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These films I’m making were just my way of saying “Thanks America.”

# Review

In this documentary, the life and works of the great American filmmaker Frank Capra are examined. The film covers his professional life, from his legendary films in the 1930s such as It Happened One Night and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, to his eventual decline in popularity in the later decades. The film also dives into his personal life, from his meteoric rags-to-riches rise from growing up in poverty to being at the zenith of Hollywood, to some of his sometimes contradictory views and opinions.

It Happened One Night is one of my favourite movies because it affirms the positives of humanity so before I watched this documentary, I thought Capra’s own story is one of an idealist overcoming obstacles in his way. This film showed me a more nuanced view of his life, such as his self-loathing of having grown up poor. The film also highlighted some of Capra’s contradictory views, such as his desire to be a man of the people while at the same time ingratiating himself with the rich and powerful. The film also dove into some aspects of his life which I had no idea about, such as his role in making propaganda films during WWII.

# Conclusion

A superficial overview of Frank Capra's life and career.

# Overall rating: 7.3

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