Frank Capra nominated for Academy Award for Best Director
Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Italy and raised in Los Angeles from the age of five, his rags-to-riches story has led film historians such as Ian Freer to consider him the "American Dream personified".Capra became one of America's most influential directors during the 1930s, winning three Academy Awards for Best Director from six nominations, along with three other Oscar wins from nine nominations in other categories. Among his leading films were It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). During World War II, Capra served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and produced propaganda films, such as the Why We Fight series.After World War II, Capra's career declined as his later films, such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946), performed poorly when they were first released. In ensuing decades, however, It's a Wonderful Life and other Capra films were revisited favorably by critics. Outside of directing, Capra was active in the film industry, engaging in various political and social activities. He served as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, worked alongside the Writers Guild of America, and was head of the Directors Guild of America.Film career (1934–1941)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Capra's films in the 1930s enjoyed immense success at the Academy Awards. It Happened One Night (1934) became the first film to win all five top Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay). Written by Robert Riskin, it is one of the first screwball comedies, and with its release in the Great Depression, critics considered it an escapist story and a celebration of the American Dream. The film established the names of Capra, Columbia Pictures, and stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in the movie industry. The film has been called "picaresque". It was one of the earliest road movies and inspired variations on that theme by other filmmakers.He followed the film with Broadway Bill (1934), a screwball comedy about horse racing. The film was a turning point for Capra, however, as he began to conceive an additional dimension to his movies. He started using his films to convey messages to the public. Capra explains his new thinking:The talents you have, Mr. Capra, are not your own, not self-acquired. God gave you those talents; they are his gifts to you, to use for his purpose.
Capra began to embody messages in subsequent films, many of which conveyed "fantasies of goodwill". The first of those was Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), for which Capra won his second Best Director Oscar. Critic Alistair Cooke observed that Capra was "starting to make movies about themes instead of people".In 1938, Capra won his third Director Oscar in five years for You Can't Take It with You, which also won Best Picture. In addition to his three directing wins, Capra received directing nominations for three other films (Lady for a Day, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and It's a Wonderful Life). On May 5, 1936, Capra hosted the 8th Academy Awards ceremony.Academy Awards
Other awards
American Film InstituteLife Achievement Award (1982)Directors Guild of AmericaBest Director Nomination for A Hole in the Head (1959)
Life Achievement Award (1959)
Best Director Nomination for Pocketful of Miracles (1961)Golden Globe AwardBest Director Award for It's a Wonderful Life (1946)Venice Film FestivalMussolini Cups for best foreign film Nomination for It Happened One Night (1934)
Mussolini Cups for best foreign film Nomination for Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Golden Lion (1982)American Film Institute recognitionAFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)
It's a Wonderful Life ... #20
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ... #26
It Happened One Night ... #46
AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers
It's a Wonderful Life ... #1
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ... #5
Meet John Doe ... #49
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town ... #83
AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs
It Happened One Night ... #8
Arsenic and Old Lace ... #30
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town ... #70
AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions
It's a Wonderful Life ... #8
It Happened One Night ... #38
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains
50 greatest movie heroes
It's a Wonderful Life ... George Bailey ... #9
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ... Jefferson Smith ... #11
50 greatest movie villains
It's a Wonderful Life ... Mr. Potter ... #6
AFI's 10 Top 10
Fantasy
It's a Wonderful Life ... #3
Romantic Comedies
It Happened One Night ... #3United States National Film RegistryThe Strong Man (1926)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Lost Horizon (1937)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Why We Fight series of seven films (1942)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
up for shortlisted for in the running for selected for contending for