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Why beloved Christmas film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ makes the perfect opera
November 2022

First performed 70 years after the film’s release, the operatic reimagining of the 1946 Christmas film ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ opened a new production at the English National Opera this weekend, and its timing couldn’t have been better...

The American Film Institute hailed the film as ‘America’s Most Inspiring Movie’, beating out works including Schindler’s List and To Kill a Mockingbird, and due to its cultural significance, the film was selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.

With a story that involves drama, tragedy, romance, and an overarching dark subject line, the plot has stark similarities to many opera themes. We sat down with American composer Jake Heggie to learn how he did exactly that, and transformed the beloved Christmas film into an operatic version, currently playing at the London Coliseum this winter.