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Poll

What's your favorite film by Frank Capra?

Long Pants
0 (0%)
The Power of the Press
0 (0%)
The Matinee Idol
0 (0%)
Ladies of Leisure
0 (0%)
The Miracle Woman
0 (0%)
Platinum Blonde
1 (2.6%)
Forbidden
0 (0%)
American Madness
0 (0%)
The Bitter Tea of General Yen
1 (2.6%)
Lady for a Day
0 (0%)
It Happened One Night
6 (15.4%)
Broadway Bill
0 (0%)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
0 (0%)
Lost Horizon
1 (2.6%)
You Can't Take It with You
4 (10.3%)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
6 (15.4%)
Meet John Doe
0 (0%)
Why We Fight (series)
0 (0%)
Arsenic and Old Lace
2 (5.1%)
It's a Wonderful Life
15 (38.5%)
State of the Union
0 (0%)
Riding High
0 (0%)
Here Comes the Groom
0 (0%)
A Hole in the Head
0 (0%)
Pocketful of Miracles
0 (0%)
haven't seen any
2 (5.1%)
don't like any
1 (2.6%)
other
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 38

Author Topic: Capra, Frank  (Read 10223 times)

roujin

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #50 on: August 13, 2014, 01:41:39 PM »
1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
2. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
3. It Happened One Night (1934)
4. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
5. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
6. The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)

1SO

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #51 on: December 04, 2014, 04:59:43 PM »

Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

For the first half-hour, Capra is shockingly uncertain. There are puddles of screwball comedy, wells of heavy sentiment and three times more plot than necessary. Coming from a master sculptor, the opening still looks like little more than a hunk of marble. I wasn't even sure which direction the film would take, and I hoped the answer wasn't 'all of them.'


Capra eventually does find his focus, pushing the script further towards screwball rom-com, which works in a comfortable Capra vein. At times it's as funny as I hoped, occasionally more so. That's partly due to the cast, a greatest hits of character actors so large, I don't have time to name them all. (There's even a scene of phone calls within the police ranks that reminded me of a similar cameo parade at the start of Hot Fuzz.) Peter Falk got the Oscar nomination, probably because he has more time for great lines and reactions. Edward Everett Horton is just as funny, with hardly any dialogue at all.


The sour spot in the holiday punch is Glenn Ford, who I don't know for comedy and this film proves why. He smiles and acts jolly but strains to be upbeat. (I learned after that he was an absolute dick to Bette Davis and Capra on set, and judging by the results I am not surprised.) The ending is another weak spot. It's the typical last last minute of joy that Capra is good for drawing out. However, it's unclear exactly why things suddenly turn to sunshine and roses. It's as if everyone was suddenly struck with the spirit of the season, with no motivation. Don't get me wrong, I like the ending happy. Just not so mysteriously happy.
Rating: * * 1/2

1SO

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #52 on: January 26, 2015, 08:06:16 PM »
Here Comes the Groom
* * *

On my Ranked List, this is #10 by Capra and the lowest one that's lime green. That doesn't make this a weak good one, but proof of the strength of Capra's filmography beyond the known classics. After seeing this a 2nd time I can assure you there will be a DVD purchased. It's long by a couple of numbers (including a lengthy opera song right up front) and occasionally technically clumsy. I can't think of another film where there's a shot of actors frozen in place for a couple of seconds before they begin their action. I don't know how this accident even happened. There are also two cloying kids so MartinTeller's out. That's the bad.

