Frank Capra. El nombre delante del título

by Frank Capra

Cuando en 1971 apareció este libro, el maestro italonorteamericano tenía 74 años. Su estrella había empezado a apagarse a finales de los 40, coincidiendo con el final de los años de zozobra causados por las dos guerras mundiales. La publicación de este libro fue todo un acontecimiento e hizo reverdecer la popularidad de Capra, que se paseó por medio mundo dando conferencias.
El prólogo de John Ford tiene la perspicacia proverbial del ojo más inteligente del siglo XX: Frank Capra, un hombre cálido y maravilloso, ha escrito un libro cálido y maravilloso, sobre temas que conoce mejor que cualquier otro hombre que haya vivido nunca. Ha aplicado su genio no sólo al arte sino también al negocio de hacer grandes películas… El éxito no ha embotado su ingenio, su sabiduría o su compasión.

Genres: Film, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Media Tie In, Memoir, History

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Born in Sicily

Reviews

[Abigayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wanted to thank everyone who commented on a book about Frank Capra; he is my late great-uncle and his nephew (my maternal grandfather also deceased) were amazing people and I have cherished memories of growing up watching the career of my grandfather unfold and also conclude. Mostly I remember the stories told about Frank although I was only 10-12 when he passed. Seeing his work live on and his movie It's a Wonderful Life still played every Christmas is something I can't put into words. The pride I feel for my family is immense and although I didn't follow in their footsteps; my uncle (ex-husband of his daughter) did live on in the movie world. Growing up near that life wasn't one I really thought of as it was so normal to me; but being able to tell my kids about their family and the movie premeries and the studio lots is one that captures their interest in a way that nothing I ever seem to do has:) For his work to live on is a blessing.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in high school long long ago at a time when I was devouring Capra's films for the first time. (Back then you either had to wait years for them to show up on TV or at a retrospective movie house. If you missed your chance, you were fucked. No internet, no Netflix, no home video VHS/DVD/blu-ray rental options.) Now, of course, you can easily see them all, although not quite in the right way. These gorgeous old films with their glowing moody black-and-white cinematography really should ideally be seen in a theater with a projected 35-millimeter film print.

I recall this book being flavorful and lively. I remember with lingering fascination Capra's description of the voice of his frequent leading lady, Jean Arthur, ("like a thousand tinkling bells") and of Barbara Stanwyck's good-for-one-take-only explosive acting style (she put her all in the first take and after that could not muster the same energy). I also remember the feeling of great regret he had during the troubled production of Meet John Doe (1941), in which he and his writers filmed multiple endings but failed to come up with an acceptable one.

Capra is a director who seems to have fallen out of fashion, which is a shame. The self-admitted "Capra-corn" outlook that marks his films is out of step with today's jadedeness. Capra's films actually almost always went to dark places: his protagonists were pariahs dragged often to the depths of hopelessness and despair (see George Bailey/Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life) before emerging triumphant. I think today it's hard for us to accept the likelihood of such success. The ending of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington with its abrupt, unlikely happy outcome still seems problematic to me, even though I've come to accept it. (The idea of a bought-off conservative politician succumbing to the pangs of conscience and doing the right thing on the floor of the Senate now qualifies as science fiction.)

Capra's admirers, though, have run the gamut. Even some of the more pretentious practitioners of filmmaking and scholarship (director John Cassavetes, and his academic biographer Ray Carney, for instance) have been unlikely Capra partisans. Capra represents a very American strain of populism in the movies that equates struggle with ultimate success. Capra himself was politically conservative, but his heroes and themes were typically left-leaning.

There are many critics of this book and of Capra, who have pointed out its inaccuracies and alleged half-truths. Capra has been accused of having selective memory and a mammoth ego (which he did). The man was a premier founder of the director's guild and brought glory to a tiny Poverty Row studio (Columbia) by winning for it a slew of Academy Awards. His pride was not without merit.

(KR@KY, rewritten and expanded in 2016)

[Anthony McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first film director autobiographies I read after leaving high school.

A fantastic read and so inspirational that if I had followed Capra's guidance, I would have forced my way into the local film industry and become a first-class filmmaker. Unfortunately, that never happened, and I have spent the rest of my life watching and reading and studying the fine art of cinema. Not such a bad consolation in hindsight!

