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Virginia Viewpoints: Interview with Frank Capra
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0[00:00:03]SPEAKER 1: For here we arenot afraid to follow truth,[00:00:06]wherever it maylead, nor to tolerate[00:00:09]any error so long as reasonis left free to combat it.[00:00:14][MUSIC PLAYING][00:00:17][00:00:34][SIDE CONVERSATION][00:00:40][00:00:55]RAY BERRY: Welcome toVirginia Viewpoints.[00:00:57]Our guest today is one ofHollywood's most eminent[00:00:59]directors, Mr. Frank Capra,winner of numerous Academy[00:01:03]Awards and, for along time, a man[00:01:06]who had more Academy Awardsto his credit on one film than[00:01:10]had been equaled in Hollywood.[00:01:12]And well, that's oneof the things I think[00:01:14]we can talk about, Mr. Capra.[00:01:15]You, of course,have also compiled[00:01:17]a very impressive record ofAcademy Award nominations[00:01:20]and an equally impressivenumber of wins.[00:01:24]Tell us about the one picturethat has won more Academy[00:01:27]Awards than any other.[00:01:28]FRANK CAPRA: Well, that picturethat you're referring to is It[00:01:31]Happened One Night.[00:01:32]That got let's say the fivemajor-- well, not so much[00:01:37]major because allAcademy Awards are[00:01:39]major to those that get them.[00:01:40]But perhaps the five most talkedabout awards, the Best Picture,[00:01:45]the Best Directing, BestWriting, the Best Actor,[00:01:47]Best Actress, all five of those.[00:01:49]The only film so far to havebeen honored with those five[00:01:54]awards in one film.[00:01:56]RAY BERRY: Now, you've writtenprobably one of the best film[00:02:00]autobiographies that'sever been written[00:02:03]called Frank Capra, TheName Above the Title.[00:02:06]A large book, and a very,very interesting book.[00:02:10]One which makes great reading.[00:02:13]And for much ofit, you have talked[00:02:18]a great deal about yourselfand your background,[00:02:21]the kind of films you made,and the reason you made them.[00:02:24]And coming across veryclearly in the book[00:02:26]is a great desirefor Academy Awards.[00:02:29]This was somethingthat, in the early days,[00:02:32]you were extremelyinterested in.[00:02:34]How many altogether did you win?[00:02:37]FRANK CAPRA: Well, I wontwo for Best Picture,[00:02:39]three for Best Directing,and one for Best Documentary.[00:02:45]Yes, we all had desiresfor an Academy Award.[00:02:47]Mine was not an overridingone, in the sense[00:02:49]that I had any moredesire than anybody else.[00:02:51]But that, in our estimation,was the [INAUDIBLE] of applause,[00:02:59]when we were honoredby our own peers.[00:03:03]RAY BERRY: The AcademyAwards seemed to trace,[00:03:07]in some sense, thecomplexity of film.[00:03:10]Academy Awards started withapproximately 12 categories,[00:03:13]then they quickly droppedto seven categories.[00:03:15]They rose to 26 categories by1942, and a high of 28 in 1949.[00:03:20]And it's been about two dozenor more every year since then.[00:03:24]Things like, not just BestDirector, Best Actor and such,[00:03:29]but they began to go intoBest Color Work, Best[00:03:32]Black and White Workfor photography,[00:03:34]and this sort of thing.[00:03:35]Does this indicate thatfilms were becoming[00:03:37]more and morecomplicated, and more[00:03:40]and more difficult to produce?[00:03:41]Or does it indicate, in a sense,that they were becoming easier[00:03:44]to produce because therewas more expertise required,[00:03:48]there was moreequipment available?[00:03:50]FRANK CAPRA: Well, theequipment and the expertise[00:03:53]is a phenomenal thing that'shappened in Hollywood.[00:03:56]That is probably moreadvancement in the science[00:03:59]than they have beenin the arts, frankly.[00:04:02]And they are the greatestbrains in making films work[00:04:08]and making filmspossible in Hollywood[00:04:09]that were never assembled inany other kind of a business[00:04:12]really.[00:04:14]So we were honoring, ina sense, the science--[00:04:18]the Academy ofArts and Sciences.[00:04:20]And the arts were alwayshonored to begin with,[00:04:23]but we began to also honorthe science in many categories[00:04:28]of sciences, camera,sound, film, and even[00:04:33]the manufacturing of film.[00:04:35]They were always doingtremendous research work[00:04:37]to advance the wholescience of motion pictures.[00:04:41]So we were engaged inhonoring the sciences along[00:04:46]with the arts.[00:04:47]That's why it proliferatedin those kinds of awards.