CIVIL LIBERTIES

FBI THOUGHT THIS AMERICAN LIFE WAS COMMIE PROPAGANDA

WISE BREAD - According to Professor John Noakes of Franklin and Marshall
College, the FBI thought This American Life smeared American values such
as wealth and free enterprise while glorifying anti-American values such
as the triumph of the common man. . . The FBI specifically detested the
way Mr. Potter was portrayed:

The casting of Lionel Barrymore as a "scrooge-type" resulted in the
loathsome Mr. Potter becoming the most hated person in the film.
According to the official FBI report, "this was a common trick used by
the communists."

"What's interesting in the FBI critique is that the Baileys were also
bankers," said Noakes. "and what is really going on is a struggle
between the big-city banker (Potter) and the small banker (the Baileys).
Capra was clearly on side of small capitalism and the FBI was on the
side of big capitalism.

The FBI misinterpreted this classic struggle as communist propaganda. I
would argue that 'It's a Wonderfil Life' is a poignant movie about the
transition in the U.S. between small and big capitalism, with Jimmy
Stewart personifying the last hope for a small town. It's a lot like the
battle between Home Depot and the mom and pop hardware store."

http://www.wisebread.com/fbi-considered-its-a-wonderful-life-communist-propaganda


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