Frank Capra made some excellent films and won a record-setting three Academy Awards for direction in the 1930s.
Two of them won Oscars for Best Picture ("It Happened One Night" & "You Can't Take It with You") and Capra's artistry and box-office success was probably the most significant factor in lifting Columbia Pictures out of Poverty Row into becoming a major studio.

During WWII he was responsible for the acclaimed "Why We Fight" series of documentaries for the U.S. Government. Was a partner in the newly formed Liberty Pictures which never really got off the ground. His fellow partners William Wyler and George Stevens continued their great success, but Capra never did although his "It's a Wonderful Life" has become a fan favorite over the years. The fact that the film fell into the public domain resulting in constant reruns on TV may have been instrumental in its more recent acclaim. It's not a favorite of mine but I am in the minority in that opinion.

Over the years this autobiography has had many a detractor. A number of film historians, most notably Joseph McBride who wrote the bio "Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success" rebutted much of Capra's fanciful depictions of his life and career. And his zealous right-wing reactions and treatment of fellow artists during the Hollywood Blacklist years were certainly not worthy of any Oscars. In his later years he would claim his films were all of his own creation, callously ignoring the fact that collaborator Robert Riskin wrote just about all his best films. Mind you, hardly the first director to pump up his own precious ego!

I would still rank this book as a compulsive read for anyone interested in the early days of filmmaking. Capra goes all the way back to the silent era when he was a gag writer for Hal Roach and Mack Sennett flickers and more importantly as writer then director of Harry Langdon comedies.

An extremely entertaining read as long as you accept the volume of fiction interspersed with the facts.

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly, Capra was one of filmdom's greatest auteurs, and he managed to do it without producing vile, venal garbage. Admittedly, in his day there was the Hayes Code which enforced strict moral parameters on filmmakers, but he still managed to make not only family-friendly films like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but also infused them with wit and pathos. No one can watch George Bailey down and out in the bar, hanging by a thread, and think Capra is all sweetness and light. A great book, told in the first person, by a great filmmaker. A must for filmophiles.

[Laurah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I liked this book. I really dug the first half, I liked the first two/thirds, but the last third or so reallllllyyyy dragged for me. It actually took me nine months to get through this book. It got to a point where I would pick it up, read a paragraph and remember what I wasn't liking about it and put it down again.

There are some great anecdotes about him hustling on the streets when he was a kid. He was scrappy; he'll tell you over and over. I loved the stories of Frank writing for Our Gang and breaking into directing. The details were great when reading about his first few pictures. I was there with him when he made 'It Happened One Night', but then the rest of the book seemed to rehash the same exact stories about how famous he was, how much demand there was for his pics, and how he kept the actors (and the studio execs) in line.

I am very grateful that Frank was a film maker and I am glad to have read the book. I'll never read it again.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soft spot for this autobio, even though I'd be surprised if even half of it is actually true. I got him to sign my copy when I met him.

[Madison Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it had continued like it started, this would have been one of the favorite books maybe ever. He gives the reader such an incredible look into not only Hollywood, but actually how a movie is made. I learned so much about the process of moviemaking; I feel I have a much better grasp on how certain systems worked.

Towards the end, he got very self-righteous. It’s to be expected, I’ve stumbled upon a lot of this sentiment in many Golden Age of Hollywood biographies. His views are very reactionary and overblown. “All movies are nowadays are sex and drugs and violence….in the good old days we repressed sexuality and got drunk on alcohol and beat women only to teach them a lesson. All these hedonists and homosexuals and atheists want to erase morality…back when I was young we used racial caricatures and oppressed women because the Catholic Church said it was moral.” (This is not a direct quote, but it is the general gist of everything he said (and he said a lot)).
Okay you’re better than everyone got it sure buddy

