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It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition) (1947)

James Stewart , Donna Reed , Frank Capra  |  NR |  DVD
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,269 customer reviews)

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Blu-ray 2-Disc Version $28.28  
DVD 60th Anniversary Edition $14.97  

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It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition) + Miracle on 34th Street + White Christmas (Anniversary Edition)
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Product Details

  • Actors: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers
  • Directors: Frank Capra
  • Writers: Frank Capra, Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Jo Swerling, Michael Wilson
  • Producers: Frank Capra
  • Format: Black & White, NTSC
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: NR (Not Rated)
  • Studio: Paramount
  • DVD Release Date: October 31, 2006
  • Run Time: 130 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,269 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000HEWEJO
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,494 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "It's a Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition)" on IMDb

Special Features

  • "The Making of It’s A Wonderful Life" - Documentary featurette hosted by Tom Bosley
  • "A Personal Remembrance" - A special tribute to Frank Capra narrated by his son Frank Capra Jr.
  • Original Theatrical Trailer

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's a Wonderful Life
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

Product Description

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?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1,212 of 1,246 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
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" -- again, it's DATED 2008 and too early to rank among the "most helpful" reviews -- 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.
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231 of 240 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
On November 4, 2006, I posted a review noting the side-by-side differences between the "60th Anniversary Edition of It's A Wonderful Life" - vs. all other editions of this film released on home video during the past 25 years. I still stand by that review.

The "Two-Disc Collector's Set" is a different product. While it contains the same 60th Anniversary DVD in pristine black-and-white - is ALSO includes a second DVD - a colorized version of "It's A Wonderful Life" that boasts the best color hues I've seen to date!

If you're like me -- and you prefer black-and-white films to stay black-and-white - fine. But I bought this 2-disc set because I was curious about how FAR digital image technology has come - since the controversial practice of colorizing black-and-white films began more than two decades ago. In short, the colorization here is spectacular.

-----

DISC ONE -- There are NO differences between the first disc in this "Two-Disc Collector's Set" and the superbly restored black-and-white DVD released in 2006. Disc One is EXACTLY THE SAME as the 60th Anniversary Edition of "It's A Wonderful Life." It has the SAME special features, documentaries, trailers and improved subtitles. The three-to-four VERY MINOR digital sound pops that tekkies brought up in com/Wonderful-Life-60th-Anniversary-Edition/dp/B000HEWEJO">2006 are still present - but as I wrote then - they WON'T be a big deal for most families watching a film like this made more than 60 years ago.

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DISC TWO -- This disc has the same pristine movie in "COLOR." The results are stunning. Disc Two offers optional subtitles and NO extras - and NO digital sound pops!

In my 2006 review of the 60th Anniversary Edition, I noted why I kept a "colorized" version of "It's A Wonderful Life" on video tape (Republic Pictures Home Video, 1989). Most youngsters prefer color. As they get older, they come around to appreciating the artistry of black-and-white. But early on, they still find it "boring."

I recommend fans AND critics of colorization to at least "preview" how much has changed since those chalky crayon efforts of the 1980s. A high-tech company founded in 2001 called Legend Films, which specializes in restoring, colorizing and adding digital special effects - to NEW and OLD films - was commissioned to colorize "It's A Wonderful Life" for this "Two-Disc Collector's Set."

While the results don't match the color of today's live action films, they're still remarkable. Given the titanic advances in digital special effects since 1989, I shouldn't have been surprised. It isn't Technicolor, but the skin tones and background colors are more lifelike, enabling "It's A Wonderful Life" to JUMP off the screen like never before. It looks brighter, cleaner and more beautiful. You can almost smell Donna Reed's hair and see the panic in her brown eyes when James Stewart hovers over her when they're on the phone in the scene just before they get married.

Think of well-preserved color movies made during the 1940s or 1950s that weren't in Technicolor, but shot on different color film stock that's still beautiful today. That's what the new colorized version of "It's A Wonderful Life" looks like. It's "vintage" color, not "contemporary" color. And unless you're a technician who understands things like fading or shifting colors, you might not be able to tell the difference between what's original or colorized. Why? Because most of us are conditioned to expect LESS technical sophistication from films made in 1946 vs. 2006.

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Yes, colorization does alter an artist's "original vision." But the technology behind it has improved tremendously in 20 years. What this means to the future of colorizing black-and-white films, including "untouchable" classics - is a subject for another day.

