December 17, 2001

"- Well who are you then?"

"- Clarence Oddbody, AS2."

"- Oddbody...  AS2?  What's that, AS2?"

"- Angel, Second Class."

Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers and many more.  Screenplay by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett and Frank Capra. Based on a story by Philip Van Doren Stern.  Music by Dimitri Tiomkin.  Produced and directed by Frank Capra.  Released by RKO and Liberty Films in 1946 (DVD released by Republic in 1999).

You probably already know the story.  But just in case you've been living in a cave for the last century, here's a brief rundown.

George Bailey is currently experiencing a severe crisis in his life.  And the only way he believes he can get out of this mess is by taking his own life.  However, an angel in training known as Clarence is dispatched to straighten him out.  Before going on his mission, Clarence is shown George's life from his early childhood up until the current crisis.  This individual has had many experiences in his life.  But how do you convince someone to keep on living under what now seems to be a hopeless situation?

George Bailey answered that question himself by suggesting it may have been better if he'd never been born.  Suddenly, Clarence realizes that may just do the trick, and proceeds to show what would have happened if George actually wasn't born!

This is Frank Capra's favourite movie.  Much of what's in this movie reflects Capra's feelings about life in general especially how precious life really is and how a single individual can make a difference in the world.  As sappy as the story may be, it's still a very good story.  You have the unsung hero, the evil villain, a typical American small town setting, a loving family, a supportive community...  It's a good thing this is a fiction because I don't know of any town in North America where this type of setting still exists!  At least we're given the opportunity to live in this town for an hour or two.  And you do feel good after watching this movie.

Picture

All I can say is that the film has survived the years reasonably well if not unscathed.  Dust and dirt are visible throughout the movie, and there's the occasional print damage.  Surprisingly, the black level is reasonable and the shadow detail is still there.  The MPEG transfer however is very inferior, showing many artifacts in the opening credits alone!  And this is suppose to be a THX certified release!  That THX label has truly become nothing more than a marketing gimmick over the years.  Many studios are doing a better job developing outstanding transfers on their own and not relying on outside help in order to tell them if the transfer is actually good or not.

Sound/Subtitles

Dolby Digital 2.0 mono.  But then, this movie was made in the forties.  Sound technology was still at the level where it was a miracle that they could put sound in a movie.  As a consequence, the soundtrack is limited in bandwidth and sounds like a cheap AM radio but without the static.  Still, the vocals are clear most of the time, and the quality of the sound doesn't detract your attention too much from the storyline.

Audio and subtitle tracks include English, French and Spanish.

Features

This is not an empty disc.  The features include the theatrical trailer, a personal appreciation by Frank Capra Jr. and a "Making Of" featurette hosted by Tom Bosley.  The most revealing element of the features is how this not so successful movie became so popular over the years.  A clerical error in the early seventies prevented the copyright of the movie from being renewed.  As a result, any TV station could show the movie without having to pay any royalties to anyone.  The movie was now part of the public domain and has been shown each and every year ever since.

Final verdict

It's a classic.  And it was saved when the copyright wasn't renewed.  If you've already seen it on television. then you probably never saw it in it's unedited commercial-free version.  And it is a movie that's worth watching.  It has a great story and the theme of Christmas is not unnecessarily shoved down your throat.

Picture		Video	1.33:1, OAR, B&W
Sound		Audio	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono) FRENCH: Dolby Digital 1.0 SPANISH: Dolby Digital 1.0
Story		Subtitles	English, French, Spanish
Features		Features	Theatrical trailer "Making Of" documentary Personal appreciation
Value		Final word	A wonderful DVD package that might bump the movie off the yearly TV broadcasts.