A few words about…™ It’s a Wonderful Life — in 4k UHD Blu-ray

4 Stars While I hate to be the naysayer, I don't like what I'm seeing, viewed both in projection, as well as on a Sony OLED with Dolby Vision.

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, has received a 4k make-over from the OCN, and with the help of Dolby Vision, at least to my eye, results are mixed.

On the plus side, we gain a far more stable image, that’s also more highly resolved, with gorgeous grain structure.

But I wonder, if like some films, this one isn’t suited to HDR, as what I’m seeing looks neither like original prints, nor what one might surmise an original presentation might look like.

The gray scale no longer has a proper look to it, with blacks overriding the image, and shadow detail, that was in the earlier Blu-ray, lost.

While I hate to be the naysayer, I don’t like what I’m seeing, viewed both in projection, as well as on a Sony OLED with Dolby Vision.

Along with the new 4k, one gets a godawful colorized version.

Image – 3 (Dolby Vision)

Audio – 5

Pass / Fail – Fail

Upgrade from Blu-ray – I don’t have the answer for this one.

RAH

Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.

His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.

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Tino

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Well that’s a surprise. Considering how well received the iTunes digital 4K version was welcomed.
 

Josh Steinberg

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I’m hoping someone will review/compare the new Blu-Ray (sold as a separate SKU) to the prior Blu-Ray.

I have the new Blu and the old. I’m absolutely slammed so there’s no way I can get to it any kind of soon but if no one has compared the two by Thanksgiving, send me a PM to remind me and I’ll try to make time for a quick look.
 

Robert Harris

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I'm with you. I felt very pleased with the 4K disc...

Don’t get me wrong. Black level and shadow detail aside the new 4k is beautifully rendered.

But I’m unable to overlook the lack of shadow detail, for this film photographed by Joseph Biroc, and Joseph Walker.
 

Tino

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Don’t get me wrong. Black level and shadow detail aside the new 4k is beautifully rendered.

But I’m unable to overlook the lack of shadow detail, for this film photographed by Joseph Biroc, and Joseph Walker.
Curious. Have you seen the iTunes 4K version to compare?
 

Trancas

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Using the comparisons on Caps-a-holic, I tried adjusting the image in Photoshop. The shadow detail seems to still be there if you adjust the brightness and gamma on your TV and/or player.
https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=13510&d2=13511&s1=135826&s2=135837&x=468&y=252&i=2&a=1&go=1&l=1
whole screen.jpg

The whole image with cropped area.

wonderful_lifeBRorig.jpg

The blu ray screenshot central portion.

wonderful_life4korig.jpg

The original 4k screenshot central portion.

wonderful_life4kadj.jpg

Adjusting the 4k screenshot using gamma and levels in Photoshop.
 

Robert Harris

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Acknowledged, but the concept of media is that it will be mastered, and presented without special setups. Doubtful that the entire film will track with a single adjustment.

Somehow, I’m thinking that the Paramount master is probably correct, and that something occurred on the back end.
 

Alan Tully

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I shouldn't even be posting here, as I don't have (as yet) a 4K TV or player, & I don't know how much I trust 4K caps, but the caps over at caps-a-holic do look remarkably flat, too flat. I'd like to see what they look like on a waveform monitor.
 
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