Overview

Frank Capra's films have had a lasting impact on American culture. His powerful depiction of American values, myths and ideals were central to such famous Hollywood films as ""It Happened One Night"", ""Mr Smith Goes to Washington"" and ""It's A Wonderful Life"". These pre-war films are remembered for their portrayal of individuals overcoming adversity, of popular politics and an unflappably optimistic view of life. This collection of nine essays by international film historians analyzes Capra's filmmaking during his most prolific period from 1928 to 1939, taking a closer look at the more complex aspects of his work. They trace his struggles for autonomy against Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn, his reputation as an auteur, and the ways in which working within studio modes of production may have enhanced the director's strengths. The contributors also place their critiques within the context of the changing fortunes of the Hollywood studio system, the impact of the Depression and Capra's working relationships with other studio staff and directors.

Full Product Details

Author:   Robert Sklar ,  Vito Zagarrio
Publisher:   Temple University Press,U.S.
Imprint:   Temple University Press,U.S.
Dimensions:   Width: 12.70cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 20.30cm
Weight:   0.386kg
ISBN:  

9781566396080

ISBN 10:   1566396085
Pages:   293
Publication Date:   30 March 1998
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

CONTENTS Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Anatomy of a House Director: Capra, Cohn, and Columbia in the 1930s Thomas Schatz 2 A Leap into the Void: Frank Capra's Apprenticeship to Ideology Robert Sklar 3 It Is (Not) a Wonderful Life: For a Counter-reading of Frank Capra Vito Zagarrio 4 Capra and the Abyss: Self-interest versus the Common Good in Depression America Charles J. Maland 5 It Happened One Night: The Recreation of the Patriarch Richard Maltby 6 Roosevelt, Arnold, and Capra, (or) the Federalist-Populist Paradox Guiliana Muscio 7 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Democratic Forums and Representational Forms Charles Wolfe 8 Studio Metamorphosis: Columbia's Emergence from Poverty Row Brian Taves 9 Notes on Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1926-1941, with a New Afterword Edward Buscombe Bibliography Filmography About the Contributors Index

Reviews

The essays in this book are revealing and rich in insight into one of cinemas most important early directors and the economic entity which brought his work into being. Anyone interested in film history will find this to be a very readable and illuminating work. -ForeWord

The essays in this book are revealing and rich in insight into one of cinemas most important early directors and the economic entity which brought his work into being. Anyone interested in film history will find this to be a very readable and illuminating work. -ForeWord

Author Information

Robert Sklar, Professor of Cinema at New York University, is the co-editor (with Charles Musser) of Resisting Images: Essays on Cinema and History (Temple), and the author of numerous books on film, including Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies, City Boys: Cagney, Bogart, and Garfield, and Film: An International History of the Medium, winner of the Kraszna-Krausz Book Award. Vito Zagarrio teaches film history at the University of Florence and film analysis at the University of Rome III, Italy.

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