8.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
George Bailey is a small-town man whose life seems so desperate he contemplates suicide. He had always wanted to leave Bedford Falls to see the world, but circumstances and his own good heart have led him to stay. He sacrficed his education for his brother's, kept the family-run savings and loan afloat, protected the town from the avarice of the greedy banker Mr. Potter, and married his childhood sweetheart. As he prepares to jump from a bridge, his guardian angel intercedes, showing him what life would have become for the residents of Bedford Falls if he had never lived.
Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell (I), Henry TraversFamily | 100% |
Holiday | 77% |
Drama | 51% |
Melodrama | 47% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (224 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Paramount has widely released a SteelBook packaging variant for the classic 1946 film 'It's a Wonderful Life.' The disc and digital content is identical to that found in the 4K wide release which debuted in October 2019. See the 'Special Features and Extras' section of the review below for more on the SteelBook's look and feel.
For a full UHD video review, please click here.
For a full UHD audio review, please click here.
The smooth front panel partially recreates a classic poster art image depicting Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey holding up Donna Reed's Mary Hatch by
her waist. He's bottom right, she's essentially center at a diagonal. A large moon sits behind them, filling much of the panel. The film's title appears in
red script top left, accompanied by Stewart and Reed's name as well as Director Frank Capra's. A soft pastel blue background gives the front a tender
touch. The rear panel is a bright metallic red which does show some handling fingerprints. An image of bells, in a blending but obviously darker image
defining red,
appears center with white script text reading "every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings" center at a diagonal. The quote is attributed to Zuzu
Bailey. A Paramount logo appears bottom left and a model number bottom right, both in white. The spine carries over the red color. The film's title in
white appears center. A Paramount logo has been placed at the top and several items at the bottom, all in white: "2-disc set" and UltraHD and Blu-ray
logos.
Inside, the digital copy code as well as a folded poster depicting the original artwork are tucked underneath the left-hand-side tabs. The two discs, one
UHD and one Blu-ray, are situated on the right in
staggered-stacked formation. The inner print is a two-panel spread that features a color reproduction of one of the film's most iconic scenes from the
end of the movie with the family gathered near the Christmas tree with George holding Zuzu and his arm wrapped around Mary.
For full coverage of the included supplemental content, please click here.
One of cinema's most treasured films has arrived on the UHD format with excellent technical presentations and now a handsome SteelBook that gets everything right. It even includes a poster worthy of framing. Very highly recommended.
1946
75th Anniversary Edition
1946
2-Disc Collector's Edition Gift Set
1946
1946
Platinum Anniversary Edition
1946
1946
1951
1994
2008
Warner Archive Collection
2016
2000
2018
1993
1984
2017
25th Anniversary Edition
1985
1989
2009
2020
Warner Archive Collection
1963
2014
Warner Archive Collection
2015
2005
1938
1985
70th Anniversary Edition
1947