Thoughts On Capra

Well I hoped you enjoyed my month devoted to Frank Capra, even though I didn't go quite in depth with him as I wanted to due to the month's busy holiday schedule.

On a personal note, Frank Capra was probably the first director I became interested in at a young age. I became a fan of "It's a Wonderful Life" early on, and that film opened the door to his other classics like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town", "It Happened One Night", "Meet John Doe" and countless others. My appreciation for this great director still grows to this very day. This month I've been able to view his "Lady for a Day" for the first time ever, and I'm hoping for releases of his earlier work such as "The Bitter Tea of General Yen", and "Miracle Woman" both starring his favorite actress Barbara Stanwyck some time soon.

What I was hoping to get across this month was Frank Capra was a much more complex director than he was often given credit for. He is the man who pretty much turned the feel good movie into an art form, but he also understood that in order for you to feel good, you first had to feel bad, which is why his heroes go through much hardship before they are redeemed. It's very rare for a Capra type film to work these days, you might hear a movie described as Capraesque which usually defines it as a sentimental fable with a hopeful message, but it's very hard for those to actually come off as sincere. I would say the closest modern film to really capture the essence of Capraesque would be Spielberg's "The Terminal", but that film seemed to pass people by.

Here's hoping Capra films do have some place in the world today, and also a younger generation will experience them as I did while growing up. I would always say for people who are interested in classic movies, Frank Capra would be the guy to start. Thanks for reading, Happy New Year, and stay tuned for a new director to be revealed in January.