Bedford Falls or Pottersville?
Ken Burns I am grateful for Ken Burns. His film on the American Revolution reminds us of our struggle to aspire to something better than being subjects - to seek human dignity rooted in democratic freedom. He shows how we must continually ask questions of ourselves and not avoid the complexities and contradictions. In a November interview with Nicholle Wallace he said the great American question is, “Where do you want to live, in Bedford Falls or Pottersville?” It's a question about dignity and responsibility. Do we accept an amoral universe where the powerful dictate our choices or do we live with a common purpose, bound together in a complex social contract rooted in decency and hope? I am a hopeful person not an optimist. My former students might remember the metaphorical optimist Pangloss (the windbag) from Candide. An optimist ignores negative realities, chooses only to see the good, and passively expects things to work out for the best. A person with hope sees the evil, the despair, the pain and suffering but insists that we must and can do better. "The American Revolution" and "It's A Wonderful Life" challenge us to hope.
Season of Lights This week, on the first night of Hanukkah (Festival of Lamps/Lights) Jews were attacked and murdered on Sydney's Bondi Beach. Ahmed al Ahmed, a Muslim whose refugee parents had just arrived from Syria, wrestled one of the guns away from the younger attacker and was shot twice himself. In the darkness we try to hold on to the light, to hope, and release ourselves from religious hate and bigotry that leads to destruction. We seek to resist despair and darkness.
During this holiday season where our towns and homes are brightened and made more beautiful by various lights, we embrace each other with love and hope. We bring light into the world by rejecting hate, antisemitism, and despair. When Jews or any group is targeted we recognize that all our freedoms are being attacked. We must be the voices that provide hope and leadership by embracing, with confidence, democratic values that dignify life. We know that we are all vulnerable and in need of support and help. Leading by example is crucial.
Bedford Falls In Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” we are introduced to Bedford Falls (shout out to upstate New York where my son went to college). People face (as individuals or as immigrants), every day struggles, setbacks, loneliness, helplessness, frustrations, and joys. At first, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) feels increasingly trapped, his dreams smothered, as the demands and responsibilities of life keep asking more of him. The joy and “wonderfulness” emerge when George comes to realize that his life and self-worth is tied to the common purpose of others – family, colleagues, spouse, and those who depend on him. This was true not only in the movie but in his own life.
Jimmy Stewart This was Stewart’s first film after serving in World War II. He had flown twenty combat missions and in 1944, over the German city of Gotha, lost members of his crew. A hole had been blown under his pilot’s chair, and he got his plane home through at least twenty degrees below zero temperatures. He had fought the Nazis but felt responsible for the men he lost. He had come home with a mixture of survivor’s guilt and post traumatic stress. His service and sacrifice was noble but came at a cost. Could he, should he, reclaim his acting life? Donna Reed would help him reclaim his sense of self on and off camera.
As Bailey's world collapses - and he feels as if he has failed himself, his family, and those who rely on him, he falls into despair that echoed his own life. The most powerful moment of the film was caught in one take. As his world crumbles and he feels that he has failed everyone and himself, Stewart unravels. The utter despair Stewart portrays is real and transcends film and life. He is rediscovering his acting by tapping into his own deeply personal experience of the war. As George breaks down, so too does Stewart. He is facing the idea that he is worth more dead than alive. It was an outcome of his post traumatic stress and decency. The character and the actor became one and thereby enriched both. Throughout it, Stewart was thinking of all those who might feel this way. It was his burden of leadership. Donna Reed knew that he did not need rescuing, but support. She was his steady rock during the filming. He was not alone.
Pottersville The loneliness and despair that is Potterville is produced by the desires and power of one man who seeks power by destroying social bonds that bring meaning and joy to life. We can see that Potter’s greed for power, wealth, and materialism make him a lonely man. As he "wins" we lose. I think we are all sensing the growing possibility of a future Pottersville, a place of hate and fear, coldness, destroyed lives, and exploitation make us subjects. It is a place where no one has self-worth and people are isolated from each other’s. It is a window into a world where democratic values are undermined by tyranny. As Americans, we get that. Interestingly, the FBI at the time didn't. It warned that the film was spewing Hollywood "Communism" by attacking capitalism. OK, so much for dealing with complexity. And that's the point, the cautionary tale. The immediate and narrow ideological goal of the FBI was to fight Communism which has proven to be a poisonous and destructive ideology. It would take a few more years to realize that we weren't just fighting communism but fighting for democracy. The focus of the movie is not on Mr. Potter despite the FBI's twisted logic to defend him. Instead, it is a story of hope focused on the rediscovered strength and resiliency of Bailey.
And that is why we cannot despair. Like Stewart and Reed we must rely on each other to rediscover our worth. Ken Burns stated it clearly, “I want to live in Bedford Falls. I don’t want to live in Pottersville.” Pottersville is a lonely, dark place. We must take care of each other in all of our complex, contradictory humanness. We cannot target each other as enemies nor tolerate those who tell us to do so. We must find ways of living together, or as Ben Franklin said as The Declaration of Independence was signed, "We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."
My Turn “It's a Wonderful Life” is a story of light in the darkness. Each time I watch Stewart break down as George Bailey I tear up. (Let's not even talk about the ending!) I am reminded of all those who sacrificed so much, fighting the Nazis or the enemies of freedom, and hope I do not betray them. I then find the courage to say that I will not. I see his, mine, our vulnerability and know that the Potters of the world cannot win by attacking and exploiting it. To hope, we must recognize our mutual vulnerability, help and not label, and resist tyranny.
Stewart’s real encounter with darkness gives us the way forward, the way to embrace the light of the season. And so, to quote Elie Wiesel, we have the duty "to reject despair". We do that with honesty, courage, and mutual dependence. “It’s a Wonderful Life” because of those around us.
The Christian story of the Nativity is all about vulnerability - of refugees seeking shelter. We light a candle when we refuse to accept the brutality of Bondi Beach or the vileness our government when they separate and deport people (including veterans) or accumulate wealth and power at the expense of others. Evilness comes from those who try to snuff out the light within us or around us. They lose if we rely on each other and accept the difficult proposition that we must face despair to overcome it. We must bring the gift of ourself to the manger and to those seeking warmth and dignity.
