Capra, Frank

views updated

Capra, Frank (1897–1991) US film director, b. Sicily. During the 1930s Depression, Capra made a string of successful screwball comedies. His central theme was the unlikely triumph of idealism and the common man over materialism and bureaucracy. He won three Academy Awards for best director: It Happened One Night (1934), Mr Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and You Can't Take It With You (1938). During World War II he directed propaganda films. It's a Wonderful Life (1947), perhaps Capra's best film, was a commercial failure.

More From encyclopedia.com