Countless Americans watch the film, “It’s a Wonderful Life” every year at Christmas, but many who watched it on Amazon this year were in for quite a shock as the “abridged” version is missing the film’s vital pro-life message.
Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, having been nominated for five Academy Awards, included in the 100 best American films ever made by the American Film Institute, and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being deemed as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Amazon Prime features three options for watching the film: the original black and white, the colorized version, and a third that is simply listed as an “abridged” version. Fans were upset to see that the abridged version cuts out many of the most important scenes in the film — the scenes that contain pro-life messages.
The missing pro-life message
Originally, the film begins with people around the town of Bedford Falls praying for the protagonist, George Bailey, before the camera lingers on a constellation of stars, where angels can be heard discussing Bailey’s predicament. Clarence Odbody, Angel Second Class, is recruited by the angel named Joseph to help Bailey, and Clarence naturally wants to know what is plaguing Bailey. Originally, the dialogue included this conversation:
Senior Angel: [voice-over] Hello Joseph, trouble?
Joseph – Angel: [voice-over] Looks like we’ll have to send someone down. There are a lot of people asking for help for a man named George Bailey.
Senior Angel: [voice-over] George Bailey? Yes! Tonight’s his crucial night. You’re right. We’ll have to send someone down immediately. Whose turn is it?
Joseph – Angel: [voice-over] That’s why I came to see you, sir. It’s that clockmaker’s turn again.
Senior Angel: Oh, Clarence. Hasn’t gotten his wings yet, has he?
Joseph – Angel: [voice-over] We passed him up right along. Because, you know sir, he’s got the IQ of a rabbit.
Senior Angel: [voice-over] Yes, but he’s got the faith of a child. Simple. Joseph, send for Clarence.
Clarence: [voice-over] You sent for me, sir?
Senior Angel: [voice-over] Yes, Clarence. A man down on earth needs our help.
Clarence: [voice-over] Splendid. Is he sick?
Senior Angel: [voice-over] No, worse. He’s discouraged. At exactly 10:45 pm Earth time, that man will be thinking seriously about throwing away God’s greatest gift.
Clarence: [voice-over] Oh, dear, dear. His life. Then I’ve only got one hour to dress. What are they wearing now?
Senior Angel: [voice-over] You will spend that hour getting acquainted with George Bailey.
Clarence: [voice-over] Sir, if I should accomplish this mission, I mean… um. Might I perhaps win my wings? I’ve been waiting for over 200 years now, sir, and people ARE beginning to talk.
Senior Angel: [voice-over] What’s that book you’ve got there?
Clarence: [voice-over] Oh, oh, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Senior Angel: [voice-over] Clarence, you do a good job with George Bailey and you will get your wings.
In the abridged version, the part of the conversation where the angels discuss how Bailey is discouraged, and considering throwing away “God’s greatest gift” — his life — has been removed. Instead, it skips from Clarence being told a man needs help straight to Clarence asking if he might be able to get his wings if he’s successful.
However, this is a relatively minor change compared to what is to come. In the original version, Clarence sees the history of Bailey’s life and how he touched the people of Bedford Falls. Viewers see that Bailey prevented the druggist, Mr. Gower, from accidentally poisoning a client, and saved his brother’s life after he fell through the ice one winter. Bailey is shown falling in love with, and eventually marrying, Mary Hatch; together, they have four children. Bailey, through the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan, gives residents of Bedford Falls the ability to live in affordable housing and to escape the slums run by the film’s protagonist, Henry Potter.
At his lowest moment, Bailey believes he has lost $8,000 and, upon being told by Potter he’s worth more dead than he is alive, becomes suicidal. He is about to jump off a bridge to his death when Clarence jumps into the water first. Abandoning his plans to kill himself, Bailey dives into the water and saves Clarence instead. It is here that the abridged version makes the biggest change to the film’s pro-life message.
Originally, Clarence grants Bailey’s wish to have never been born, and the film gives one of its most important messages — that every human life is valuable.