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. As always…when it’s a book I buy at a sale…I always hope to read it and give it away. Then I read it and wind up wanting to keep it!
So much to be impressed with…..Capra was just like his movies. Honest, candid…very real and down to earth…at least that’s how he reads to me.
I think I like the man even more than his movies. I do enjoy reading the behind the scenes info…and Frank Capra is plenty interesting. I didn’t know he was from Italy and his folks came here and started from nothing. Frank was the only one to go to school.
Capra did the WWII Why We Fight movies. The army people finagled him (and fought over who was going to get him) and told him they needed him to create movies to help explain to the new recruits why they were fighting. There was barely enough time to train them for combat, & they hoped it would make up for lack of skill. Some of the military high command felt they could explain with a movie..and only through Frank Capra. He received the distinguished service medal for these films. Which are available in the library for viewing!
He was also tapped for scholastic documentaries..which he was also very reluctant to do and had to be convinced.
I agreed with his views on the changes in the movie industry too… Those old movies from the heart are always the best. If you like his movies…this book should be a MUST READ.

[Daniella LaGaccia · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I found most interesting about Frank Capra was his film career that spanned from the silent era to the end of the studio system in the late 40's and early 50's.

A rags to riches immigrant who graduated from Caltech, Capra had a interesting, determined and stubborn personality that both made him the successful director he became and the washed-up director who couldn't adapt to the changing cultural climate. I wasn't aware that he got his start as a "gag man" working for the silent comedy king Mack Sennett, and directing Harry Langdon to create his comedy persona.

The book is filled with many anecdotes, including dealings with the notorious Harry Cohen. Some of the more memorable moments include the his initial meetings with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, and the entire production of It Happened One Night.

There is a lot of quoted material here, where entire conversations are seemingly recounted. Either Capra kept very detailed notes, or much of this material falls in the category of truthful but not accurate. Capra had flaws, and a lot of it could be found in the subtext of the text. He is very quick to praise himself as an innovator and an inventor, but history has told us different.

[David Dunagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read by a wonderful gentleman. I bought the print version. For film buffs and anyone wanting a career in the movies this is a must read. His analysis of Hollywood directors starting on page 244 thru 246 is very interesting. He comes across as a warm man, like many of his main charactors in his movies, nonetheless he could be strong and firm when needed to get his way.
He is critical of some of the Hollywood people actors and such but he does it in a even handed way no snarky comments. This is no revenge book against his enemies who were very few. He was disappointed at the way modern Hollywood changed to be an actor's town and the down playing of directors. Also the substance of movies was cheapened by poor subject matter and crummy scripts.
His work as a film maker in WWII showed he was a patriot and loved and respected his country. This type of Hollywood charactor is sadly missing in today's Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was indeed a great read. I very much enjoyed experiencing his perspective on his lengthy career, movie icons, as well as so many amazing films – admittedly some of which I was not aware were his. My next step, of course, will be to seek out some of those movies and view them from a different point of view.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining for awhile but eventually the self-congratulatory pumping gets to be too much. One can conclude from the book that Capra was a talented directory and a complete megalomaniac. That said, he did direct "It Happened One Night", one of my all-time favorites, so all is forgiven.

[Joseph Sciuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Capra, at a very early age, emigrated from Sicily to America with his parents and siblings. Everyone in the family was illiterate. The young Mr. Capra was the first to go to school and eventually graduated from Caltech with a degree in engineering.

He had many side jobs before going to work in the quickly emerging film business for Mack Sennett during the silent era.

From there he went to Columbia Studio, which at the time was considered a Ghetto Row Studio...not even close to the major Studios such as MGM and Warners. It was at Columbia, under the insane and chaotic leadership of Harry Cohn, that Frank Capra made some of my favorite movies of all time, Academy Award Winners and box office smashes, such as "You Can't Take It with you," "It's A Wonderful Life," "Lady for a Day," "Lost Horizon," "It Happened One Night," "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," etc. etc. At one time he set a record for most consecutive box office hits at 12. Using his engineering and physics background he made studio back lots look like the actual Arctic or The Brooklyn Bridge.

Before joining the military after the attack on Peal Harbor, Columbia Studio was no longer part of Ghetto Row.

In his early forties, Mr. Capra joined the military as Major Capra and was immediately ushered into President Roosevelt's office where they talked about the importance of film and its impact on Americans' attitudes. He was then ushered around by military men who had no idea what they were doing when it came to filmmaking.

