Frank Capra
Frank Capra was a prominent American film director best known for his impactful contributions to cinema during the early to mid-20th century. By 1940, he had garnered significant acclaim, winning two Academy Awards for Best Picture and three for Best Director. Capra initially worked at Columbia Pictures before establishing his own production company, Frank Capra Productions, in 1939. One of his notable films during this period was *Meet John Doe*, a social commentary that explored themes of political and journalistic manipulation, although it did not achieve commercial success.
With the onset of World War II, Capra enlisted in the Army and directed a series of influential propaganda films, including the Oscar-winning *Why We Fight* series, which educated soldiers about the war. After the war, he co-founded Liberty Films and produced the now-classic *It's a Wonderful Life*, which emphasizes the significance of every individual’s life. Despite his early successes, Capra's career faced challenges in the postwar era, leading him to shift focus toward educational films and lectures. His films resonate with themes of optimism, hard work, and the triumph of good over evil, reflecting his Italian American heritage and the values of middle-class America. Capra remains recognized as one of Hollywood's greatest directors, with many of his works regarded as timeless classics.
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Subject Terms
Frank Capra
- Born: May 18, 1897
- Birthplace: Bisacquino, near Palermo, Sicily, Italy
- Died: September 3, 1991
- Place of death: La Quinta, California
Identification American film director
Capra’s career underwent unexpected changes during the 1940’s. His departure from Columbia Pictures to become an independent director-producer did not produce the successful results he had anticipated. After World War II interrupted his career for more than three years, changes in the postwar entertainment industry left little room for his filmmaking approach.
By 1940, Frank Capra was at the height of his career with two Oscars for best picture and three for best director. After working under Harry Cohn at Columbia Pictures for more than a decade, he formed Frank Capra Productions in 1939. Capra produced Meet John Doe (1941), the company’s only film, a social commentary on the political and journalistic manipulation of the public. A departure from his lighthearted comedies with likeable heroes, the movie was not a hit at the box office, so he dissolved the company. Doing a one-picture contract for Warner Bros. in 1941, Capra directed an adaptation of the Broadway hit Arsenic and Old Lace. This wacky comedy about two likeable elderly women who are serial murderers was released in 1944 after the play ended its run.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, Capra enlisted in the Army and was quickly assigned by General George C. Marshall to produce training films. Capra’s Why We Fight series—seven documentaries, the first of which won an Oscar for best documentary—explained the war’s causes and the enemy’s ideology. His most significant other documentary was The Negro Soldier (1944). Concerned about discrimination and morale among black troops, the Army wanted to educate soldiers about the contribution of African Americans to the nation. The film was a mandatory part of training for all the troops and was influential in the desegregation of the Army in 1948. Promoted to major, Capra was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1945.
In 1946, Capra formed Liberty Films with three other directors. Capra’s first postwar film, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), which affirms that every person’s life has a purpose, would become his most famous. His next film, State of the Union (1948), a satire on politics with a flawed hero, was his last attempt at social commentary. When neither film did well at the box office, Capra and his partners sold their company.
Capra made only five more feature films after the 1940’s, each focused on light entertainment. With declining numbers in movie audiences, the rise of television entertainment, the lack of funding for directors by major studios, and the increasing influence of actors on directorial film decisions, Capra’s famous “one man, one film” approach could not thrive in the postwar Hollywood environment. His career shifted to making educational films and documentaries and lecturing in a variety of venues.
Impact
Although Capra’s Hollywood career declined from the 1940’s on, many of his films, including those from the 1940’s, became classics. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America in 1959 and the National Medal of Arts in 1986. Reflecting his Italian American Roman Catholic heritage, his films affirm the democratic ideals and shared values of the middle class in small-town America: optimism, courage, honesty, hard work, the dignity of each individual, and the triumph of good over evil. Capra’s artistic and technical skills in communicating his uplifting themes earned him recognition as one of Hollywood’s greatest directors.
Bibliography
Bohn, Thomas William. An Historical and Descriptive Analysis of the “Why We Fight” Series. New York: Arno Press, 1977.
Poague, Leland, ed. Frank Capra: Interviews. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.