The Premiere Frank Capra Collection (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington / It Happened One Night / You Can't Take It with You / Mr. Deeds Goes to Town / American Madness / Frank Capra's American Dream)

Average customer rating: 5.0

All I can say is "WOW!
Outstanding value DVD set
Capra is quietly cool.
Great films, great quality
Historic Films

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The Premiere Frank Capra Collection (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington / It Happened One Night / You Can't Take It with You / Mr. Deeds Goes to Town / American Madness / Frank Capra's American Dream)
Starring: Jean Arthur , James Stewart , Claude Rains , Edward Arnold , and Guy Kibbee
Director: Frank Capra
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Product Group: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000ION7A8
2006-12-05

Related Categories:

General

| Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Frank Capra

General

| Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Allwyn, Astrid

Arnold, Edward

Arthur, Jean

Bondi, Beulah

Carey, Harry

Demarest, William

Donnelly, Ruth

Elliott, Dick

Hall, Porter

Kibbee, Guy

Lane, Charles

Mitchell, Grant

Mitchell, Thomas

Pallette, Eugene

Rains, Claude

Stewart, James

Watkin, Pierre

Capra, Frank

All Sony Pictures Titles

Comedy

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Drama

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( P )

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Amazon.com

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<b>Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</b> Political heavyweights decide that Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), an obscure scoutmaster in a small town, would be the perfect dupe to fill a vacant U.S. Senate chair. Surely this naive bumpkin can be easily controlled by the senior senator (Claude Rains) from his state, a respectable and corrupted career politician. Director Frank Capra fills the movie with Smith's wide-eyed wonder at the glories of Washington, all of which ring false for his cynical secretary (Jean Arthur), who doesn't believe for a minute this rube could be for real. But he is. Capra was repeating the formula of a previous film, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, but this one is even sharper; Stewart and Arthur are brilliant, and the former cowboy star Harry Carey lends a warm presence to the role of the vice president. Bright, funny, and beautifully paced, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is Capra's ode to the power of innocence--an idea so potent that present-day audiences may find themselves wishing for a new Mr. Smith in Congress. The 1939 Congress was none too thrilled about the film's depiction of their august body, denouncing it as a caricature; but even today, Capra's jibes about vested interests and political machines look as accurate as ever. --Robert Horton

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<b>It Happened One Night</b> Director Frank Capra (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) took home every Oscar in the book (well, okay, all the major ones) for this seminal 1934 comedy starring Clark Gable as a hard-bitten reporter who stays close to a runaway heiress (Claudette Colbert) rather than lose a good story. Funny and sexy, the film is full of memorable scenes often referred to in other films, such as the "walls of Jericho" (a mere bedcover hung on a line down the middle of a room so opposite-sex roommates can get undressed), and Colbert's famous flash of thigh to stop a speeding car in its tracks. Capra's brisk, urbane brand of wit was a perfect complement to his populist faith in the common man (in this case, Gable's character), and that inspired combination makes this film both a spirited entertainment and an uplifting experience. --Tom Keogh

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<B>You Can't Take It With You </B>
Frank Capra's 1938 populist spin on the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart play about a family of happy eccentrics is a great deal of fun, though it significantly rewrites the original work and doesn't represent Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) at his best. Jean Arthur plays a member of the blissful Vanderhof household who falls in love with a rich man's son (James Stewart) and brings him into her nutty home. Lionel Barrymore, who played such a bad guy eight years later in Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, is the wonderful Grandpa Vanderhof, who addresses God during the dinner prayer as "sir" and speaks plainly and beautifully of why it's good to be alive. Capra took this opportunity to rail against big business and champion the common man, but the overall tone of the film--typical for the director's comedies--is buoyant and snappy. --Tom Keogh

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<B> Mr. Deeds Goes to Town</B>
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is Frank Capra's classic screwball comedy about a village innocent who inherits $20 million, only to discover it's more trouble than it's worth. The screwball in question is Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper), a small-town greeting-card poet and tuba player transplanted to the big city to administer his newly inherited wealth, where fast-pattering, wised-up cynics, sneering society denizens, and corrupt lawyers lord it over the ingenuous and straightforward. Deeds's idiosyncrasies are amply magnified in the tabloids by journalist "Babe" Bennett (Jean Arthur), dating Deeds as a cover, only to discover she's the sap when she falls irresistibly for him. But the damage has been done, when Babe's column is used by a pack of corrupt lawyers, Cedar, Cedar, Cedar & Budington, to prove Deeds mentally unfit. The miracle of this unforgettable comedy is how it embraces dark material, calling into question some common assumptions about capitalism while maintaining an approachable atmosphere of light comedy, and deceptively so. You'll be so pixilated by its charm, you won't rest until you've doodled your way to a rhyme for "Budington." --Jim Gay

<strong><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="cc6600"> More Stills from The Premiere Frank Capra Collection (click for larger image) </font></strong> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" width="100%" cellspacing="4">

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Product Description

Designated the "Number One Director in Hollywood" by Time Magazine in 1938 and voted by Entertainment Weekly (April 19th issue, 1996) as one of the greatest directors of all time, Capra has received numerous industry awards and accolades over the course of his successful career including three Best Director Oscars®. </p>