Finally, he was ushered into the office of the great General George Marshall who gave him control over the films Mr. Capra wanted to direct and produce.

The seven films he made for the war department are now considered classics and any serious student of film and movies should look at. They are: 1)Prelude to War. 2)The Nazis Strike 3)Divide and Conquer 4)Battle of Britain 5)Battle of Russia 6)Battle of China and 7)War Comes to America.

They were shown to audiences in every Allied country to tremendous applause and even in Russia where Stalin ordered 500 prints of "Battle of Russia." On the day Mr. Capra was discharged the great General Marshall awarded him the "Distinguished Service Medal." Up to that point only two other men were awarded that medal...Generals Marshall and Eisenhower.

"The Name Above the Title," is by far the best autobiography I have read by a filmmaker. It encapsules the movie business from the silent era into the early 1970's.

Mr Capra stands among the giants of the movie business...in my opinion the number one giant. His ability to use his science background to enhance the processes, mechanics, and techniques in the industry, and in my opinion, is to this very day are unmatched. His love of reading and his collection of the classics enhanced his ability to tell a story on screen as good as anyone.

His understanding of the working class, the downtrodden, and his belief in the American dream becoming reality is a hallmark in all his movies and that is why his movies live on with as much impact today as when they were made.

[Paolo Ventura · Rating 3 out of 5]

