria) where I live and where this event will take place. And I've linked to lots of video clips as well so it's kind of a fun site.
I'd love to hear opinions -- especially about how to inspire people to participate in their communities.
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