The Premiere Frank Capra Collection is a 6-disc collectible box set featuring five of Frank Capra's best films. The digitally re-mastered set includes Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, You Can't Take it With You, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, It Happened One Night and American Madness. The DVD box set includes a bonus disc packed with all-new interviews, archival footage, plus Frank Capra's American Dream documentary hosted by Ron Howard and produced by Capra's eldest son, Frank Capra, Jr. (An Eye for an Eye, Marooned). This Premiere Collection also features commentaries for each film, along with a 96- page collectible Movie Scrapbook.</p>

Customer Reviews:

All I can say is "WOW!.......2007-06-01

It was a happy day for me when I learned that this collection was being isssued and when it arrived from Amazon my first act was to cancel all my appointments, take the phone off the hook and settle down with a bowl and popcorn and discover just what made Frank Capra one of the leading directors of his day and indeed for all time. I was not disappointed. Along with favorites like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "You Can't Take it with You" were "It Happened One Night" (which I had not seen in years and did not recall how good it was) and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town." Also included in this set is a fabulous collection of films documenting just how Frank Capra was able to produce his fabulous collection of films. It is rare that great classics of American cinema get the attention and treatment that they deserve, but this is one of those rare instances of the material being treated in the appropriate manner.

It really would be silly for me to try to capture the magic and craftsmanship that went into making these fabulous films. Capra had a particular talent for being to tap into the fundamental aspects of what it meant to be an American in the 1930s and 1940s and this talent is on full display in this collection. They contain some marvelous performances, particularly by Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Claudette Caulbert and in particular Jean Arthur. While Capra's autobiography does contain it share of myths, the chapters that detail the efforts it took to get these performances down on film is probably worth consulting for the insights it provides.

If I were to fault it for one or two things it would be the omission of two classics in the Capra canon. These are "Meet John Doe" which really is crying out for a restoration and a proper release on DVD and "It's a Wonderful Life." These movies are probably excellent examples of Capra's creativity, but as this fine collection proves, they are by no means the only ones.

I hope that other directors are in line for similar treatments in the future. However it is doubtful if future efforts will surpass this one for its overall excellence.

Outstanding value DVD set.......2007-05-30

This DVD collection is obviously going to be popular with sure fire entertainments such as "You Can't take it with You" and "Mr Smith goes to Washington" but the package goes much further by providing lengthy interviews with Capra's son about each of the films, a detailed documentary about Capra himself, expert commentaries with each film and a detailed booklet. This is outstanding value.

All of the films are excellent and Amazon themselves provide worthwhile summaries. Here are a few observations:

- "Mr Deeds goes to Town" is my least favourite and probably most guilty of what is called "Capra corn". Gary Cooper was often a mannered actor and for me he overdoes his "Aw shucks" country bumpkin. Jean Arthur compensates enormously, making believable that this worldly "babe" could fall for Mr Deeds. She helps Cooper enormously to pull off his performance.
- "American Madness", made in 1932 before Capra really hit the bigtime, benefits from a shorter running time with a fast pace created by the editing. At the height of the Depression, a story about a run on a bank was timely and the note of optimism sounded by the resolution was refreshing. Walter Huston is outstanding as the head of the bank and the serene Kay Johnson, a poised and beautiful presence in any film, plays his wife. The film has one great set and Capra moves his camera around it, including some powerful overhead shots. His crowd scenes are outstanding as always.
- Jean Arthur was a wonderful actress and if her parts in each film are quite similar, it doesn't matter. With her husky inimitable voice and warm smile, she is memorable.
- Clark Gable is very funny in "It happened One Night", a very underrated comedian.
- "Mr Smith goes to Washington" has similarities to "Mr Deeds" but is superior in every way. The documentaries tell that in fact, it was originally conceived as a sequel. James Stewart is much more convincing than Gary Cooper and the yarn has far more tension then the earlier film. It is much less dated. The film was very popular on its release except in Washington where the depiction of political corruption was considered "un-American".

All of the prints are good, although "It happened One Night" suffers from grainy scenes. The films benefit from Capra's attention to detail, particularly the character actors which populated his films. The documentaries tell us that actors lived to appear in a Capra film because they knew that even the smallest part would be treated with loving attention. The most amusing story about this is the casting of Harry Cary in "Mr Smith" as the Speaker in the Senate. On paper, the part was minor but there are numerous telling close ups as he reflects the audience reaction to what is happening. It is a very important role.

The documentary about Capra himself tells of his beginnings as an Italian immigrant. Undoubtedly, his own rise from humble beginnings influenced his view of America as the land of opportunity and his depiction of the power of the people. He lived the "American Dream". Even if you are uncomfortable with the idealism expounded in most of the films (Capra corn), each film tells a good story and provides great entertainment.

Capra is quietly cool........2007-04-06

Mr. Capra is an excellent, pro-American director. He believes in the USA.....his movies prove it. In today's world it is nice to watch movies that have strong Christian, moral pro-USA values. I have liked every Capra movie I have ever seen. He was cutting edge as a movie director.

Great films, great quality.......2007-02-03

I bought the Premiere Frank Capra Collection for my brother's birthday. He's a big Capra fan, but he was concerned that the film quality would not be good, given the low price. He was quite pleased to discover the quality was excellent.

Historic Films.......2007-01-19

Great review of film history in this amazing collection of Capra films. Surprisingly, many have a message that remains relevant to today's problems.

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