Bing Crosby is at the height of his hep-cat powers here, with phrasing that'll make your ears do a double take. He's pitted against Jane Wyman, who joined my list of actors I plan to watch more of. The oil and vinegar chemistry between these two is outstanding. Among the songs are two sensational numbers. The first is a gimmicky one on an airplane, where Bing is joined by Louis Armstrong, followed by a bunch of other celebrities. The showpiece is the Oscar winning earworm "In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening." You hear it in different small froms throughout the film, but the main version is a bouncy duet by Bing and Jane. I don't know if a straight version of the song exists, because the one in the film contains small bits of improv from both of them and incorporates the location and situations into the lyrics. Here's some Merry Music to get you to May.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puSgWX4DbZ4

Sandy

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #53 on: January 26, 2015, 10:16:12 PM »
I'm reeling a little from reading your ranked list. I must have blocked that from my memory. :)

Even though I should be leery of that list, your top 4 are solid, so I'll add Here Comes the Groom to my watchlist.


1SO

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #54 on: January 26, 2015, 10:58:52 PM »
My unpopular opinion on It's a Wonderful Life is enough to discredit the entire list. However, I believe I steered you right with Riding High and that one song is the very definition of 'Merry Music'.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #55 on: January 27, 2015, 09:27:48 AM »
I don't like it, either.

Sandy

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #56 on: January 27, 2015, 09:51:24 AM »
 :D


My dad refuses to watch it.

Harrumph! Bah Humbug! And all that.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #57 on: May 14, 2015, 08:55:00 AM »
It Happened One Night
It's a Wonderful Life

You Can't Take It with You
Meet John Doe
Arsenic and Old Lace
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Platinum Blonde



« Last Edit: January 16, 2022, 07:26:17 PM by Sam the Cinema Snob »

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Capra, Frank - Directors Best Poll
« Reply #58 on: May 14, 2015, 09:24:16 AM »
Only reviewed Arsenic and Old Lace.

1SO

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Re: Capra, Frank
« Reply #59 on: September 30, 2015, 12:50:42 AM »

American Madness (1932)
Quote from: MartinTeller
A liberal-minded bank president gets in a pickle when his vaults are robbed.  An early Capra that contains a lot of the elements that would define his career, especially It’s A Wonderful Life.  Faith in the little guy, the greedy hands of fat cats, the danger of mobs, the damage done by rumor-mongering, the reliability of friends, and most notably, a practice run for the bank panic scene.  The film moves economically with nary a wasted moment, some lively bits of humor, and surprisingly dynamic photography.  There’s a number of really fantastic looking shots throughout.  Although some of the performances are a bit weak, Walter Huston is quite likeable in the lead.  Maybe certain parts are a bit ludicrous or sentimentalized, but they fit in well with the Capra mindset.  Very enjoyable flick.  Rating: Very Good

I don't like to get too deep into story when writing about a movie, and there are a number of stories packed into a tight 75-minute running time. Stories both personal and epic in scale. Ones with a tremendous impact on the characters and ones that represent the unease felt by much of the country at the time. All of the stories are well-crafted and any one or two of them could be made into a great movie. Capra has them all pressing up against each other, but the film never feels overstuffed. Like a musical conductor, he keeps every instrument in tune with the others.


The themes and character types Capra would use again in his more popular classics are just as excellent here. Like Sergio Leone, Capra is a master of faces. There are dozens of people with only a line or two, but they're lit, framed an cut together into the most beautiful montages. Then there are your leads, like Walter Huston as Dickson, every bit the great Capra lead as Mr. Deeds, John Doe and Jefferson Smith. Pat O'Brien playing against type as a struggling everyman who gets backed into a tight corner and can't get out. The only bad performances are by Gavin Gordon (who has distractingly tweezed eyebrows) and Sterling Holloway (who always sounds like Winnie the Pooh, and has some bad comedy right when things are getting tense.)

The majority of the film takes place inside this beautiful art deco bank, possibly the most impressive bank set I've ever seen. The camera prowls around the space but never lets the design overshadow the people. Some people may get Capra's corn stuck in their teeth, but I think he keeps a good amount of bitter in his bittersweet endings. While the ending may stretch credibility (because it's so rushed compared to the dramatic build) I would've been less satisfied with a more cynical resolution.
Rating: * * * 1/2

 

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