* BLU-RAY UPDATE 2 of 2 - The
October 2016 two-disc 70th Anniversary Platinum edition of "It's A Wonderful Life" Blu-ray
is an outright duplicate of the
November 2009 two-disc Blu-ray edition of "It's A Wonderful Life"
- with the EXACT same extras and features. The 2016 edition comes with new packaging that describes itself as a "Platinum Edition" - which in my view, is a marketing gimmick to lure buyers into thinking this re-issue is different from what we got in 2009. In fact, with the 2016 "Platinum" issue - nothing has been added, modified, enhanced or subtracted from 2009. As such, the 2009 Blu-ray issue is still the gold standard for this title - no matter how often the packaging changes - until something significantly new or different is released to customers.
* BLU-RAY UPDATE 1 of 2 - The
November 2009 two-disc Blu-ray edition of "It's A Wonderful Life"
contains both the black-and-white and colorized versions of this film in high definition - and is configured similarly to the standard definition
"Two-Disc Collector's DVD Set"
that was issued in November 2007. There are four notable differences: 1) The very few audio defects from the
60th Anniversary Edition black-and-white DVD edition
that was issued in October 2006 have been wiped clean, thus making this 2009 two-disc Blu-ray the new "gold standard" for this title. 2) The old, 14-minute "A Personal Remembrance" featurette memorializing the passing of director Frank Capra in 1991 - with interviews from Capra himself and from actor James Stewart and hosted by Frank Capra, Jr. - has been dropped from the 2009 Blu-ray. 3) The subtitles on both Blu-ray discs have been replaced with a sharper white typeface that looks better on high-definition TVs. 4) A second set of subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing (SDH) has also been added to both Blu-ray discs.
* All other special extras, i.e., the 1990 standard definition "The Making of 'It's A Wonderful Life'" featurette hosted by Tom Bosley - and a re-release theatrical trailer now rendered in high definition (but not cleaned) - have been carried over to the
2009 two-disc Blu-ray
.
* As the cost of Blu-ray players and discs continues to fall through the floor, more buyers are taking the plunge and replacing selected titles in their DVD libraries with high-definition Blu-ray discs. Although the Blu-ray edition DOES boast the sharpest images to date - in my view, it's not necessary to make the upgrade. There IS a difference in image quality between the DVD and the Blu-ray - but it's not dramatic enough (especially if you're already using an upscaling DVD player) - to junk your 2006 or 2007 DVDs of this title. Also note that this film is presented on Blu-ray in its original 1:37:1 semi-square aspect ratio format. Like "Gone With the Wind," "Casablanca," and the equally wonderful
"The Best Years of Our Lives"
- the latter which beat "It's A Wonderful Life" as the Best Picture of 1946 - this film was NEVER shot with wide screen cameras.
=============================================
ORIGINAL 2006 and 2008 PRODUCT REVIEWS BELOW.
=============================================
* Rather than review the content of this almost universally beloved film, I'm just going to comment about the quality of the 2006 60th Anniversary Edition DVD itself. I've since written an updated review about a new edition of this title, now available in a
"Two-Disc Collector's Set."
Please find that review -- which was posted on December 13, 2008. (Amazon has posted my 2006 review in both places -- even though the
"60th Anniversary Edition" DVD
is DIFFERENT from the
"Two-Disc Collector's Set"
. Read my write-up for the
"Two-Disc Collector's Set"
-- to better decide which product you prefer.)
* I've owned nearly every version of this title in almost every format available on home video during the past 25 years. It's true that the CONTENT of this Viacom/Paramount DVD -- including its special features -- is identical to the Republic Pictures Home Video release more than 10 years ago.
* However, this 60th Anniversary edition is spectacular for several different and extremely important reasons. (I'll address the criticisms some people have leveled about the sound on this 2006 DVD in a little bit, so stick with me.)
* You don't have to be a technical expert to immediately notice the striking improvement of the picture AND sound in this 2006 edition. The print is crystal-clear and in my view, has more vividness and sharpness than ALL other previous releases of this title on home video.
* Proof? I put my "old" THX-version DVD issued by Republic Pictures / Artisan Home Video (the former DVD gold standard for this title) -- into my Sony multi-changer DVD player -- and watched and listened to every frame of this film AND its special features. I stopped and started this "older" DVD in several spots -- and stopped and started the new 2006 Paramount edition repeatedly -- so I could compare quality almost "side-by-side."
* Hands down -- this 2006 version is fabulous. The spots and dirt have been wiped clean, the sharpness and contrast are arguably better than what film audiences saw 60 years ago. There are no ragged spots, no jumped frames and no lint, fiber or hair fragments along the edges or jumping across the screen. I believe the technicians at Paramount (which acquired Republic Pictures Home Video) -- digitally cleaned EVERY frame of the last DVD release -- so that the film now looks like a million dollars. It's almost too pristine, if there is such a thing. No jump cuts, no "jump ahead" sound breaks, no fogged-out scenes, nothing ragged -- with the result being the cleanest and purest version of "It's A Wonderful Life" ever issued in home video history.
