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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Simply amazing. My friends, the Blu-Ray version of this film is nothing short of outstanding. Watching it recently, I could count the hairs on the actors' heads in some scenes. That's how crystal-clear the video is. It could have been filmed yesterday. The backgrounds have been rendered exceptionally well. In one scene, George is standing in the office of the Building and Loan, gazing at a portrait of his father on the wall. Under the portrait is a paper containing a quote, presumably one of his father's. I won't... more info
Is this a copy or an original ? This won't play on my DVD player.
I get the following mesage on my screen.
"this player is incompatible with the region marking of this disc"
They also promised is by the 24th of November and I received it on the 26th, the day after Thanksgiving. I am Verrrry disappointed.
I will be returning it.
This is a BLU-RAY REVIEW ONLY!!!! (from public domain to blu-ray WOW!, it was worth the wait(explained))!!! This 1946 CLASSIC FILM copy write expired and went to the Public Domain library. For years on VHS a very poor copy was available. But the film was sooooo good we endured the poor quality for the "WONDERFUL LIFE's" message was heard loud and clear. NOW for the FIRST time it has been brought up to the Blu-ray HD (1080p). With the HD Home Theater (BIG SCREEN) w/Dolby Digital sound I', telling you this movie is NOW THE WAY IT WAS MENT TO BE SEEN IN THE MOVIE THEATER in 1946!!! (Better then the original... more info
Blu-ray version looks great! The newly-released blu ray version of the film looks wonderful - great contrasts, very clear picture, especially in the B&W version. (The disc comes with both the color and B&W versions). The picture is in its original aspect ratio 1.33:1, so it is shown in pillarbox (black bars on the sides of the display). The true videophiles will appreciate that nothing was cropped from the original image.
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