It’s a Wonderful Life
Production Company
ParamountBonus Features
Restoring a Beloved Classic:
Andrea Kalas, SVP, Archives at Paramount Pictures; and Laura Thornburg, Executive Director, Film Preservation at Paramount Pictures; discuss the 4K restoration process: the nitrate 35mm film source and the look that brings to the screen, the urgency in saving the negative, the digital restoration tools, grain management, the benefits of high dynamic range, the visual superiority of today's version compared to the original, blending elements from the nitrate negative and two fine grain masters, the UHD version's superiority, and more.
Secrets from the Vault: It's a Wonderful Life:
Craig Barron, Creative Director/VFX Supervisor/Historian; and Ben Burtt, Sound Designer/Filmmaker/Historian discuss Frank Capra's career success, departure from Columbia, and founding of Liberty Films. In that context, the piece looks at this film's construction: shooting winter in summer, creating proprietary artificial snow for the film, the manner in which sound is used in the film, the film's cinematography, cut footage, the film's failure at the box office on release, and gaining traction on television. It ends with a look through some home footage from the film's wrap party.
Synopsis
George Bailey is a small-town man whose life seems so desperate he contemplates suicide. He had always wanted to leave Bedford Falls to see the world, but circumstances and his own good heart have led him to stay. He sacrficed his education for his brother's, kept the family-run savings and loan afloat, protected the town from the avarice of the greedy banker Mr. Potter, and married his childhood sweetheart. As he prepares to jump from a bridge, his guardian angel intercedes, showing him what life would have become for the residents of Bedford Falls if he had never lived.