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Per quanto ne sapessi, non c’era mai stato nessun grande libro, nessuna tragedia, nessun quadro o scultura classica, nessuna grande opera d’arte, sotto qualunque forma, che fosse stata creata da un gruppo di lavoro – forse con la sola eccezione delle cattedrali gotiche. Nel mondo dell’arte il principio è «un uomo, un quadro/una statua/un libro/un film».
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Ciascun film è un pezzo della tua vita che si svolge in un piccolo universo irreale con caratteristiche proprie e una sua compiutezza; dotato di uno scenario dove avvengono esperienze indimenticabili ed episodi incredibili. Cominci ad amarlo e a adattarti alla sua stravaganza. I sogni prendono consistenza. I suoi valori visti «attraverso una lente, nell’oscurità» vengono messi a fuoco. Vorresti che non finisse mai. Ma il film finisce. Il mondo fantastico svanisce come la nebbia all’alba; e una parte di te svanisce con lui. Ti ritrovi catapultato nel mondo reale, stanco, a disagio, nervoso, intrattabile. C’è un solo modo per guarire. Un nuovo film. Un nuovo piccolo mondo irreale; nuove visioni, esperienze, episodi incredibili. Ti innamori un’altra volta, lo fai tuo, vorresti che non finisse mai. Fare dei film contiene tutto questo.
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All’Academy Award Banquet dell’anno dopo, il 27 febbraio 1935, WOW! Accadde una notte si aggiudicò tutti e cinque i maggiori premi: miglior film, migliore attrice protagonista, migliore attore protagonista, migliore sceneggiatore e miglior regista! E fino al 1970 rimase l’unico film così premiato.
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L’esperienza di Orizzonte perduto che fu tutto sommato sorprendente e, per me e per la Columbia, quasi disastrosa, mette in luce un aspetto del cinema che pochi, soprattutto tra i critici, riescono a cogliere. Quando un autore scrive un libro, il suo scopo è quello di comunicare con ogni lettore preso singolarmente. Un film è fatto per comunicare con centinaia e, possibilmente, migliaia di spettatori per volta. La linea di confine tra il sublime e il ridicolo è ben definita e sicura quando il fruitore è il singolo; diventa più sottile e pericolosa di fronte a un pubblico numeroso; e più numeroso è il pubblico, più sottile diventa la linea. Questo è il motivo per cui i critici famosi sbagliano quando insistono per vedere un film da soli, in una sala di proiezione privata con il tavolino dei drink a fianco. Il loro giudizio cambierebbe sicuramente se fossero costretti a vedere il medesimo film in una sala affollata.
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E, potrei aggiungere, l’opinione collettiva di un grande gruppo di persone è generalmente più sana e più corretta delle opinioni individuali. In breve: «Il pubblico ha sempre ragione», è una scommessa sicura.
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L’incontro con i critici inglesi mi fu estremamente utile. Credo che, se è vero che l’Inghilterra ha perso un impero che aveva conquistato con la spada, non perderà mai la supremazia intellettuale che ha conquistato con la penna. Gli inglesi possono apparire freddi e privi di emozioni, ma quando gli metti una penna in mano colpiscono facilmente nel segno.
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Non potevo dimenticare i tesori d’arte che avevo visto all’Hermitage, comprati dagli zar con le tasse dei contadini lasciati nell’ignoranza, per dare a un Romanov, recluso in quel palazzo, qualcosa di piacevole da ammirare sulle pareti.
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Ero l’appestato. Come Eisenstein a Mosca ero forse diventato un paria? Una sola parola di Stalin lo aveva messo in isolamento. Evidentemente una sola parola di Cohn era bastata per rendermi un «intoccabile» dagli altri studios. La politica dittatoriale del Cremlino non era molto diversa dall’autocrazia economica di Hollywood.
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Il cinema è una malattia, e una volta che ti è entrato nel sangue non te ne liberi più; come con l’eroina, di cui finisci per aver bisogno in dosi sempre più grandi. L’astinenza dalla droga è una tortura per il corpo, ma l’astinenza dal set distrugge l’anima di un regista, la sua essenza.
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Quando vedo una folla, io vedo un insieme di liberi individui: dove ciascuno è una singola persona, ciascuno un re o una regina, ciascuno una storia che potrebbe riempire un libro, ciascuno un’isola di dignità umana. Sì, che gli altri facessero pure film sulle grandi svolte della Storia, io avrei fatto i miei sull’uomo qualunque.
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Le scene di sesso esplicite fra giovani sono così imbarazzanti da diventare ridicole. Quelle fra persone mature sono lubriche, o addirittura offensive.
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Non c’erano grandi e piccoli ruoli. Erano tutte parti da grandi attori, anche se duravano cinque secondi. E per me questa era una legge sacrosanta: per quanto breve, ogni segmento di tempo di un film ha la stessa necessità e importanza di ogni altro segmento di tempo, più lungo o più complesso che sia.
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Non c’è niente di male nella vita comoda, basta saperne sopportare la noia e avere lo stomaco per reggere il vuoto di «quelli che amano la bella vita».
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Che cosa è altro, infatti, il destino se non il farmacista che firma le ricette che noi stessi ci prescriviamo?
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Sotto una pioggia sferzante ripresi Eisenhower, comandante supremo dell’esercito Alleato, mentre consegnava le lauree ai laureandi di Sandhurst (l’equivalente inglese di West Point). Il succo del discorso era questo: Signori, nel bel mezzo di una guerra, voi vi siete laureati ufficiali di professione nel mestiere della guerra. Che è il mestiere, signori ufficiali, più arcaico, brutale, senza senso, distruttivo, bestiale, disumanizzante, che l’uomo abbia inventato. Dovrebbe essere stato abolito da un bel po’. E invece abbiamo un compito da portare a termine, un compito brutale e schifoso.
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Quando piovono i dollari è in gioco solo la quantità, non ci si preoccupa certo della bontà dell’opera. La produzione cinematografica hollywoodiana prevedeva un 20% di film di qualità ad alto budget e un 80% di film di seconda categoria con spese molto contenute.
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La vecchia canzone dei dittatori: che ti sfameranno, ti proteggeranno, che ti daranno la pace. La stessa delle guardie carcerarie.
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Quando accarezzi la testa di un fanciullo è come se accarezzassi Dio, quando colpisci un uomo è come se uccidessi la divina bontà.
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E, nella nostra professione, quando vincono gli affaristi il cinema finisce per tornare indietro di dieci anni almeno.
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E sebbene dimostri il più vivo rispetto per film italiani come Ladri di biciclette e Paisà, sente che quei film lasciano una traccia di disperazione del tutto estranea agli americani. «Quei film sembrano dire tutti: “Non si può far nulla. Tutto va come deve andare”», ha sottolineato Frank Capra. «Noi qui crediamo ancora nel lieto fine: è necessario alla nostra visione del mondo come le automobili e le tubature dell’acqua».
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Questo è ciò che la scatola nera significa per il mondo: ci ha trasformati da persone in attori. E tutto ciò che accade oggi nel mondo ha sempre l’aria di essere una prestazione televisiva.
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Hollywood abdicava davanti alla scatola idiota.
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[...] il riso è la componente più piacevolmente misteriosa di un mistero ancora più grande, la psiche umana.
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Gli svedesi, essendo rimasti neutrali, non potevano prendersela con nessuno. Così fecero a meno della trama e sfidarono tutti a capire i loro film. E i critici che non li capivano, come tutti gli altri, dissero che quella era vera arte.
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Dove furono guidati i re magi? A un castello? No, a una stalla. Vedono una stella, ma la realtà è una stalla. La vita è un’insieme di stelle e di stalle; gloria e immondezza.
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«Non scendete a compromessi. Perché solo i coraggiosi possono creare. E solo chi è capace di osare dovrebbe fare i film. Solo chi ha coraggio morale è degno di parlare ai suoi simili per due ore al buio. E solo chi è integro sul piano artistico può conquistarsi e mantenere la fiducia della gente».
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L’artista muore dalla voglia di realizzare qualche progetto senza interferenze «commerciali». Ecco un’interessante guerra civile: l’artista contro il dittatore. È una guerra vecchia come il tempo.
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[Scott Stambler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for anyone in the film business. It describes process, creativity, and the physical stress put on a director. It's been a long time since I read it, but I do remember Capra getting so ill after having made five very successful films, that he thought he was dying. There's a great deal of financial and peer pressure on directors to succeed with each film they make. And that pressure hasn't changed.

