Director:
Frank Capra
Cast:
James Stewart….George Bailey
Donna Reed….Mary Hatch Bailey
Lionel Barrymore….Henry F. Potter
Thomas Mitchell….Uncle Billy
Henry Travers…Clarence
Paramount Home Entertainment presents It’s A Wonderful Life. Screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett & Frank Capra. Running time: 131 minutes. Unrated. Theatrical release: Jan 7, 1947. DVD released Nov. 13, 2007.
The Movie
Back in the 80s, few people wanted to buy a video copy of It’s a Wonderful Life. What was the point? At least one TV station on the cable box ran it every night between the day after Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. You could watch it on five different channels simultaneously. How did this happen? For nearly two decades, the movie was considered a public domain title. It became a Christmas staple for budget conscious TV programmers. In the early 90s, the former Life owners were able to re-establish copyright by using the story adapted for the movie. They immediately cut off the numerous airings by every TV station in America. NBC scored the exclusive broadcast rights to It’s a Wonderful Life. The network does show the film on Christmas Eve. What’s a fan of George Bailey to do if they’re occupied that night? Now you have to consider buying the DVD.
The story of It’s a Wonderful Life should be as familiar to you as the story of how your roommates didn’t realize they were drinking your beer. The story has been retold by Married….with Children and Beavis and Butthead. Can we skip the recap? Nope. A few of readers might live on a Pacific Island that recently plugged into the Internet and didn’t have a UHF station in 1988 so a quick summary is in order. George Bailey is a small town guy who constantly gets screwed when things are about to go right for him. He constantly puts off his dreams of travel to solve family problems at home. He breaks under the weight of having to deal with difficulties at his bank. He wishes he was never born and attempts suicide. He’s stopped by a bumbling angel attempting to earn his wings. The angel shows George what life would be like with him not in the world. Will he embrace this Christmas miracle or try another swan dive off the bridge?
The second DVD in this set includes a colorized version of It’s a Wonderful Life. Normally you be treated to a massive screed about the evils of colorization. Sorry to disappoint, but the hue adaptation works. This the third colorized version and is far superior to the earlier brush jobs. Instead of trying to make it look real, the color palette is reminiscent of hand tinted postcards from the era. They aren’t trying to fake Technicolor, but accent the view. The character glow on the screen. You can watch this enhancement without feeling like a sellout to the cause of pure cinema. That’s not to say you should trash the first disc. It is essential to view this film in black and white. But there’s always the one relative that complains, “Why did I buy a color TV to watch black and white movies?” They can get the second DVD in their stocking.
Unlike last year’s 60th Anniversary DVD, this holiday season we’re treated to a new restored digital transfer of the black and white version. This isn’t a repackaging of the digital master used on the Artisan DVD from 2000. The picture is sharper than the print your old UHF channel ran at 2 a.m. Donna Reed never looked more gorgeous as she sings about those “Buffalo Girls.”
It is strange to turn on the TV set in mid-December and not find It’s a Wonderful Life. How do angels earn their wings if we don’t hear those bells ringing around the clock? The film reminds us of our impact on the lives of others. What better message should we be given during the holiday season? If your friends or relatives are jonesing for their Zuzu Petals fix, you know what to put in their stocking.
The DVD
VIDEO:
The picture is 1.33:1. The black and white picture is sharp and restored to pristine quality.
AUDIO:
The soundtrack is in Mono. There’s also a mono French dub track. The subtitles are in English.
EXTRAS:
The Making of It’s a Wonderful Life (22:42) is hosted by Tom Bosley (Happy Days) in front of his roaring fire and Christmas tree. The special is from back in the early 90s. It includes interviews with Capra and Stewart to flesh out the story of how the movie went from being a Christmas card to a beloved holiday favorite.
A Personal Remembrance (14:04) has Frank Capra Jr. introducing us to his dad. A few of the tales from The Making of are retold. Capra Jr. tells us about the Good George Vs. Bad George fist fight in an early script. Stewart praises the film and Capra.
Original Theatrical Trailer (1:44) was not featured on the original Artisan DVD.
It’s a Wonderful Life: 2-Disc Collector’s Set |
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The Inside Pulse
If you miss the round the clock showings of It’s a Wonderful Life, you can leave this disc in your DVD player and hit play when you need to see an angel earn his wings.
