It’s beautiful how he realizes - in an explosion of passion at the end - that the thought of a life with her now means more to him than his previous dream of independence. She is worth changing the entire planned trajectory of his life. This is one of the most romantic films in cinematic history. ❤❤❤

This telephone scene between Mary & George is perhaps one of the most powerful and raw love scenes between a man and a woman that has ever been captured on film. How Donna Reed took on as her own Mary's vulnerability and restiveness as she struggles with her emotions is amazing while simultaneously, Stewart portrays an anger that consumes George to a crescendo fighting the inner turmoil of wanting freedom yet craving this woman who is forced bodily together by a telephone.

For me, this scene is not only about their romance... It's also about George's overwhelming frustration surfacing regarding his life and her place in it.

While he shakes her violently, she looks in his eyes and simply says "no"...and his nonsense is all over. So beautiful.

When Mary says, "It's the chance of a lifetime," she's talking about herself. The "deal" was done as soon as George walked through the door and he knew it. Poetic as well as romantic.

That little twinge of jealousy in George’s face when he hears Mary taking to Sam gets me every time. The sexual tension between the two of them sharing that stupid phone. This whole scene gets me ugh.

The way she looks at him... My God , will I ever have someone like this , a girl to show me her love just with her beautiful gaze... just with her eyes !?

"Tell Mary to get on the extension." "You talk-" "Mother's on the extension" *Mother eavesdropping on the phone upstairs, promptly hanging up as soon as she's discovered* "I AM NOT!" Why is nobody talking about how hilarious and modern this is?

When she broke that record I died a bit, felt like the perfect reaction to his behavior :)

I so love the telephone scene. It is beautiful, romantic, and shows how you don't need to see people rolling around butt naked to show real passion and emotion. Effortlessly brilliant film.

Who could not fall in love with Donna Reed??

Donna Reed had the face of an angel.

This scene is an absolute Masterpiece, The rising sexual tension between them from 5:25 to 7: 27 is just unbelievable. In these 2 minutes, Donna gave the performance of her life.

The scene when Sam Wainwright calls "long distance" hahaha.... and George and Mary share the phone together listening to the conversation, is still one of the most E-r-o-t-i-c and romantic scenes in film history.

George’s frustration with debating on his future travels and finding love at the same time my heart this scene always gets me😭💖He knows he’s in love and deep down can’t deny it

One of the most beautiful girls in history.

Always loved Donna Reed, she was a beautiful woman. I’m old, but still love the way woman dressed back then

7:00 - Shaking voice, 'He says it's a chance of a lifetime...' Brilliant scene by amazing actors in an incredible movie

Donna Reed was so beautiful ❤️

No movie has made me cry as much as this one, and this, too, is my favorite scene! What a beautiful movie.

Best proposal ever.

Among my favorite scenes in this film. He just lets the phone drop on the floor, shakes her and says: " Now you listen to ME! I don't want any Plastic, Ground Floors and I don't want to get married EVER to ANYONE! Do you understand that?!? I want to do what "I" want to do! Next thing you know, they fall into each others arms, and it's...."Oh Mary....Mary"......" "GEORGE, GEORGE, GEORGE!" And I LOVE it!

Donna Reed was such a beautiful woman. And the smile she had was wonderful.

As everyone says below this one of the most powerful emotional scenes in all American cinema. So well acted by Stewart and Reed it seems real. Amazing direction by Frank Capra, a masterpiece that chokes me up every time I've seen it.

"He says it's the chance of a lifetime" .. The greatest line in a film full of them. Beautiful scene.

Who hasn’t seen this movie a minimum of 20 times in their lifetime?

Donna Reed ...made the picture 📸 great ...quite the American beauty 😍

The most romantic and lovely scenes of all the time. I alway cry when i see it.

It's A WONDERFUL Life, I watch every year around Christmas time. One of my very favorite movies and a true classic. A reminder in whatever times we may be experiencing, things can always get worse. Even so, we must remember What is of true value in life. Family, friends and loved ones. When we have them, and the love of God, we are truly Rich!

I read where they actually had to re-shoot as it was much more passionate the 1st time they shot it. Beautifully done. I've never understood why this film wasn't a hit when it 1st came out. Timing, I guess, or maybe people were expecting something more upbeat & cheerful because it was a holiday time release. Thankfully, we all love it & watch it every year.

