It's a wonderful life

[BudBaxter]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

Really really will never understand why people insist of putting color where there was none. Movies in black and white, tv shows in black and white, photos in black and white. Do people really have nothing better to do that mess around with original works trying to alter them or update them?
I just don't get it. Maybe someone has a plausible explanation? (other than milking the public for another version)

I imagine some TV executive decided 'the kids' wouldn't watch old fashioned black & white movies, so colourisation was the answer.

Quite why any serious movie lover would want one in their collection, let alone choose to watch them over the original is beyond me.

I seem to recall Ted Turner being quite keen on it in the 80s, leading to the classic Gremlins 2 gag; "Tonight on the Clamp Cable Network: Casablanca! Now in full colour, with a happier ending!"

[Buddy Ackerman]

Originally Posted by BudBaxter

Quite why any serious movie lover would want one in their collection... is beyond me.

The same reason any "serious" (what's the criteria for that?) movie lover would want an alternative version - it's part of the film's history. Or just out of curiosity or for completists' sake.

I've got the blu-ray and have only watched the black and white version so far but I'm glad it has the colourized version on there. It's one of my favourite films and I'm curious to see what the conversion did to it.

Wanting to have it included because it exists isn't the same as being a fan of the process.

[moorje]

I watched the colourised version just out of curiosity. Yes it looks off and affects the picture quality as a result. But I get the logic behind why it was done to try and reach as large an audience as possible.

Will I watch it again? Probably not. But it's there and adds to the history of this film.