It’s A Wonderful Life Blu-ray

• 5th Dec 2011

Frank Capra delivered many great films; but it’s fairly undisputed that It’s A Wonderful Life was the highlight of his career. It’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t watched and wept.

James Stewart does sterling work as George bailey – a well to do adventurous soul who grows up with almost every chance to escape to a better life spoiled by the town that needs him. It needs him so much that even when things really turn sour for him – he gets his own guardian angel delivered to show him just what life would have been like without him.

Finally the film makes its way to Blu-ray and it comes with an interesting treat. You can watch the film in B/W or colour!  Ok so the B/W will always be the definitive version, but the colour treatment is a fascinating watch. You can even watch both at the same time with a shot comparison in screen as you watch.

Even better is the quality of the Blu-ray upgrade. The picture looks quite grand, which instantly qualifies it for a “must buy.” And what better time of year to get your copy than in the month of December.

The bad news is that aside from a trailer, that is literally all the extras you are gonna get.  Clearly there was room for a commentary or two, and even an up-to-date (sorry Tom Bosley) retrospective documentary on the making of the film. But you’ll have to investigate an older DVD set for anything close to this.

But there are a few titles out that are worth grabbing on Blu-ray despite the lack of supplements. And It’s A Wonderful Life will always be one of them. It’s still a treasure that tugs emotionally. And in recent times, a bit of uplifting is just the ticket.

Steven Hurst