‘What an Abomination’: Prime Video Pulls Pivotal Scene Out of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Causing Outrage

Amazon Prime sparked controversy this week for editing a critical scene out of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” prompting many to say the power of the classic Christmas film was diminished.

Viewers of the 1946 movie on Amazon Prime would have missed the scene in which protagonist George Bailey comes to his wits’ end and starts to believe he would be better off dead than alive.

Clarence, his guardian angel, then shows Bailey the version of his hometown in which he had never been born, which in that alternate reality was taken over by cold-hearted businessman Henry Potter.

In the version on Amazon Prime, the film cuts to the scene in which George runs through the streets of Bedford Falls after he sees the value of his life, which was filled with good deeds that blessed those around him, according to a report from Fox News.

Another report from the U.K. Daily Mail said that the film was abridged because of a copyright dispute, but the full version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” remains available on Amazon Prime.

Many fans meanwhile reported that the abridged version was the one more easily found on the platform.

In any case, social media users were quite upset by the omission.

“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,” one user cautioned. “This exists and is on Prime.”

“Just watched It’s a Wonderful Life -Abridged Edition with my mother who didn’t remember the whole film. What an ABOMINATION,” another commenter added.

“The whole point of the story was for George to witness life without him in it. Completely axing this part of the plot renders this movie pointless.”

Beyond the possible copyright dispute, there are a number of ways in which the original version of the classic film chafes against the spirit of the age.

The entire message of the film favors selflessness over self-indulgence, displayed best in the conflict between foils Bailey and Potter.

Bailey surrendered his own dreams in order to run his father’s building and loan business, but in dying to his own desires throughout the course of his life, he enabled countless others to work hard and provide for themselves.

He also took a wife and started a family in the process.

Potter instead exploited those around him, mercilessly absorbing small businesses and exploiting the working class for his own gain, completely crushing the spirit of the town.

He replaced those businesses with strip clubs, bars, and other places where his neighbors could subdue the soul-crushing emptiness of their existence.

Maybe, just maybe, that alternative universe hits a bit too close to home for Amazon.

While capitalism is good and Amazon provides many useful services, making our lives more convenient, the undeniable dark side includes the way they treat their workers and the manner in which they have closed down countless small businesses across the country, especially after the lockdowns of the last few years.

Bailey represents the antithesis of that trend, even at one point denying a high-paying job from Potter after realizing what his home would become under the tyranny of the miser.

Whatever your thoughts on that theory, just make sure to watch the unabridged version this holiday season.

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