"It's a Wonderful Life" finally makes the jump to physical 4K Ultra HD - Oct. 29

HOT 4K NEWS

AFTER premiering on 4K Ultra HD digital last year, Paramount is releasing the holiday classic on 4K Ultra HD disc on October 29.

Our review of "It's a Wonderful Life" included 18 HDR frame shots from 4K digital, which revealed excellent sharpness and striking HDR toning on Apple TV and Vudu.

Paramount spent over a year painstakingly restoring this treasured film, using the original nitrate negative along with two fine grain masters made in the 1940s.  Each element was carefully scanned using the very latest technology to both preserve the delicate negative and create the best possible digital image. 

Fortunately, 13 of the 14 reels of the original negative survived, but portions had begun to deteriorate so the best image was selected from one of the three original sources on a shot-by-shot basis.  The result is a more vibrant and detail-rich picture that brings this classic to life like never before.

4K Ultra HD frame shots

The 4K provides an extra level of detail and expanded gray-scale with each frame, evident by the rain drops on Ernie's cab and natural washing of film grain.

James Stewart stars as George Bailey and Donna Reed as his wife Mary, as they witness a run on the Potter Bank while heading out of town for their honeymoon.

George holds his youngest daughter Zuzu (Karolyn Grimes).