I have a theory that modern-day directors who've made a few good films, and enough money to retire for life--perhaps they avoid the pressure with 'success denial' - an ability to just not care. A kind of lazy, passionless, wealthy state where they are surrounded by sycophants who cheer them on to make the same drivel.

For a while I considered Rob Reiner running a parallel life with Capra. (Interesting side note, Frank Capra JR has worked on many of Reiner's films) I have worked on many of Reiner's films. He is a great and gifted storyteller. Did Rob lose his edge? I don't think so. He made five very successful films and maybe "North" (his admitted bomb) set him on a downward spiral. I don't really know. I DO know that if Rob focused on something close to his heart and life, he'd make a great movie. Having worked in this business for thirty-three years I add Rob to the true 'genius' list of directors I've been lucky enough to work with. That list would also include Bob Zemeckis, who I hope is focusing on his story telling ability as I write this. I've worked with a few other incredibly smart directors, but few I'd call genius. Perhaps one other, whom I won't name--because his own brilliance gets in his way of knowing how to edit his material. Others may fall into the 'genius' category, but I'm only mentioning directors I've worked with.

Consider Woody Allen. I don't think this man lost his edge, though when I saw The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, I thought Woody had died. Yet, look at his current films. He didn't have to keep making films, but he faced whatever fears he must have had, and poured his heart back into his craft.

Anyway. Enough side bars and personal theories. Capra's book was great.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I discovered film culture I was entranced by the 'old-fashioned' Americana that has become known as 'Capraesque'. As a family each Thanksgiving we watched Miracle on "Thirty-fourth Street". I loved Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" and Gary Cooper in "Mr. Deeds goes to Town". Later I would learn about other great films of Capra like "Arsenic and Old Lace", Meet John Doe", and "It Happened One Night". One indication of Capra's greatness as a director is a partial list of leading actors that he directed including, in addition to Cooper and Stewart, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Kathryn Hepburn & Spencer Tracy, Donna Reed, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, and Frank Sinatra.
This autobiography was a natural for me to read when it was first published and I was not disappointed. It is an inspirational book and offers insights into the nature of artistic creativity. Anyone interested in the background of Frank Capra should consider reading his inspiring autobiography.

