The movie critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Tia Fabi.
It’s A Wonderful Life has been one of the most time-honored films of all time. Not only is it a story of love and knowing one’s worth, but it’s the perfect movie for the holidays. It’s A Wonderful Life came out in 1946 and was based on a short story that came out in 1943. Even though it’s decades old now and in black and white, it’s still a great film that deals with some pretty serious topics.
The film starts with James Stewart as George Bailey, who is depressed and attempts to commit suicide. Before he can carry out his attempt, he’s stopped by an angel – played by Henry Travers. The angel, Clarence, must save George in order to earn his wings. The movie then shows George what life would have been like for those in his life if he had never been born. It shows George that his life has more significance than he thought and in the end, he decides to live. Clarence gets his wings. It’s a happy ending and a reminder of how wonderful life can be – I know, a title pun.
Still, It’s A Wonderful Life has all of the great nostalgia feels a movie like this should. It stands up to the test of time and is a feel-good movie all around. 2020 has been a drag and in reality, the holidays have been long materialized and commercialized to the point of people only caring about receiving gifts. Watching this movie reminds you that having loved ones in your life is what’s truly important. It’s a message I think we all need right now, which makes It’s A Wonderful Life a must-watch this year.
Video Quality
It’s A Wonderful Life appears on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of an impressive digital restoration in 2160p/Dolby Vision from a combination of the original camera negative and fine grain masters that are quite excellent. If you are of the belief that only a new film can benefit from a proper 4K presentation, you are sadly mistaken. This presentation is simply astounding. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous with smooth gradients and subtle textures. This transfer maintains the filmic quality of the picture with fine film grain giving way to rich details. Black levels are appropriately deep without any pesky nuisances such as digital noise or compression artifacts. The transfer also eradicates any dust specks or print damage that previously plagued the best surviving elements. This picture showcases some excellent depth to the image which gives way to a pleasing sense of scale within the locale. This transfer is a fine showcase of textural details in the costumes and production design. This film looks better than I ever would have imagined after hearing about the deteriorating shape of the elements in the special features. Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment should be praised for this transfer.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with a Mono Dolby TrueHD track that is of the highest quality. The dialogue and background noises are rendered crisp and clear with no obvious sync issues. Instances of age-related wear or popping are virtually nonexistent. The score from Dimitri Tiomkin is quite lovely and maintains a good balance with the dialogue that never compromises the presentation. There are a plethora of optional subtitles included during the main feature, including English and English SDH. Overall, this is a lovely sounding release that does the film justice.
Special Features
The main reason for this new release is to get the film in a sleek new Steelbook that is truly gorgeous in person. The front artwork is a nicely animated depiction of George playfully lifting Mary in the moonlight, and the rear features the iconic quote from the end of the film. The interior sports a still photo of the family around the tree. This Steelbook package also includes a foldout poster of the film. Photos of the Steelbook and poster can be found at the end of this review.
- Restoring A Beloved Classic: A 13-minute discussion with Andrea Kalas, SVP, Archives at Paramount Pictures; and Laura Thornburg, Executive Director, Film Preservation at Paramount Pictures, in which they discuss the important preservation efforts that were undertaken to ensure that the film elements were not lost to time. For film nerds, this is a fascinating look at how far preservation and restoration technologies have come including ways in which modern machines are more delicate with the brittle film elements.
- Secrets From The Vault – It’s A Wonderful Life: A 22-minute featurette in which Craig Barron, Creative Director/VFX Supervisor/Historian; and Ben Burtt, Sound Designer/Filmmaker/Historian, discuss many fascinating behind-the-scenes details about the production of the film. The pair talk about Frank Capra’s career, the creation of Bedford Falls through set design, how they pulled off innovative depictions of snow in the summertime shoot, visual effects in the film, the sound design that earned them an Oscar nomination, unused establishing shots and more. This is a really worthwhile supplement that should please fans of the film.
- It’s A Wonderful Wrap Party: An eight-minute vintage archival piece that was briefly shown in the preceding featurette that shows an extended version of the home movie footage from the film’s wrap party. This is completely silent throughout for obvious reasons.
- It’s A Wonderful Life – Colorized Version: This release contains a Blu-Ray disc that features a colorized version of the film that really should not even be considered for anyone with an appreciation of cinema. But it’s here, nonetheless.
Final Thoughts
It’s A Wonderful Life may not have made a splash upon its initial release, but it has been an essential part of the holiday season for many families for the longest time. There is something about the heartwarming tale that puts you right into the spirit of the season. Paramount Home Entertainment has delivered a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a top-tier A/V presentation and a few interesting special features. The new Steelbook packaging is quite fetching, and should prove to be the preferred choice when looking to upgrade this film. If you have a 4K setup and have a special place in your heart for this classic, you owe it to yourself to add it to your collection. Highly Recommended
It’s A Wonderful Life is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray Steelbook and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
