"Having the film fall into the public domain almost seems like an act of grace performed by Clarence himself," the critics write of the 1946 film by Frank Capra. "Had we not had the opportunity to see it again and again, we would have missed experiencing the indelible power of this film."
The movie is based on a short story by writer Philip Van Doren Stern titled "The Greatest Gift," though the man in Van Doren Stern's story is named George Pratt rather than George Bailey (James Stewart).