It’s a Wonderful Life’ is film director Frank Capra’s best film, right? Wrong! I must admit, I prefer his screwball comedy ‘It Happened One Night’, a 1934 movie which more or less kickstarted rom-coms as a genre. But Capra is undoubtedly one of the finest directors to come out of Hollywood during its golden era. His films—which include classics such as ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ and ‘Mr. Deeds Goes to Town’—defined the very archetype of American optimism, capturing the triumphs of the ordinary individual pitted against corporate or political institutions. Marked by rapid-fire dialogue, kinetic narrative pacing, and an unashamedly heart-on-sleeve sincerity, Capra’s unique blend of populist warmth and razor-sharp comic timing created a cinematic language so distinct it spawned its own adjective: Capraesque

. James Stewart—the actor most associated with Capra—once said that “the best Frank Capra story is the story of his own life. It’s got more highs and lows than a rollercoaster.” In Sam Wasson’s chunky new biography of the director, he explores all these highs and lows. Wasson is obviously a huge fan of the great man, and here he elevates the director above all other Hollywood filmmakers. He’s also made full use of Capra’s own archives for the first time—including many deeply personal writings that he made in his later years—to give us not only a rounded portrait of the director, but also an insight into filmmaking and Hollywood’s halcyon years. RM

Faber & Faber