When I think Capra, I think James Stewart. And when I think Stewart, I think forced and stiff sentimentality. Capra's war documentaries a bit better, and he did direct some veritable classics, but his feature films just aren't for me.
Movies
One of the many short docs the USA made to "inform" the people about World War II. Some of them are extremely patriotic, others even cross over into pure propaganda, but a few of them also offer a more factual take on the war. The Nazis Strike is the latter, which is the approach I personally prefer. There have been countless war docs since, what I appreciate about Capra's take is that it's very short and to the point. It's one of the best recaps detailing the start of World War II I've come across, which makes it an excellent introduction for people unfamiliar with the details of the war. On the other hand, for someone my age, who has seen more than his fair share of WWII documentaries, there isn't that much here. Some cute animations, clear language and solid pacing make sure it's watchable, but content-wise it's all very basic. Not bad, but hard to recommend unless you're clueless about WWII.Read all
One of the infamous war propaganda films directed by Frank Capra. Best known for his light-hearted feelgood dramas, the US army asked Capra to direct some uplifting and energizing documentaries that would bring hope to all those fighting the Nazi armies (from home and/or in the trenches). This episode focuses on the Battle of Britain (duh), Hitler's first big defeat that would put a big dent into the air of invincibility that the Nazi army had created for itself. No doubt the broad lines of this documentary are accurate enough, but I wouldn't pay too much attention to any particular details. It's quite clear that this was a film with a specific mission. Because it's so energetic it's actually quite fun to watch, pretty different from most war documentaries, but that doesn't change the fact that this is little more than a piece of dedicated propaganda, meant to raise the spirit of all those fighting in the war. A fun curiosity, but nothing more.Read all
An old Capra. I'm not his biggest fan, and I can't really stand Cary Grant either. Both are incredibly stiff in their own way, so I guess in some way they do make a good match. Sadly, that never seemed to lead to good cinema. Arsenic and Old Lace is no exception, it's an incredibly crusty comedy that greatly overstays its welcome. Grant is an enormous miscast, the jokes are lame and outdated and the runtime is excessive, though that's probably because the comedy fell completely flat for me. At least the film doesn't try to do anything else but to be funny, so the mood is light at all times. It's not much, but it's something.Read all
It's been quite a while since I last watched a Capra/Stewart collaboration. I'd forgotten how indifferent I was to their films, this turned out to be a good reminder. I can't really stand Stewart, and I find Capra's style to be utterly bland and forgettable. The runtime is the final nail in the coffin. The romance is dry, the families are pure caricatures, the comedy is cheesy and whatever drama there was fell completely flat. And all of that is stretched to pass the 2-hour mark. The light tone keeps it somewhat watchable, but that's of little comfort. A perfect Oscar winner I guess.Read all
Early Capra. While I think sound is one of the most undervalued and disregarded areas of cinema, I'm really not a fan of the early talkies. It seems they did their very best to catch up with years of silence, dumping as much dialogue into 90-120 minutes as they could muster. Not my kind of cinema. At almost two hours, the film drags on for way too long. Characters can't stop chatting, almost everyone is a caricature and Capra's tendency to makes thing overly cheesy and sentimental don't improve the film either. It's quite a chore to sit through, I haven't really found the big appeal of Capra's work yet.Read all
