Fans have called out Amazon Prime Video after discovering an ‘abridged’ version of the classic Christmas movie It’s Wonderful Life that leaves out a pivotal scene.
The 1946 Jimmy Stewart movie follows a businessman George Bailey who has given up when an angel comes down from heaven and shows him what the world would look like without him in it.
The Golden Globe-winning movie, directed by Frank Kapra, remains a staple of Christmas-time viewing with its powerful themes of self-empowerment and finding joy in life.
Towards the end of the movie, George has a meaningful chat about his suicidal thoughts with his guardian angel Clarence (played by Henry Travers) and is shown how grim life would be if he didn’t exist.
But in Prime Video’s abridged version this crucial 23-minute section, known as the Pottersville scene, has been cut.
Instead, just after George reveals he’s in dire need of $8,000 it suddenly flips to the final scene where his faith in life has been restored and he joyously runs home in the snow.
The ‘Abridged Edition’ synopsis reads: ‘[This] shorter version of the Jimmy Stewart Christmas classic with a condensed ending but still contains all the sweetness and Christmas wonder.
‘A series of setbacks causes a man to reflect on his life. With the help of his guardian angel, he finds the true meaning of Christmas.’
But infuriated fans are not impressed.
‘If you want to know what’s wrong with the world, Prime Video has an “abridged” version of It’s a Wonderful Life that removes THE ENTIRE POTTERSVILLE SCENE where George sees life if he wasn’t born.
‘That’s all that abridged. The best most crucial part of the movie. Just. Wow,’ @germainlussier complained on X.
Another user @themonologist called it ‘f***ing sacrilege’ and @offbeatorbit added: ‘Every digital and physical copy of this abridged version of It’s A Wonderful Life should be destroyed immediately.’
‘Brace yourself for the ‘Abridged’ version of It’s A Wonderful Life, which does away with the ENTIRE Pottersville/how it’d be if he was never born bit, and cuts directly to him being totally ok again for no obvious reason. This exists and is on Prime,’ @andrainmbentley added.
‘This is too bizarre for me to get angry at. I just want an explanation,’ @IMAO posed.
Although Prime has not directly commented on the reason for the cut, there is speculation that it has to do with a copyright issue.
As one fan pointed out, media company RiffTrax also streamed the exact same abridged version of It’s A Wonderful Life, but offered an explanation at the time.
The company revealed that although the film has been in the ‘public domain’ for decades it has a ‘complicated history’.
It continued: ‘The main copyrighted stuff comes down to 1) material from the short story “The Greatest Gift” that part of the film was based on, and 2) some musical rights for background songs.’
As such RiffTrax ‘meticulously excised’ the copyrighted sections which ‘leaves one hour forty-six minutes’ from the original two hour nine minute run time.
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The statement added: ‘You may not even notice any difference at all — unless you’re a big fan of depressing Pottersville.’
As mentioned, Prime has not confirmed whether this is the same reason for its abridged version but the evidence lines up.
For UK viewers hoping to watch the full version, you’re in luck as ITVX is also streaming the movie – this time with all the scenes intact.
Metro has reached out to Prime Video for comment.
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