[00:04:51]RAY BERRY: A directoris as a general.[00:04:53]And supposedly, when a generalis working with privates[00:04:58]his authority is more easilyaccepted and is more absolute.[00:05:04]In the later days when you'reworking with a series of people[00:05:07]who, in themselves have hadmany, many years experience[00:05:09]and are experts in sound,and photography, and whatnot,[00:05:12]the general is workingwith lieutenant generals.[00:05:15]He's working with colonels.[00:05:17]Would you find that being adirector in the later days[00:05:19]was easier or harderthan in the early days?[00:05:21][00:05:25]FRANK CAPRA: Oh,I don't think so.[00:05:26]I think the directing hasbeen constantly made easier[00:05:31]because more and moreexpert people helping.[00:05:37]The time when you hadto actually invent[00:05:41]a great many things,like at one time[00:05:43]I had to make a miniatureof a submarine underwater.[00:05:48]And I had to do it witha toy little submarine[00:05:50]that I found at a candy store.[00:05:53]Those kind ofthings that later on[00:05:56]were helped by big departmentsthat we had-- special effects[00:05:58]departments.[00:05:59]We didn't have to go throughthat kind of trauma making[00:06:04]things do with nothing.[00:06:06]So the better their help, theeasier it is for the director.[00:06:12]RAY BERRY: Inventive geniuswas really your stepping stone[00:06:14]into film, was it not?[00:06:17]Or gag situations for Our Gang?[00:06:19]FRANK CAPRA:Inventiveness, perhaps,[00:06:21]yes, and a lot of gall.[00:06:24]That helped too.[00:06:28]RAY BERRY: One of the thingsthat has come up over the years[00:06:31]to take a more andmore important role[00:06:33]is motion picture film.[00:06:34][00:06:37]Motion picturesoriginally intended[00:06:38]to entertain audiencesand make money,[00:06:40]then they found their wayinto an academic setting[00:06:42]where they form the contentof film-appreciation courses.[00:06:45][00:06:48]Let's talk for a minuteabout academic film.[00:06:50]From your point ofview, what criteria[00:06:52]should students of film employin evaluating motion pictures?[00:06:56]FRANK CAPRA: Well, film is anart form, perhaps the greatest[00:06:58]art form ever created.[00:07:00]It uses most of the otherclassic platforms as tools.[00:07:04]It is so big and it has nolimits whatever is an art form.[00:07:09]So naturally, that's the firstthing you should evaluate.[00:07:14]Is it, as a film, anartistic creation,[00:07:18]or is it not anartistic creation?[00:07:21]But it's also a dichotomyof art and money.[00:07:25]Money is just as importantas the artistic part of it.[00:07:30]Because without money,you can't do the other.[00:07:34]So we have an art formthat is not just you[00:07:39]and a piece ofpaper and a pencil.[00:07:40]Not just you and somecanvas and some paints.[00:07:45]Not just you and a hammerand chisel and some marble.[00:07:49]It's you and a wholearmy of people,[00:07:54]and about $4 or $5million to spend.[00:07:57]That is your problem.[00:07:59]Your problem is how doyou keep making films[00:08:05]when you have to spend$4 million on them?[00:08:07]You only keep makingfilms by being[00:08:09]able to recoup that amount ofmoney and perhaps a profit.[00:08:13]So there is a profitmotive in making[00:08:14]of films that is absolutelynecessary to their existence.[00:08:19]And this is where we haveour problems because it[00:08:24]is a dichotomy of artand money, and they[00:08:26]speak different languages.[00:08:27]RAY BERRY: Let's touch for justa moment on what I mentioned[00:08:30]before, music and films.[00:08:32]The study of music and filmshas become an important thing,[00:08:36]almost as importanttoday as a study[00:08:38]of some of the earlier films.[00:08:40]For instance, there's a MaxSteiner film society now[00:08:42]which is fairly active.[00:08:43]FRANK CAPRA: Yes.[00:08:44]RAY BERRY: Aninternational organization.[00:08:45]What do you feel music'spurpose should be in film?[00:08:48]We're talking about comedyand dramatic films rather than[00:08:52]musicals.[00:08:53]FRANK CAPRA: Music's purposeis to aid the film in its moods[00:09:00]and its storytelling.[00:09:04]Lay a groundworkfor storytelling.[00:09:06]It should help the film.[00:09:07]Music should notbe seen or heard[00:09:10]on its own accord whenit's made for a film.[00:09:14]In other words, it'snot a composition that[00:09:16]should be played separately.[00:09:17]It can be played separately, andmany have been played separate.