* It gets better. English subtitles were available on older DVD versions of this title, but the 2006 version has a cleaner typeface, wiping out some of the confusing and unnecessary attributions of "who's saying what" that were disruptive to some hearing-impaired viewers. In this 2006 version, you'll get a mostly straight, line-by-line reading of what's being said -- as it's being said.
* Meanwhile, the DVD's special features - which includes the same pair of documentaries produced in 1990 and 1991 - are identical in that they were shot on video tape hence there isn't much improvement in picture quality. However, subtitles that WERE NOT available for these special features - are NOW available in this 2006 edition. The only "extra" that remains unchanged - is the original 1946 trailer. Subtitles are not available and it has the same raggedness and dirt commonly seen with vintage trailers stored separately from the films they used to advertise.
* I'm highly critical of re-issued DVDs that seem nothing more than an excuse to squeeze more dollars out of buyers for the same material with new packaging. But this 2006 Paramount DVD version of "It's A Wonderful Life" is the best to date. It is NOT in color. (I own a colorized version for younger people who can't stand black-and-white. Despite controversy surrounding colorization, know that
the 2007 "Two-Disc Collector's Set"
has the same 2006 60th Anniversary black-and-white edition you see here - plus a new "colorized" version. This version uses the same pristine print - but has the added bonus of boasting the best "color" hues ever seen for this film, using the latest image technology available. Despite my preference for black-and-white, the quality of this new colorized version is impressive.)
* Meanwhile, let's address the criticisms about the sound on this new DVD. Go back a little bit. Much was made when Republic Pictures Home Video got the THX LucasFilm sound system seal of approval for "It's A Wonderful Life" during the 1990s. But it was still two-channel mono with negligible equalization of sound effects. In this 2006 DVD, you'll get consistent two-channel mono and decent sound equalization to minimize "booming" and over-modulated portions in the film. In the old versions, you had to turn down the volume a notch during the musical portions -- and turn it back up when the dialogue came back. It's a nit-pick, but you really notice the difference if you're crazy enough to do a side-by-side comparison like I did.
* As for the digital sound "pops" that perfectionists keep bringing up -- they're right. They're even in the spots noted by another fine reviewer who listed time codes where you can find them. But in my view, unless you brace yourselves for them to arrive like a booming train - unless you purposely crank up your speakers to carry sound throughout your house - yeah, you "might" be annoyed if you demand the same perfection for a film made in 1946 as you would for a film made in 2006. Honestly, the disproportionate attention given to these digital "pops" is, in my view, giving fence-sitters the impression that they're supersonic cracks of lightning that will make people jump out of their seats. I didn't twitch at all. They almost "blended" into the 60-year-old soundtrack. Yes, I know they're digital defects, but do you remember the zillion "pops" scattered throughout dirty prints of "It's A Wonderful Life" with filthy optical soundtracks? The audio on this 2006 DVD still wins. You have EVERY RIGHT to demand perfection for your dollars. But as a person who's more fastidious than average - I don't believe most buyers will care about a few "pops" in a film that's this old. Combine the overall improvements with the relatively low cost of this DVD - and I still say this is the BEST experience of "It's A Wonderful Life" I've ever SEEN and HEARD on home video.
* Finally, another reason to buy this DVD. It's old news to some, but it's not widely known that this version of "It's A Wonderful Life" can only be broadcast by NBC. It used to air a zillion times during the holidays on every TV station on earth. It was a quick way to get tired of even a super film you think you know by heart. But Viacom/Paramount now owns this version of "It's A Wonderful Life" and NBC has exclusive licensing rights to air it just once or twice after Thanksgiving. This is a good thing for future generations to appreciate.
* So junk the old, buy this version and be happy. It may feel painful, but it's worth it. And no, I DON'T work for Amazon NOR for Paramount Home Video.
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| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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DVD
November 13, 2007 "Please retry" | Special Edition | 2 | $5.00 | $2.19 |
|
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October 11, 2016 "Please retry" | Repackage | 2 | $6.45 | $2.19 |
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Reviews with images
4K UltraHD disk of It's a Wonderful Life.
5/19/2022 - Update - Discovered the issue I am having with the RED color. For some reason my Panasonic DP-UB820 now has the issue when Dolby Vision is turned ON. I Turn Dolby Vision OFF and it plays fine. After confirming with another Dolby Vision disk (Black Panther) that has played fine before, it now has the same issue so it is in fact my Panasonic is now having a problem with the Dolby Vision encoding. Please disregard the following from my original 2 star review as it is no fault of the disk.-------I purchased your 4K Ultra HD + Blu-Ray + Digital set of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. The 4K Ultra HD is not playing correctly as it is playing RED instead of BLACK for the side bars and picture. ( See update below) The Blu-Ray plays correctly and my other 4K Ultra HD disks play correctly so the player and TV are operating correctly. I have attached a couple of example pictures. Unfortunately I did not open this up to view until after the return period so I am stuck with this. The Blu-Ray plays fine but I purchased this set for the 4K Ultra. I have given the review 2 stars as there appears to not be any way to get a replacement disk from Paramount Movies. I called Paramount and was told that I needed to send an email to help@support.paramountmovies.com but apparently that email is incorrect as it bounced back as not deliverable.
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