Where to stream It’s A Wonderful Life this holiday season

The joy of a suitcase, the relief of a bloody lip, the pride of winning a set of wings. Few films better articulate these feelings better than Frank Capra’s seminal It’s A Wonderful Life. One of the best films ever made, It’s A Wonderful Life wasn’t always so warmly received. It traveled a circuitous path from a studio-tanking, suspected communist propaganda Christmas movie released in mid-July to the standard-bearer for all holiday entertainment. Endlessly imitated but never equaled, George Bailey’s creeping realization that maybe his life hasn’t been so bad after all is a must-watch every holiday season, and this one is no exception. But how does one watch it while avoiding those bizarre colorized versions?

Currently, It’s A Wonderful Life is streaming for “free” on Prime Video. However, one needs to search for “It’s A Wonderful Life (Black & White Version)” to find the original. The colorized version is also on Prime, but we can’t, in good faith, recommend anyone watch that. It’s worth the $4 to see a jaundice-free Donna Reed.