It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
by Frank Capra
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Donna Reed, Henry Travers, James Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas MitchellDirector: Frank Capra
Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
Producer: Frank Capra
Writer: Frank Capra
Writer: Albert Hackett
Writer: Frances Goodrich
Writer: Jo Swerling
Writer: Michael Wilson
Writer: Philip Van Doren Stern
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 130 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
Movie Review: Outstanding Blu-ray transfer--well worth the upgrade
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes--the new Blu-ray Disc release of this 1946 Christmas classic is well worth the upgrade from any previous DVD edition. I purchased the 60th anniversary DVD edition last year (which already looked quite good)--and the improvement in video and audio on the Blu-ray is remarkable.
There are two Blu-ray discs, one containing the colorized version and the second disc has the original black & white movie, plus several special features. While both versions look crisp and clear and free of any grain or softness (especially noticeable in the numerous night time scenes--the blacks look terrific). Colorized versions of original B & W movies usually look horrible (poor color saturation, less sharp images--the 60th anniversary DVD color version suffered in this way)--but this one looks fantastic--natural color saturation and an image that is every bit as clear and sharp as the original B & W. As I was watching the color version, it was hard to believe that this was not originally filmed in color.
At first I balked at the nearly $20 cost on Amazon (as of December 8 2009, and probably much more expensive elsewhere)--but the upgrade was worth every penny for this wonderful, classic, family film. You will not be disappointed!
Summary of It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)
George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all of his good deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to convince George to return to his family and forget suicide?Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton
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