[Paul Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this 5 stars for one reason and one reason alone: Frank Capra himself. While the book, I think, is longer than it should be, or at least reads longer, and there is more detail than needed (long citations of names and players), the man, Frank Capra, for his work, for his ideals, for his love of God and this country rates 5 stars. We are blessed to have had such an ardent fan of America and humanity to have immortalized it in film - even to have developed the craft. As the biography winds down in the late 60's Capra laments that film has become little more than shock and depravity. Sadly he is mostly correct. Though - true to his nature - he does sign off with a spirit of hope for humanity and its future. Will we ever have another Frank Capra? Not likely. To our collective loss.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few times in my reading about the history of film, I ran across a recommendation to read Frank Capra's auto-biography. So this year I put it on my Christmas list and it was, indeed, a treat.

This is a history of the Hollywood movie industry from its bare beginnings at the turn of the century all the way through to the 1970s.

People, places, events of that time--Capra was around them all.

So many interesting tidbits and not enough room to relate them all.

If you like the movies, especially the old Hollywood classics, you must read this book.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Capra's autobiography is more than a bit of a brick, still for the most part he is entertaining, if more than a bit self-congratulatory. By the end Capra has become more than a bit out of place and reactionary, it's not hard to see why his later films weren't as successful, but when writing about the Hollywood of the '20s and '30s he's generally interesting. Still I can forgive a lot from the man who gave us It's A Wonderful Life and anything after that was going to be an anti-climax anyway.

[Dar · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting book! What an interesting man! If you like the movies, and especially the old movies, this is a must read. Frank Capra made some wonderful movies that are still worth watching today and this book provides a lot of interesting facts about how he made them. He also talks a lot about his war-time service and how difficult it was to get through the Army bureaucracy to get training films made for the troops about why they were fighting. Hated for it to end.

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiography from one of the great classic-era directors. It's overblown in style and in Capra's sense of self, and I imagine it was at least partly ghostwritten, but it's fun to read. I wish he'd gone into a little more detail on the making of his classics (Lost Horizon, You Can't Take It With You, It's a Wonderful Life), though I love his dishy digs as obnoxious folks like Claudette Colbert and Glenn Ford.

[Sharon Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy books written by a real Hollywood insider, I think highly of
the late Frank Capra's autobiography THE NAME ABOVE THE TITLE.
Capra was one of the finest film directors ever. He shines as a writer, too.
I couldn't put this one down. I laughed, sympathized, cheered as he
tells what the movies were like from the "silent" onward.

I have been reading since the age of 2. These days I read at least
fifty books a year. This is one of the best books I've ever read.

[Laural · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiographies are interesting because you get such a loaded POV. And Capra's is no different. He really did so much to move the industry forward (contract negotiations, power, etc.) and I loved that he always stuck to his "good guy" values. Fascinating how much he did for the war effort. And especially interesting for him to realize his way of doing things and the kind of pictures he liked to make were on the way out when he wrote it. Insightful for any artist or leader!

[Richard Blankman · Rating 2 out of 5]

His ego was through the roof, and a few passages were sexist or homophobic. That annoyed me. Moreover, he aged into a curmudgeon who couldn't stand what film had become, a vantage point I fundamentally disagree with.

Nevertheless, I enjoy reading about entertainment in the 30s, and it was interesting to read about his life and his films. I learned from the adventure.

[Johanna Cormier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a paperback ISBN 553-07306-195 of this book in the free bin outside the library book sale. I can't believe they tossed it there. This book is wonderfully funny and fascinating. Great read for anyone who, like me, is a fan of pre 1950's film era. (My review from 2011)

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the most moving and inspiring book about movie making I've ever read. Capra's autobiography is a portrait of Hollywood's long gone Golden Age, and it's just as powerful and uplifting as his many films.

[Joe Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capra comes off as a little conceited, and there isn't much about It's a Wonderful Life (half the reason I bought the book), but this is still a terrific book about the early days of Hollywood and the part Capra had to play in that. Highly recommended.

[Ed Wisneski · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who know Frank Capra only through his movie "It's a Wonderful Life," this autobiography of the famous director will reveal a man of unsurpassed ego who could have broken his arm patting himself on the back. A better title for this book would be "Humility, and How I Attained it."

[Anna Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It goes without saying that Capra can captivate with imagery. He had done so in the movies for four decades. But in telling his rags-to-riches life story, there isn't much that is anything less than fascinating.

[amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic novel by one of the greatest directors. Anyone who is interested in hollywood history and film in general need to read this book.