“It’s A Wonderful Life” Tops List Of Most Inspiring Films

But of all the big screen’s alluring powers few are greater than the medium’s ability to inspire.

And now the American Film Institute has officially chosen the one flick its members believe is the most spirit-raising of all – 1946’s “It’s A Wonderful Life”.

The Frank Capra directed flick tells the story of George Bailey, a man faced with losing everything until an angel shows him what the world would be like if he’d never lived. Jimmy Stewart led a stellar cast in the film that was considered something of a failure when it was first released.

But a copyright snafu allowed it to be shown on TV by anyone during the Christmas season for decades, turning it into arguably the most popular holiday movie of all time. And now it’s become the leading Hollywood inspiration.

The runner-up is something of a surprise. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which stars Gregory Peck as a Southerner fighting for justice for a black man in the South, came in second.

Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List”, the true story of a German businessman who saves more than a thousand Jews from Nazi extermination during World War II, took the bronze. The movie won the Best Picture Oscar in 1994.

Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” fought its way to fourth place, while another celebrated Capra-Stewart on-screen collaboration, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” placed fifth.

There were plenty of tear-jerking contenders in the Top 10, including, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (#6) and another Christmas classic, the original “Miracle on 34th Street” (#9).

But Stewart’s “Life” story was the unanimous choice for top spot overall. 

“We all connect to that story,” explains producer Bob Gazzale. “We may not all connect to the story of a fighter from Philadelphia or a singing family in the Austrian Alps. But there’s no way to get away from the inspiring story of George Bailey. It relates to us all.”

There were a number of different themes in the overall list, including sports (“Hoosiers”, #13, “Field of Dreams”, #28),  sci fi (“Star Wars”, #39, “2001: A Space Odyssey” #47) and musicals (“The Wizard of Oz”, #26, “The Sound Of Music”, #41).

The choices were winnowed down from a list of 300 nominated films and were voted on by 1,500 filmmakers, actors and critics in Hollywood.

American Film Institute’s Top 10 Most Inspiring Films

1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

2. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

3. Schindler’s List (1993)

4. Rocky  (1976)

5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

6. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

7. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

8. Breaking Away (1979)

9. Miracle of 34th Street (1947)

10. Saving Private Ryan (1988)

To see the full AFI list, click here.