Bailey, originally depressed and feeling worthless, sees the difference his life has made on the people around him. Without having been born, his brother — who saved countless lives in World War II and was awarded the Medal of Honor — would have died as a child, because Bailey wasn’t there to save him, and by extension, all the men his brother saved in the war would have died. Mr. Gower, without Bailey, would have been jailed for manslaughter due to the accidental poisoning, Mary would have become an old maid and her children with Bailey would never have existed. Potter would have taken over the town — called Pottersville — and turned it into a slum filled with strip clubs and gambling parlors, with his slums the only option for people to live in.
This teaches Bailey a stark lesson, that every person’s life is valuable and important. He begs to live again, and Clarence grants him his wish; thrilled, Bailey runs through town, celebrating the life he has. At home, he is greeted by the residents of the town, who all chip in to give Bailey the money he needs, while his brother arrives home from war, with his Medal of Honor, and toasts Bailey as “the richest man in town.” Bailey finds Clarence’s copy of “The Adventure of Tom Sawyer,” and sees an inscription left from Clarence: “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings!”
The abridged version, however, cuts directly from Bailey sarcastically asking Clarence if he can give him $8,000 to Bailey running joyously through the streets. In essence, the most pro-life portion of the movie has been removed. Viewers could easily get the wrong message — that Clarence gave Bailey the $8,000 and in doing so, solved Bailey’s problems — not that Clarence helped Bailey realize the value of his own life.
According to the Daily Mail, this portion was removed due to a copyright issue, but viewers didn’t seem to care — especially considering the full version of the film is also available on Amazon Prime.
Distressed viewers
Viewers complained that Amazon “cut out the most important part” and said it was “an egregious wrong” to cut out the films as doing so “destroys the heart of this film.”
I watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” last night as I do every year. Amazon only had an ‘abridged version’…they cut out the most important part…where George Bailey sees what would have happened if he were never born. First time ever I didn’t get choked up at the end. GARBAGE
— Jeff-Free Speech Lover 🍊 (@JeffDon03883300) December 19, 2024
Hey @amazon this is an egregious wrong, your “abridged” version of “It’s A Wonderful Life” on @PrimeVideo absolutely destroys the heart of this film. Why would you do this? https://t.co/HCwD6HX3Ge
— Jason Douglas (@MrJasonDouglas) December 25, 2024
Another viewer noted that the abridged version isn’t exclusive to Amazon Prime; it also appears on Hoopla and Tubi.
“Oh, so it’s shortened for length. Right. Because who has the 2:10 running time to invest in a movie that generations have enjoyed for eight decades? Oh, wait. It’s not that. It’s a copyright dispute. Despite the fact this thing went into eminent domain sometime in the late 70s, which is why it became a staple on cable. Pfft. Nice try, Bezos,” Jerry Thornton from Barstool Sports wrote, adding, “This is some Grade-A War on Christmas stuff. Diminishing a desperate man’s prayers being answered, and meaningfulness of his existence revealed to him by the benevolence of heaven, to just a bank transaction. The limited time 0.0% APR you get when you open a Home Equity line of credit. And exactly the kind of Philistine pig-ignorance we’ve come to expect from the sort of people with no concept of why an intellectual property like IAWL is so universally admired.”
The message that was removed from “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of the most life-affirming messages in film. Even before being depressed, Bailey spends much of his life feeling regret that it didn’t turn out the way he hoped it would. He isn’t wealthy, he never got to travel the world, and he doesn’t think his life is as meaningful as others, like his brother or his high school friends. But the movie makes it clear that the value of one’s life doesn’t depend on how much money one makes or how successful they are. Instead, it shows that every life has value and meaning. But the abridged version has completely erased that pro-life message, the one that resonates with so many viewers year after year.
Tell President Trump, RFK, Jr., Elon, and Vivek:
Stop killing America’s future. Defund Planned Parenthood NOW!
