In addition to the 16mm inserts, there are sequences in 35mm that appear somewhat soft and hazy. Getting back to the black and white transfer itself, there are times where the image is genuinely stunning. The best 35mm footage provides a crisp black and white image with amazing contrast. The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is surprisingly good considering the film's age and 1934 recording technology. There is relatively little hiss on the track and the dialogue is always clean and intelligible.
Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai.
The interactive menus are attractive, but basic in their implementation. Through the menus, one can access the standard scene selection and set up features, as well as the DVD's supplements. Additionally, Capra provides an audio commentary, which is somewhat sparse and covers pretty much the same material as found in the video interview. Filling out the supplements is vintage advertising materials, an original theatrical trailer and talent files. Fortunately Columbia TriStar has delivered a DVD edition worthy of this classic.