It's a Wonderful Life

It’s a thought that surely most of us would have had skidding across our minds at some point in our lives. What if I’d never been born? Would my absence really have made any difference? Whilst most of us can only ever hypothesise as to the answer to such profound (and possibly alcohol-induced) ponderings, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) actually gets to witness how the history of his hometown of Bedford Falls would have differed had he not been around to help shape its development.

We follow the history of George from when he was a little tacker on to adulthood, through after school jobs, dreams of doing something big, courting and marriage, family dramas and work dilemmas. He takes over his family’s building and loan society somewhat by default, waylaying his travel plans a little begrudgingly, but in order to serve the greater good – valuing his father’s ethos of adhering to principles over self gain. Things slow down once we get to the film’s present, Christmas-time, when a major blunder made by his perennially forgetful Uncle Billy (who also works at the building and loan) leaves the organisation – and indeed much of the town’s populace – at the mercy of the richest and meanest man in the county, the money-grubbing banker/buzzard Potter.

While his family prepare their Christmas celebrations, pressure gets the better of George, he heads off on a bender and ends up contemplating what he’s actually achieved in his life, and subsequently considers taking a dive from a bridge. It’s here that his guardian angel, Clarence – an angel second class with the IQ of a rabbit and faith of a child who is desperate to earn his wings after trying for 200 years - pops up, sent by his superiors to come to George's rescue. Clarence takes George on a magical journey through his past, or more accurately the town’s past had George never been born, allowing a glimpse at just how things might have been...

"One man's life touches so many others, when he's not there it leaves an awfully big hole."

Most will know that It’s A Wonderful Life has become a prominent part of the popular culture, a Christmas-time television tradition in the US and a much beloved inspirational film to many the world over – and all after flopping on its initial release. And why did this all happen? Well, somebody did an Uncle Billy and made a somewhat gargantuan booboo, leaving the film’s copyright to expire so all and sundry could show it ad infinitum without paying any royalties. What a serendipitous mistake, as it was this wide exposure which finally got to showcase what a remarkable little film It’s A Wonderful Life actually is. While director and co-writer Frank Capra must of course take some of the credit for the brilliance of the film, it is really the phenomenal performance of Stewart that elevates what could have been a big lump of mush to true classic status. He infuses George with a deft combination of innocence and goodness, but also humanity and fallibility, which has the viewer ‘rooting’ for him from the very outset. Few films from the ‘40s are as poignant and inspiring today as when they were made, however It’s A Wonderful Life is an exception – a truly timeless film which demands a place in every movie-lover’s collection.

If you load this up and sit back with some munchies expecting a stunning, problem-free transfer then you’re going to be disappointed. Face it, it’s a film from 1946, and this release hasn’t been given any sort of the loving remastering treatment that a classic of this magnitude actually warrants (although there is a remastered version floating about overseas). Good news, however, is that it is in black and white as it was made, rather than being one of those horrid colourised abominations that was foisted upon the world later.

Back to the bad news, though, right from the start this full frame transfer exhibits signs of wobbles and flecks aplenty, and that oft-seen problem with black and white transfers – small bands of colour appearing in certain places – is well and truly in evidence. Even reel change blobs are here for the viewing, and speaking of reels, detail generally varies from a little fuzzy to reasonably clear as the film progresses, as does contrast and black levels.

Sure, it isn’t a fabulous transfer by any means, however it’s certainly not a travesty either. Anybody who has up until now had to dig out the old VHS copy for a fix of It’s A Wonderful Life should at least feel safe in the knowledge that this is offers a vast improvement.

It was made in mono, it’s brought to us in mono, it has bonus crackles and pops, and sounds a little muffled at times. For the most part dialogue is clear enough, however once again it is criminal that more effort hasn’t been made to improve things for the DVD market. Dimitri Tiomkin’s score suffers as a result, sounding quite strident and harsh at times, occasionally drowning out dialogue simply due to the lack of general range in the audio.

An absolute classic, and it has only one paltry extra feature hiding within the static and silent menu – an extremely brief biography and filmography on Jimmy Stewart. This is very disappointing, especially as various release overseas have included everything from the original trailer to featurettes, interview with Frank Capra Jnr and even a commentary.

As much as you’d be forgiven for thinking it, this isn’t a Christmas-themed film – it just happens to have a Christmas in it. Rather it’s a film that gives inspiration to everybody, the sort that will pick you up when you’re flatter than an ironed pancake, or have you in tears of joy when you’re at your most up. This is, of course, a rare and special feat indeed. Whilst this release isn’t of the greatest quality, it does come at a budget price, and if it is this that convinces even one uninitiated person to take a punt on one of the most uplifting films ever made then it’s done its job admirably.

If the world had never had It’s A Wonderful Life it would truly be the worse off for it.