It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Drama, Family, Fantasy • 2h 9m
Overview
A holiday favourite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Todd Karns, Samuel S. Hinds, Mary Treen, Virginia Patton, Charles Williams, Sarah Edwards, William Edmunds, Lillian Randolph, Argentina Brunetti, Robert J. Anderson, Ronnie Ralph, Jeanne Gail, Jeanine Ann Roose, Danny Mummert, Georgie Nokes, Sheldon Leonard, Frank Hagney, Ray Walker, Charles Lane, Edward Keane, Carol Coombs, Karolyn Grimes, Larry Simms, Jimmy Hawkins, Jean Acker, Ernie Adams, Monya Andre, Stanley Andrews, Sam Ash, Jack Bailey, Louise Bates, Mary Bayless, Beth Belden, Brooks Benedict, Joseph E. Bernard, Al Bridge, Buz Buckley, Marian Carr, Adriana Caselotti, Lane Chandler, Michael Chapin, Tom Chatterton, Jack Cheatham, Harry Cheshire, Edward Clark, Tom Coleman, Ellen Corby, Bryn Davis, Lew Davis, Harry Denny, Helen Dickson, Dick Elliott, Frank Fenton, Eddie Fetherston, Sam Flint, Lee Frederick, Dick Gordon, Jack Gordon, Herschel Graham, Joseph Granby, Charles Halton, Carl Eric Hansen, Herbert Heywood, Harry Holman, Art Howard, Bert Howard, Arthur Stuart Hull, John Indrisano, Eddie Kane, Carl Kent, Milton Kibbee, Effie Laird, Mike Lally, Harold Landon, Meade 'Lux' Lewis, Jack Lomas, J. Farrell MacDonald, Irene Mack, Wilbur Mack, Charles Meakin, Priscilla Montgomery, Bert Moorhouse, Evelyn Moriarty, Philip Morris, George Noisom, Bob O'Connor, Frank O'Connor, Lynn O'Leary-Jameson, Moroni Olsen, Garry Owen, Netta Packer, Franklin Parker, Suzanne Ridgway, Mark Roberts, Constantine Romanoff, Cy Schindell, Almira Sessions, Cedric Stevens, Brick Sullivan, Charles Sullivan, Carl Switzer, Max Wagner, Larry Wheat, Charles C. Wilson, Finn Zirzow
Director: Jonathan Demme
Director: Jonathan Demme
Director: George Roy Hill
Director: George Roy Hill
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: James Cameron
2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix
Comparison between the US and International mixes: https://vimeo.com/246332731
The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.
Director: James Cameron
2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix
1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix
Comparison between the US and International mixes: https://vimeo.com/246332731
The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.
Director: Billy Wilder
Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Capelight/Kino Lorber which has heavy noise reduction and opening snare hit is missing, Capelight is slightly better encoded than Kino Lorber
Director: Billy Wilder
Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Capelight/Kino Lorber which has heavy noise reduction and opening snare hit is missing, Capelight is slightly better encoded than Kino Lorber
Directors: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
Directors: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release
1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release
1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Stanley Donen
Director: Stanley Donen
Directors: Arturo Perez Jr. & Samantha Jayne
Directors: Arturo Perez Jr. & Samantha Jayne
Director: Robert Altman
Paramount Blu-ray
Popeye was mixed for a failed Vistasonic system with 4 discrete tracks (L/C/R/S). That mix has never been released on home video in its original form.
The older 5.1 track appearing on older DVD/BD releases sounds excellent. It appears to be a slight upmix of the original mix, only splitting the surrounds and adding LFE. It sounds close to the old analog LaserDisc, which is likely the original mix in a matrixed form.
The 5.1 included on the UHD is a new remix which significantly differs from previous tracks. There are new foley effects all over the place. Music is jarringly spliced in from different sources. Unlike the old 5.1 which had clearly discrete surrounds, the channels surrounds overlap somewhat with the fronts here.
Details on the new mix from Paramount's former head of restoration: https://youtu.be/P-AmjqViJyE?t=788
The 2.0 tracks on all DVDs/BDs are just downmixes of their respective 5.1 mixes.
Samples
Director: Robert Altman
Paramount Blu-ray
Popeye was mixed for a failed Vistasonic system with 4 discrete tracks (L/C/R/S). That mix has never been released on home video in its original form.
The older 5.1 track appearing on older DVD/BD releases sounds excellent. It appears to be a slight upmix of the original mix, only splitting the surrounds and adding LFE. It sounds close to the old analog LaserDisc, which is likely the original mix in a matrixed form.
The 5.1 included on the UHD is a new remix which significantly differs from previous tracks. There are new foley effects all over the place. Music is jarringly spliced in from different sources. Unlike the old 5.1 which had clearly discrete surrounds, the channels surrounds overlap somewhat with the fronts here.
