H.B. Warner

5 H.B. Warner films on 4K Blu-ray, ranked S to D by transfer quality. 1 S-Tier pick including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington(1939)

7.8/10

dir. Frank Capra

S-Tier

S-Tier Sony 4K with Dolby Vision. Part of the Frank Capra at Columbia box set for the 100th anniversary, alongside It Happened One Night. The set is 20 films with 9 in 4K. People are waiting for 50% off sales but also feeling pressure to buy early to show demand for this kind of catalog deep dive from a major studio.

Sony Pictures · Frank Capra at Columbia

It's a Wonderful Life(1946)

8.3/10

dir. Frank Capra

A-Tier

A-Tier Paramount 4K. The steelbook drops to $9.96 USD on Amazon pretty regularly, which makes it an easy December pickup. The 4K disc is black and white, and the included Blu-ray is the colorized version. Black and white films actually benefit a lot from HDR because you get more shades of gray and better contrast. The UK steelbook has two B&W discs while the US version splits color and B&W across formats.

Paramount Pictures · 4K + Blu-ray

Lost Horizon(1937)

7.6/10

dir. Frank Capra

British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash-land in the Himalayas, where they are rescued by the inhabitants of the hidden, idyllic valley of Shangri-La. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-La provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town(1936)

7.8/10

dir. Frank Capra

Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life. When a relative dies and leaves Deeds a fortune, Longfellow moves to the big city where he becomes an instant target for everyone. Deeds outwits them all until Babe Bennett comes along. When small-town boy meets big-city girl anything can, and does, happen.

You Can't Take It with You(1938)

7.8/10

dir. Frank Capra

Alice, the only relatively normal member of the eccentric Sycamore family, falls in love with Tony Kirby, but his wealthy banker father and snobbish mother strongly disapprove of the match. When the Kirbys are invited to dinner to become better acquainted with their future in-laws, things don't turn out the way Alice had hoped.