On December 20, 1812, the Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tales were published. The collection contains very famous stories, vaguely more gruesome than the Disney versions. For example, at the end Cinderella has her stepsisters’ eyes gouged out. Not that they didn’t deserve it, but maybe it’s a little too horror for today’s kids…
The most famous Christmas story in the history of cinema, however, was released in American theaters on December 20, 1946. Overseas It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the most beloved films ever, the classic of holiday classics. We can also consider it a little Italian, because the great Frank Capra, born in a small village in Sicily at the end of the nineteenth century, directed it. Upon closer inspection, among the many uplifting stories brought to the screen by the director, that of George Bailey and the second-grade angel Clarence (“Look, Daddy, look. The teacher says that when a bell rings, an angel grows wings”) is one of the most pessimistic. It is no coincidence that the evil Mr. Potter is not punished, as happens in every self-respecting fairy tale.
Today’s almanac, December 20: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, the classic of Christmas classics
https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/almanacco-del-giorno/2024/12/20/news/almanacco_accadde_oggi_20_dicembre_2024_la_vita_e_meravigliosa_il_classico_dei_classici_di_natale-423897137/?rss