Frank Capra: Mr America

This documentary uses previously unseen archive to examine Capra’s story and unpick his complex relationship with America. We hear in his own words how he fought to escape his Italian American roots and eventually made his way to Hollywood in the early years of the studio system. The film offers a candid portrait of a complicated man whose stories of hope in troubled times continue to speak to audiences today. Despite his humble beginnings, by the 1930s Frank Capra was perhaps the most successful and influential film director in the world. Today we still use the term Capra-esque to describe his particular kind of storytelling. But more than that, Capra’s films spoke to a public that was wearied by world events. The Great Depression was devastating lives, World War II was around the corner, and Capra’s movies were seen by many as a balm in troubled times. His films brought audiences together and offered a vision of America where ideals win out, decency triumphs and ordinary people have their day.

When I was first thinking about this film, I was drawn to the idea of sifting through the contradictions and tracing them through Capra’s work and life. But Capra did more than just make films—he also helped shape our ideas of the US, and I wonder if some of the same contradictions might feed through to how we think of America and how America thinks of itself. Perhaps. It’s a curious time to revisit Capra and his films. Like his audiences, we are living through troubled times ourselves—war, pandemic, social divisions, political instability. On release, Capra’s films offered entertainment and escape, and looking around you can recognise a similar impulse in cinema-going today. They also offered an idea of the country that was worth struggling on for. Maybe we can recognise a version of that impulse too, in the way today’s populist politicians talk about their countries. This might be cause for cynicism—the unity on offer has its limits, the reality doesn’t measure up the myth. But perhaps it still gives us something we should value. The idea that entertainment matters, that movies can bring us together, that common ground is possible—even in hard of times.

PRODUCTION: Nick Varley - Ten Thousand 86 Limited
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WORLD SALES: Vinele Grana - Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions
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ITALIAN DISTRIBUTION: Vinele Grana - Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions
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90232 – Culver City, United States of America
Tel. +1 3102443037
vinele_grana@spe.sony.com

PRESS OFFICE: Alex Rowley – AR:PR
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