Jimmy was just wonderful.There will never be another.

Gosh it’s just so beautiful. I was born in ‘94 but this movie always brings tears to my eyes. I know historically and politically times were terrible back then, but gosh darn it look at the flowers, look at her dress, the music, the slang, his suit, how they talk, its just all awfully pretty, IAh!

One of the finest scenes in film..... so powerful. it always makes me cry.... just so true and human.

Boy Donna Reed was such an attractive woman my god!!!!

Every scene in this movie is the best scene ever. One of those rare gems where every scene is absolutely perfect in every way.

This ain’t a Christmas movie, this is THE Christmas movie

"HE'S MAKING VIOLENT LOVE TO ME MOTHER!!" LOL!! Thanks for these movie 🌟 clips for this, my all time favorite Christmas 🎬 🎄 😇 Movie by Frank Capra!! Happy holidays 🎄 💫 to ALL!!!!

"It still smells like PINE NEEDLES around here" "....thank you...??"

If you remember in the beginning of the movie it was said that goerge gave his college money to harry his brother, so it was only fitting that goerge, made his own destiny in being there when mary returned home from college, thats what all the frustration that goerge kept built up in him , and let it all out in this scene! Very touching moment!

This scene always makes me cry ugh

One of best scenes in movie history....Donna Reed happened to be 2 of the greatest films ever, from here to eternity and this one

Donna Reed is so damn beautiful I can't take it!

Astonishing scene

Ahh, the good movies, where even the background characters were good actors

Jimmy Stewart was a great American hero war hero and actor and a good human being

Best scene in the film.

An incredibly wonderful scene. One of the all-time best.

“Still smells like pine needles around here” savage af

The best movie ever, best holiday movie ever, 70 years have passed all the same, God bless

I've got my warm & fuzzy going on now, with a couple of Christmas time tears. Does God still make people like these?

That the most romantic scene ever when he is trying to talk himself out of loving her and breaks down crying knowing he cant deny how much he needs her.

The telephone scene, the moment love is felt. From n.j. ,I was going to college out in Denison iowa,1967, there was a parade, I asked a few locals about what it was for, they said it's Donna reed day. Then coming closer , from down the street,there was a float, and there she was,waving to everyone. I was spellbound. The telephone scene always gets me choked up.

So much to say that is fantastic about this scene! Possibly the best in the film

That Donna reed was a real keeper

Every scene in that movie was a classic

"Why don't you get on the extension?" "Mother's on the extension." "*hangs up phone* I AM NOT!"

If I was that close to Donna Reed, I'd fall in love, too...

Love this movie. My all time favorite Christmas movie. I know every line. George Bailey has always loved his Mary. One of many favorite scenes. She cries because she thinks he hates her and is so afraid of his reaction but it's the exact opposite. He loves her. "I don't want to get married ever to anyone. Mary, Mary." (George Bailey) "George, George." (Mary Bailey)

these clips really highlight how much is lacking in what Hollywood churns out these days.

The war took a terrific toll on Stewart. He came home with PTSD and aged 15 years in just 3. Frank Capra wanted to tap into this. The anger you see here isn’t all acting. Quite a man.

"He's making violent love to me, mother!"

The cutest couple I’ve ever known

Damned onions.

This scene stresses me out

He didn’t want to love her; Mary meant staying in the town he hated and never escaping a dream that was, originally, his father’s. But he still couldn’t help himself. Everything was given up for her.

the mother's intermingling... was precious (LOL)

Donna Reed one of the greatest American actors ever!!!!! just love this lady!!!

The best sexual tension/love scene Hollywood ever produced!!!

What a very beautiful woman. elegant and sophisticated

Its A Wonderful Life is not only the greatest Christmas movie ever made, its the greatest Christian movie this side of The Passion. This movie shows us how wonderful a true Christian society can be. And then Its A Wonderful Life shows you the flipside, which we live in Pottersville.

Sexual tension at its finest

"The chance of a lifetime" - go for it, George. Donna Reed, woof! In that dress.

