It's a Wonerful Life

Based on the reading of Etienne Balibar and Pierre Macherey and all the discussions we have had in class, I have remembered a movie probably near and dear to everyone's heart as it is mine, that may be used in such a way that I can attempt to make a "Marxist" criticism on it. After researching what exactly a "Marxist" criticism is, I have deduced that a Marxist literary critic tends to look for contradictions within literary works (or movies), which is appropriate because Marxism tends to look at tensions and contradictions within society.
"The first principle of a materialist analysis would be: literary productions must not be studied from the standpoint of their unity which is illusory and false, but from their material disparity.
One must not look for unifying effects but for signs of the contradictions (historically determined) which produced them and which appear as unevenly resolved conflicts in the text.
(p 136)

We were told that the movie we saw in class "The Bicycle Thieves" was typical of a Marxist type movie because there was most definitely a hero and it was a very sad film because of the trials and tribulations he went through and was still a good man regardless of life's cruelty. The movie that immediately came to mind (I hope I am on target!) is the movie It's a Wonderful Life.
George Bailey is most definitely what I would think of as being a hero type of a figure that most certainly goes through multiple trials and tribulations and I do believe that I have found contradictons based on what society would expect. George could have "sold out" to the rich banker when he was offered money to save the savings and loan and he chose not to take the easy way out and give up. He could have also been very rich if he would have invested with his friend in the plastic industry from the very beginning and he didn't do that either. He was quite content being the man he was loving his wife and kids, but the despair of his uncle losing the deposit that was to be made to the savings and loan put him into a downward spiral that ultimately made him want to kill himself. Most of people in society would have taken the easiest way out possible and would have sold the savings and loan to the banker and moved on, not George. After running his car into a tree and almost attempting to jump over the bridge just to end it all entirely, he is met by an angel that showed him what life would have been if he had never existed at all. The town was owned and run by the nasty scrooge like banker and every one was miserable, his brother would hae been killed in the war and his wife's life would have been very unfortunate as well. George and his kindness really effected every single person in that enitre town. Most people in society have the nature to be out for themselves and be consumed with the idea of being a part of the rich upper class (dominant group), but George at the very end of the movie says "I am the richest man in the world because of my friends". At the end of the movie all the townspeople donated money to help save the savings and loan because of how much they cared for George. George never strived to be rich as most people in society are struggling to be part of the class above the one they are in because that is human nature in general. We all have an innate sense to in a way be greedy, but George wasn't that way. He is content on how life is and would always be happy as long as he can provide for his family, not caring what class he is in. To George Bailey life in general makes it A Wonderful Life.