Details on the new mix from Paramount's former head of restoration: https://youtu.be/P-AmjqViJyE?t=788
The 2.0 tracks on all DVDs/BDs are just downmixes of their respective 5.1 mixes.
Samples
Director: Phillip Noyce
Director: Phillip Noyce
Director: Peter Faiman
Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD
International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray
Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray
US Paramount 4K Blu-ray, unsure whether it's the International cut released by Paramount or the Encore Cut
Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD
International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray
Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray
Australia Cut: Laserdisc
The film exists in three versions:
- the original Australian cut (~104 minutes at 24fps/~100 minutes at 25fps);
- the American/international version (~98 minutes at 24fps/~94 minutes at 25fps) trimming some exposition in the Outback first half of the film and some shorter extensions of a few seconds in the New York section, altering some of the dialogue – including censoring a "fuck" to "screw" – but featuring one additional dialogue extension not in the Australian version (a comparison of the two cuts can be found at Movie Censorship);
- the Australian Encore Cut (~95 minutes at 24fps/~91 minutes at 25fps) which uses the international version source so it already has those alterations but also removes approximately three minutes consisting of parts of two scenes featuring Mick grabbing the crotch of a cross-dressing prostitute and a later sequence when he does the same thing at a party to a woman with a deep voice (a comparison of the international version and the Encore Cut can be found at Movie Censorship).
Director: Peter Faiman
Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD
International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray
Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray
US Paramount 4K Blu-ray, unsure whether it's the International cut released by Paramount or the Encore Cut
Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD
International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray
Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray
Australia Cut: Laserdisc
The film exists in three versions:
- the original Australian cut (~104 minutes at 24fps/~100 minutes at 25fps);
- the American/international version (~98 minutes at 24fps/~94 minutes at 25fps) trimming some exposition in the Outback first half of the film and some shorter extensions of a few seconds in the New York section, altering some of the dialogue – including censoring a "fuck" to "screw" – but featuring one additional dialogue extension not in the Australian version (a comparison of the two cuts can be found at Movie Censorship);
- the Australian Encore Cut (~95 minutes at 24fps/~91 minutes at 25fps) which uses the international version source so it already has those alterations but also removes approximately three minutes consisting of parts of two scenes featuring Mick grabbing the crotch of a cross-dressing prostitute and a later sequence when he does the same thing at a party to a woman with a deep voice (a comparison of the international version and the Encore Cut can be found at Movie Censorship).
Director: Wes Craven
Theatrical: Paramount 4K Blu-ray
Uncut Director's Cut: Either the Germany Kinowelt DVD, the Japan DVD, the Scandinavian DVD, or the US LaserDisc. Fan preservation is likely better quality.
Theatrical: Paramount 4K Blu-ray
Uncut Director's Cut: Either the Germany Kinowelt DVD, the Japan DVD, the Scandinavian DVD, or the US LaserDisc. Fan preservation is likely better quality.
2011 Blu-ray/2021 4K Blu-ray
The 2011 Lionsgate Blu-ray is incredibly poor for every Original Trilogy film; older processed older DVD-era masters with heavy use of DNR, sharpening and edge enhancement with a really dull color grade. The 4K Blu-ray is miles better. The DTS-HD 5.1 across all three films appears to be the same on both the Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray, and they appear to be the untouched theatrical 5.1 mixes.
The Uncut version has more violence: https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=256325
Director: Wes Craven
Theatrical: Paramount 4K Blu-ray
Uncut Director's Cut: Either the Germany Kinowelt DVD, the Japan DVD, the Scandinavian DVD, or the US LaserDisc. Fan preservation is likely better quality.
Theatrical: Paramount 4K Blu-ray
Uncut Director's Cut: Either the Germany Kinowelt DVD, the Japan DVD, the Scandinavian DVD, or the US LaserDisc. Fan preservation is likely better quality.
2011 Blu-ray/2021 4K Blu-ray
The 2011 Lionsgate Blu-ray is incredibly poor for every Original Trilogy film; older processed older DVD-era masters with heavy use of DNR, sharpening and edge enhancement with a really dull color grade. The 4K Blu-ray is miles better. The DTS-HD 5.1 across all three films appears to be the same on both the Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray, and they appear to be the untouched theatrical 5.1 mixes.
The Uncut version has more violence: https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=256325
Director: Richard Linklater
Director: Richard Linklater
Japan GAGA 4K Blu-ray?
Japan GAGA 4K Blu-ray?
US Paramount has poor encoding
Japan GAGA 4K Blu-ray?
Japan GAGA 4K Blu-ray?
US Paramount has poor encoding
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