The solution for tekkies? Buy this "Two-Disc Collector's Set," put colorized Disc Two into your player and simply turn down the color on your TV! You'll now have the cleanest SOUND and PICTURE of "It's A Wonderful Life" ever - better than it was for audiences in 1946! Moreover, it'll be easier to get your kids to watch the colorized version - before "they graduate" to the black-and-white original. I hope this helps.
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109 of 112 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars It's A Wonderful Blu-Ray November 14, 2010
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you are reading this review you likely already know and love this movie. For me, it is the epitome of holiday movies with great acting along with a terrific script and tight direction. If you have never seen it in some ways I envy you - just buy it and enjoy!

As I was growing up this film was shown repeatedly on television as it had lapsed into the public domain. Somehow, it was retrieved from public domain with some legal wrangling - and though at first I thought of that as a bad thing the quality of the film has benefited now that there is money to be made on this old classic. The initial DVDs available for this film from the public domain era were very poor quality and only recently were better scans completed. That process has been taken to "the nth degree" for the blu-ray release.

For this review I did watch the first few minutes of the Republic Pictures DVD version which last time I checked into this was the best transfer available. I recall when first seeing it that it was far superior to other versions and light-years ahead of the worn prints that used to be shown on TV. I played it on an upscaling player (actually my Sony Blu-Ray player). I then put in the Blu-Ray version and I was blown away at the improvement. The quality is really striking with facial detail and readable text, for example, on the bottles in Mr. Gower's Pharmacy. The print is totally clean and is as others have pointed out shown in the correct aspect ratio in which it was made. This means there are black bars at the sides on a wide-screen TV and this is normal and how it should be. To fill a wide screen TV would mean either stretching things so that the thin James Stewart starts to look more like Alfred Hitchcock or cutting off the top and bottom of the picture.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic.
This is the perfect movie about the holidays, and everything that matters in life. Was so glad to be able to add this to our collection.
Published 2 days ago by Amber
5.0 out of 5 stars an inspiring movie
Had to have DVD after my VCR quit working.
This set came in the original B & W and colorized versions.
Published 5 days ago by radrevdwh
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart warming
I purchased It's a Wonderful Life for my wife who never saw the movie before. I felt she would really enjoy it... and she did! A heart warming story - Life is worth living!
Published 7 days ago by James Neglia
5.0 out of 5 stars Always a Favorite
Great Movie to watch at Xmas. This is a must have for the Xmas movie list...wonderful for all generations. Great!
Published 9 days ago by mimi
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
This is not only a Christmas classic but a classic in any sense of the word. It is the best of Stewart and Capra adding up to one of the most heartwarming stories of all time. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Four Star Film Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars An all time great movie
This movie is a movie you can watch every year, or every day. It has good values in it that our family need.
Published 22 days ago by Mike Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Wonderful life Movie
I love this movie but when it is shown on TV it comes on to late and it is filled with commercials. this I can just pop into my dvd player and watch at my convenience with out... Read more
Published 22 days ago by K. Carberry
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Wonderful Life
I watch this every holiday season and love it. I think it is the best holiday movie of all time. I don't know what else to say except that anyone who has not seen it should watch... Read more
Published 24 days ago by Lois G. Owens
5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Collection Complete
Love this movie and now I am so happy to add it to my Christmas Collection of classic movies. Great service at a good cost.
Published 1 month ago by Eileen N Whitaker
5.0 out of 5 stars a favorite
What's not to like. This is a Christmas classic that I will watch over and over. I never tire of it.
Published 1 month ago by tczyz
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colorized movies
You're certainly entitled to your preferences but why do we have to "let the past...go?" It's not as though black & white is the equivalent of "broken" or "defective."
Nov 6, 2008 by MacGuffin |  See all 244 posts
Ooops, Clarence!! Possible Timeline Anomalies in 'It's A Wonderful Life'
There were 1,450 bank failures in 1932. And Medals of Honor take a long time to vet and be awarded; in rare cases they took forty years or more. There is one definite timeline problem: Clarence says Harry Bailey died at the age of nine, even though his tombstone reads 1911-1919. But then,... Read more
Jan 3, 2009 by Doug Molitor |  See all 13 posts
blu-ray edition a rip-off
Yeah, I hear you. Hopefully people read the reviews in depth...but doubt they dig too deep. I have a solid DVD collection, so to see this happen and not have all the previous extras and a new 4-8K transfer......well it is a glorious money grab IMHO.
Dec 6, 2011 by Jrnyvoice |  See all 17 posts
Why are most male film actors so short?
so that they fit into the screen
Dec 18, 2010 by Richard McCaul |  See all 2 posts
Question about It's a Wonderful Life
Because people would find that as a sign of weakness, and would not want to use the building & loan anymore. Essentially they would close because of it.
Dec 9, 2008 by S. Thomas |  See all 4 posts
Does this ever go on sale? Be the first to reply
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