Amazon’s streaming serviceis under fire for airing analtered versionof the beloved Christmas movieIt’s a Wonderful Life, receiving backlash from not only fans of the movie but cinema as a whole.
The bizarre change cuts what many consider to be acrucial part of the storyin which the protagonist, George Bailey, a businessman and banker, contemplates what life would look like if he had never been born.
The scene sees his guardian angel show him an alternate reality in which, without him, his family-oriented community, Bedford Falls, becomes “Pottersville,” a coarse and vulgar place filled with betting, alcohol, and debauchery.
“They should have chosen not to stream it at all rather than destroy the story,” a reader said.
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Image credits:Paramount / Plex
Netizens flocked to social media to share theirindignationabout the changes, with many wondering about the cause behind the removal of the scenes.
Some theorized that the changes were made due to the sensitive topics the film touches on, as it deals with the meaning of life,depression, and hope. George Bailey reconsiders his existence throughout the story, and the classic “Pottersville” scene could be interpreted as a form ofself-harm ideation.
“Why does the abridged version exist?” a viewer asked.
“Some misguided censored version. Can’t have the kiddies exposed to anything bad!” another replied.
The movie entered—and then partially left—the public domain in 1993, which led to the abridged version’s creation, using non-copyrighted material
According to theLibrary of Congress, the movie became a yearlymainstayof living rooms across the country for close to 20 years.
However, all of that changed in 1993 when Republic Pictures notified all networks to stop playingIt’s a Wonderful Lifewithout the payment of royalties. The company was able to do this because they realized they still retained the rights to the original story the movie was based on:The Greatest Gift.
Frank Capra’sIT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)starring James Stewart, Donna Reed,Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell,Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, WardBond, Frank Faylen and Gloria Grahamepic.twitter.com/rlbofZD8n6
That meant parts of themoviedirectly adapted fromThe Greatest Giftbecame copyrighted material—while others did not. That, sadly, resulted in pivotal scenes such as the famous “Pottersville” dream sequence being cut alongside certain songs.
Amazon Prime currently offers all three versions on its platform: thefull version, credited to Viacom (part of Paramount Global); thecolorized edition, credited to Paramount Pictures; and theabridged version, credited to Legend Films.
Regardless of what caused the edited version to exist, netizens raged against the streaming service for hosting the cut version
Many viewers were angry that thestreaming servicesuggested the cut version instead of the original when searching on the platform, feeling that the changes made were “a crime against art.”
“This is why physical media is superior. It can never be censored, taken away from you, or banned for political reasons,” one reader said.
“Appalling. Just buy the 4K version. This is an essential film,” another stated.
“Wait, they took out nearly the entire Pottersville sequence?!” one viewer asked. “What is the point of the movie then?”
Others, aware of the complex copyright situation surrounding the movie, tried their best to explain what led to the scenesbeing cut.
“Paramount is the distributor of the ‘full’ versions of the film, with the Pottersville scenes and original music. The rest of the film is in the public domain,” one user wrote.
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