The version currently available on Roku isn't the original. This version has a completely different musical score, which makes it like a Hallmark movie. In the opening credits, they removed the "It's", so it's just "A Wonderful Life", they changed the composer of the musical score and it also says it's based on a story by Charles Dickens instead of Philip Van Doren Stern.I hope Roku corrects this and puts the original version up.

Totally agree! I saw the difference when the title came up and I watched it for about 5 minutes when I turned it off and found the original classic. Do NOT mess with a classic.

I completely agree. It’s a wonderful life is my favourite movie and I hope they put the music back to the original. When George goes to visit Mary’s house, she plays some song on her record player when it should’ve been “Buffalo Gal”. This definitely needs to be corrected because the whole of their relationship was based on the bond they shared from singing together after they fell in the pool. I started watching but can’t get into it because the difference is deafening to me.

I noticed this as well and had to do a Google search to see what was going on. Glad I found this thread and that I'm not the only one who found this annoying. I hope Roku fixes it and adds the real movie.

We watched this last night on Roku. Although I didn’t notice the opening credits, or the “Based on a Story by Charles Dickens 😂😂😂” bit, I immediately noticed the music changes as they occurred one after the other. In an attempt to modernize this movie classic, the producers of this “fake film” have ruined the original score to the point of changing what makes older movies so desirable, especially this one. I first saw IWL with my then boyfriend at his parents house in 1983 at Christmas in NJ. I had such fond movies of watching this with him while decorating the tree on Christmas Eve (don’t ask….its a tradition at his house). We’ve watched this movie every year as husband and wife for 40 years. It’s our favorite holiday movie. I’ve done radio broadcasts using the scene of the run on the bank to explain the banking system to listeners. And even that was ruined because they added music where there was none. Although you may think that the music in this film means nothing, it does mean everything to the millions of viewer of this film that Frank Capra so eloquently put together in 1946. I do not believe that Frank Capra nor his heirs gave any approval to change the original version of this movie. To whomever changed this original score by Dimitri Tiomkin, may you get sued by someone, anyone who believes in artistic integrity. All I can say is what we say in the south when someone does something stupid …”BLESS YOUR HEART”!!!We are getting into a very dangerous habit these days of digitally changing films, books, vocal recordings using AI to do so. If we do not refuse this horrible practice, we will soon be out of good, wholesome entertainment that was produced in good spirit of humanity. We will forever be stuck in a world where DEI is being forced down our throats in every book, every magazine, every digital copy of every form of media we have, on our Television sets, on our radios, on our computers, and on our smart phone devices. If we don’t push back now, we are going to be forced to live in a world without the goodness and light in our fellow man. #it’sawonderfullife #christmas #classicmovies #holiday

We noticed, too! The music, claiming it's based on a story by "Charles Dickens" - we're still watching just to see what else has been substituted in what must be a bootlegged copy.

It's A Wonderful Life isn't the original

49 Replies

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Kimberlit
Newbie
2 years ago
Yep, i don't like these changes either. It's awful. Taking something perfect and messed it up.
MShelley
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
I HAVE REPETEDLY POSTED THAT IF YOU DOWNLOAD RETRO REELS APP ONTO ROKU, THEY HAVE THE ORIGINAL VERSION.
ACPme
Newbie
2 years ago
Wholeheartedly agree we have watched the original brilliant version as a family every Christmas for 45years. The Roku version is a head scratcher it is literally unwatchable. Frankly speaking it's an insult to the memory of everyone associated with the original piece of art, we don't paint over old masters!!!
issiah53
Newbie
2 years ago
Leave it to business people to destroy a perfectly good movie and change it into a musically hideous attempt at a hallmark movie of the week. What a shame.
Crooker
Reel Rookie
2 years ago
I have also noticed that this fake (unwatchable) version is the same version that Plex and PLUTOTV uses... So it's not just Roku.
Fortunately I have a blu-ray and digital copy of the movie that we have watched every year for a LONG time.
I wonder if this is a result of a copyright infraction with the song Buffalo Gals or something. (NOTE: The answer was made clear as I read through more of this post after my reply)
Anyway... I was glad to find this post, and I'm glad I wasn't the only person who noticed and was enraged by this version. 🙂
Happy new year to all!
- GabStreamer
  Channel Surfer
  2 years ago
  Prime Video has the original, and it's free, no commercials, if you're a Prime member.
msbeehiving
Newbie
2 years ago
This movie has been ruined! Leave it alone it's a classic.
Williambfunguy
Newbie
2 years ago
The synthesizer music on this movie is awful. One of the great things about old movies is that they use real instruments played by real people. What a disservice the new sound track is to a classic movie. But, you get what you pay for and it was 100% free to watch.

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It's A Wonderful Life isn't the original

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