Born: May 18th, 1897 (Italy)
Died: Sep 3rd, 1991 (Heart Attack)
Winner of over 11 awards, three of which were Oscars
Directed over 50 movies
"My films must let every man, woman and child know that God loves them, that I love them, and that peace and salvation will become a reality only when they all learn to love each other."
"During the dark decade of the 1930s, director Frank Capra became America's preeminent filmmaker, leavening Depression-era despair with his irrepressible optimism of the Everyman triumphing over seemingly insurmountable odds. Packaging hope for the hopeless, his goodwill movies were as important to national morale as Franklin D. Roosevelt's famed Fireside Chats and well-deserving of the three Best Director Oscars they brought him.
"A true rags-to-riches story, Capra rose above his working-class immigrant background to earn a degree in chemical engineering and serve in the U.S. Army in WWI, only to enter into filmmaking once his post-war career options became limited. He received his start in comedy, helping vaudeville star Harry Langdon make it big in Hollywood, before landing a deal with notorious head of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn. During this time, Capra segued from the silent era to talkies with action pictures like "Flight" (1929) and "Dirigible" (1931), before commencing his lifelong collaboration with writer Robert Riskin on the first of their socially-conscious films, "American Madness" (1932).
"Capra reached fruition with "Lady for a Day" (1933), only to suffer public embarrassment after believing he had won the Oscar for Best Director. But he received his due the following year with "It Happened One Night" (1934), the first movie to ever sweep the five major categories at the Academy Awards. Capra entered into a particularly fruitful period with "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), which he followed with the classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), starring James Stewart as the director's prototypical idealistic Everyman triumphing over evil.
"During World War II, Capra reentered the U.S. Army to make several acclaimed wartime propaganda movies, including "Prelude to War" (1942), which won the Oscar for Best Documentary. Upon his return to narrative filmmaking, Capra reunited with Stewart on "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), a heartwarming tale that failed at the box office during its initial release, but later became a perennial holiday classic. That last film proved to be Capra's last great achievement, as the director made several underwhelming films over the next two decades before officially retiring and moving out of Hollywood. With a career that celebrated patriotism, idealism and small-town American values, Capra's strength as a filmmaker marked him as a true giant of Hollywood's Golden Age."
Excerpt from http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/28439%7C53185/Frank-Capra/"My films must let every man, woman and child know that God loves them, that I love them, and that peace and salvation will become a reality only when they all learn to love each other."
"During the dark decade of the 1930s, director Frank Capra became America's preeminent filmmaker, leavening Depression-era despair with his irrepressible optimism of the Everyman triumphing over seemingly insurmountable odds. Packaging hope for the hopeless, his goodwill movies were as important to national morale as Franklin D. Roosevelt's famed Fireside Chats and well-deserving of the three Best Director Oscars they brought him.
"A true rags-to-riches story, Capra rose above his working-class immigrant background to earn a degree in chemical engineering and serve in the U.S. Army in WWI, only to enter into filmmaking once his post-war career options became limited. He received his start in comedy, helping vaudeville star Harry Langdon make it big in Hollywood, before landing a deal with notorious head of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn. During this time, Capra segued from the silent era to talkies with action pictures like "Flight" (1929) and "Dirigible" (1931), before commencing his lifelong collaboration with writer Robert Riskin on the first of their socially-conscious films, "American Madness" (1932).
"Capra reached fruition with "Lady for a Day" (1933), only to suffer public embarrassment after believing he had won the Oscar for Best Director. But he received his due the following year with "It Happened One Night" (1934), the first movie to ever sweep the five major categories at the Academy Awards. Capra entered into a particularly fruitful period with "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), which he followed with the classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), starring James Stewart as the director's prototypical idealistic Everyman triumphing over evil.
"During World War II, Capra reentered the U.S. Army to make several acclaimed wartime propaganda movies, including "Prelude to War" (1942), which won the Oscar for Best Documentary. Upon his return to narrative filmmaking, Capra reunited with Stewart on "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), a heartwarming tale that failed at the box office during its initial release, but later became a perennial holiday classic. That last film proved to be Capra's last great achievement, as the director made several underwhelming films over the next two decades before officially retiring and moving out of Hollywood. With a career that celebrated patriotism, idealism and small-town American values, Capra's strength as a filmmaker marked him as a true giant of Hollywood's Golden Age."
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