The Name Above The Title in Golden Age of Hollywood Book Club

Mar 06, 2015 Anthony McGill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: film-directors-writers-etc-biogs

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 A 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. ...more

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Oct 10, 2018 Samantha Glasser marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: movies, non-fiction, i-own-a-copy

I've read about half of this thorough memoir and I enjoyed it immensely. It is detailed and readable and full of personality. It seems some of the stories may have been altered or exaggerated to suit Capra's ego, but I bought into it completely. ...more

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