I feel for George. In his self sacrifice he lost sight and eventually his grip on his personal ambitions and dreams. But by giving himself up selflessly for the people around him he managed to make a community flourish and grow. He doesn't realize it until he is confronted with what he perceives as his personal failures; he feels unfulfilled and despondent. But Clarence helps him realize that even though he sacrificed his personal desires to see others around him grow as people, he also recognizes that these people care about him. They see him as a strong and independent minded individual; they never saw George as a man who needed help, yet when they finally see George hurting for the first time, they do everything they can to help him. It's not even a question of whether or not George or his Uncle laundered the money from Building and Loan for the townspeople; George wore his heart on his sleeve his whole life and the townsfolk saw that. As a result, they gave selflessly in his moment of need, as George did during all of theirs. The end of this film was one of the most touching things I've ever seen. Parts of the film definitely feel outdated and inappropriate. Like his reaction and the way he starts shaking Mary towards the end of this scene. But I get it. To be with Mary is to stay in Bedford Falls. To keep in line with tradition and the sense of continuity that comes with rural living. Conservative folks are right to be skeptical of modern Capitalism, as it completely destroyed these rural working class community values. It wasn't always fun, but you did these things for each other because you loved each other and wanted the next generation to succeed. Now it feels like every man for himself. But the message is hopeful, in my opinion. Through love and self sacrifice, putting others needs before personal ambition (Potter is the personification of reckless self aggrandizement/self gain), trust is built. The rest follows suit. As Hemingway once wrote, "the best way to trust people is to trust them." Or something to that effect.

Damn, something's in my eye again. :) I've always had a crush on Donna Reed.

I love this scene!♥️😁

THE BEST LIFE LESSON , ENTERTAINMENT MOVIE EVER !! 🎥👌👏🙌✨😄

He chose ’REAL’ love over his future of opportunity. That's life for Ya.

I’m 37 and first saw this maybe 2 years ago (I’ve seen thousands of films at this point) and knew this one was long overdue. When I saw this phone scene, I was definitely not expecting it to be so intimate, intense and insanely romantic. The acting of tension is suburb. The end always makes me cry ugly. There’s just a range of emotions in one film and I think that’s what stands the test of time for so many. You have drama, romance, comedy, and fantasy rolled into one.

great scene with the beautiful donna reed.

A song called Bradford Falls incorporated the snippet of the passionate dialogue. The passion and emotion I heard and felt in it made me search up where it was from. I have a sense of the context the passion is coming from and It makes the song a little bit better. Knowing that he didnt want to live a second rate life where he didnt fight for what he wanted is honestly motivational. Go for what you want. You only live it once.

My late pastor (of 41 years) often preached against the evils of Hollywood, in a fast-moving downward spiral of societal corruption. I had believed, for years, that he never watched movies, and for a long time hadn't even owned a tv set. His only son is now my daughter's husband, and he revealed to me that once they got a tv (with no cable hook-up), they watched, "It's A Wonderful Life," on VHS, every year. It's refreshing to know he was human, after all.😊

Kind of interesting how this scene with the phone compares to the other scene when George and Mary are arguing over the phone when talking to Zuzu's teacher.

My favorite scene

My favorite movie of all time!

One of my favorite movies❤️❤️

Sam likely heard ALL OF THAT over the phone, and I could see him -- chomping on a stogie, nodding his head in approval, saying: "Hee-HAW old boy! It's about time!" and then hanging up while laughing.

Hes smelling her hair awww

Cinema's sexiest kiss.Ever.

Thanks for posting one of the greatest scenes in cinema, past and present

And it Still makes me Cry ...

I was at a client 20 years ago and engaging in a bit of self-deprecating talk over lunch when the accountant whose work I was auditing snapped: “Who the hell said you’re weird?” The table froze…most of all myself…and it took me 9 years to realize the heart behind her scolding. She would have been a great mother of my children… God help me never to treat the ladies in my life with disrespect.

oh jimmy, I like be him SO MUCH! Can't wait to find my own jimmy Stewart some day :)

Very deep.... True love melts every ice down.... It never gives up.... End was so lovely.... Bewitched 💝💝💝💝

Magical scene.....gets me every time!

Mary is absolutely beautiful

7:06 The moment he realizes she's the lady of his life but there's a part of him resistant to that realization!

"I can't fight this feeling anymore - I've forgotten what I started fighting for - It's time to bring this ship into the shore, and throw away the oars forever." - REO Speedwagon

As much as we fight the war of love, it overpowers our resolve, and hence, sweet surrender!

Its a Wonderful life is so beautiful, I love it

This is my favorite scene.