| | | Frank Capra's...
Features: DVD, Colorized
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?
"...this film seems to improve with age." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"It's a gem for any time of the year and, as such, a vital part of any film fan's collection." Liz Beardsworth, Empire Magazine
"...inspirational and heartwarming..." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
Editor's Note
A good but slightly ineffectual man tries to off himself after an error that really wasn't his fault. In Christmas Carol fashion, his crusty-but-lovable guardian angel shows up to give him a tour of the world without his presence, and it isn't a pretty place. Moral courage, small-town American life, civic cooperation, and family love are glorified; corporate greed and self-involvement are vilified; at the climax, a blanket of snow like spun sugar makes everything pure and clean like redemption itself.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono | | Includes Both Black-&-White & Colorized Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 11/13/2007 |
| Running Time: 130 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1946 | | Catalog ID: 313849 | | UPC: 00097361313849 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: B&W |
Aspect Ratio | | Standard 1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Winner (1947) | | | Golden Globe, Frank Capra, Best Motion Picture Director | |
Nominee (1947) | | | Oscar, James Stewart, Best Actor in a Leading Role | | | Oscar, Frank Capra, Best Director | | | Oscar, William Hornbeck, Best Film Editing | | | Oscar, Frank Capra, Best Picture | | | Oscar, John Aalberg, Best Sound, Recording |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...As appealing as ever..." 02/01/2001 p.61Total Film
"...With the power to melt the coldest of hearts. James Stewart gives a flawless performance..." 06/01/2000 p.88 Entertainment Weekly
"...It looks more masterful than ever..." 01/11/2002 p.28-9 Premiere
"George Bailey's everyman charm reminds us that it doesn't take a war to make a hero." 04/01/2004 p.60 ReelViews 10 of 10
What is it about this film, an uplifting, sentimental fable about the importance of the individual, that strikes a responsive chord with so many viewers? Some might argue that it has something to do with the season, but I don't buy that reasoning. It's a Wonderful Life is just as good in July as in December -- the time of the year has little to do with motion picture quality. Rather, I think It's a Wonderful Life has earned its legion of followers because it effectively touches upon one basic truth of life that we all would like to believe -- that each of us, no matter how apparently insignificant, has the power to make a difference, and that the measure of our humanity has nothing to do with fame or money, but with how we live our life on a day-to-day basis. - James Berardinelli
Reel.com 9 of 10
Though producer-director Frank Capra never intended it as a Christmas film, It's A Wonderful Life has nonetheless become a beloved seasonal favorite, primarily because its climactic scene occurs on Christmas Eve - and because it's a film about giving...When the film first played in postwar theaters, critics blasted it for the sentimentality that characterizes a Capra film, and it lost $525,000 at the box office. But the movie has grown more beloved over the years, partly because it reaffirms the values of a WWII generation - patriotism, hard work, and sacrifice - while ushering in the values of the Baby Boomer/Eisenhower years (including, among other things, the notion that part of the American dream lies in family, home ownership, 2.3 children, and not just tolerable, but wonderful neighbors). - James Plath
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