[00:09:20]But its originalintention is as an aide[00:09:25]to the film, not a directperformance of itself[00:09:30]and not to be heard without it.[00:09:31]And this, of course,Steiner knew very well[00:09:35]the reason he wasso successful was[00:09:37]that he was the first realperson in music to understand[00:09:42]that music was tohelp the film and not[00:09:45]the film to help the music.[00:09:46]RAY BERRY: He was alsounusually prolific.[00:09:48]I understand he hadmore than 450 films--[00:09:49]FRANK CAPRA: Right, but I thinkbecause everybody wanted him[00:09:52]because he knew whatto do with music.[00:09:54]Now there weremany musicians who[00:09:55]thought the film was avehicle for their music.[00:10:00]And then, of course,they found out it wasn't.[00:10:02]RAY BERRY: When filmmusic buffs get together,[00:10:04]the score for Lost Horizonis inevitably discussed.[00:10:07]FRANK CAPRA: Yes.[00:10:08]RAY BERRY: Could you tell us howthis score came to be created?[00:10:11]Your friend, Dimitri Tiomkin--[00:10:12]FRANK CAPRA: Well, Ihad met Dimitri Tiomkin[00:10:15]and he'd never scoreda film in his life.[00:10:16]I think he had something to dowith Great Waltz before that,[00:10:20]but not really an entirejob on his own shoulders.[00:10:24]And this Lost Horizon wassomething that pretty far out.[00:10:31]And I wanted music thatI thought would fit that[00:10:34]the whole Shangri-La thing,that whole Tibetan thing.[00:10:37]And here is Dimitri Tiomkinthat knows Russian music, that[00:10:42]knows music with Asian sources.[00:10:46]And I thought, he should do it.[00:10:47]I thought he could do it.[00:10:48]Now, he'd never donea film in his life.[00:10:51]And this is Columbia'smost important film,[00:10:53]and to give it to a musicianto score who had never[00:10:57]scored a film before wasreally asinine, really,[00:11:01]to everybody else.[00:11:01]And it should havebeen and it really[00:11:03]was, except that I hada hunch he could do it.[00:11:06]And I insisted that he do it.[00:11:08]And I remember he triedto play the themes for me.[00:11:12]He wanted me to hearand I said, no, I[00:11:14]don't want to hear any themes.[00:11:15]I want this to be entirelyyour music, not mine.[00:11:19]Because then I wouldget my ideas in there[00:11:21]and would screwit up completely.[00:11:23]I'd had some other idea.[00:11:24][00:11:27]But I did hedge it by one way.[00:11:30]I mean, I cop triedto cop a bet there.[00:11:32]I got Max Steiner toconduct the music.[00:11:36]And if the music didn't fit, orif it was completely unusable,[00:11:43]he would be there to fillin and make the score.[00:11:47]So that was my cop out.[00:11:49]Well, they camethe day when they[00:11:52]were rehearsing the main title.[00:11:54]I hadn't heard onenote of the music,[00:11:57]and I was really on pinsand needles about it.[00:12:01]And I was waiting for MaxSteiner's opinion of it.[00:12:04]Now,[00:12:05]Max Steiner calledme and he said,[00:12:06]we're going to rehearse themusic of the first title.[00:12:08]You better come overhere and listen to it[00:12:10]because it will be surprised.[00:12:12]So I sneaked into the musicstage, hid in the shadows,[00:12:17]and listened to one rehearsal.[00:12:19]And I knew we had atremendous score coming up.[00:12:23]RAY BERRY: Lost Horizon hasn'tbeen shown in quite some time,[00:12:26]and there has been a rumorabout that there are no existing[00:12:29]prints of Lost Horizon.[00:12:30]Do you know if this is true?[00:12:31]FRANK CAPRA: The printshave been recalled[00:12:33]because they have made a remakeof Lost Horizon as a musical,[00:12:38]Columbia have.[00:12:40]And is now playing,and I suppose[00:12:42]when that gets finished,the original Lost Horizon[00:12:46]will be available again toschools and to societies[00:12:51]who want to see it.[00:12:52]RAY BERRY: Whatabout film archives?[00:12:54]Out here, we get theimpression that many films[00:12:57]are just no longer available.[00:12:58]They've been totally lost.[00:13:00]Is there an original negativeof all of these films in a film[00:13:04]archive somewhere being safe,kept at the proper temperature[00:13:06]and--[00:13:07]FRANK CAPRA: No, notof all the films.[00:13:08]Unfortunately, many, manyfilms have been lost.[00:13:10]Many, many negativeshave been burnt,[00:13:12]and many, many printshave been destroyed[00:13:15]so that there'sno remaining print[00:13:18]or negative of many,many early films.[00:13:21]RAY BERRY: You've got,approximately what,[00:13:23]30 feature films that you've--[00:13:25]FRANK CAPRA: About 40.[00:13:26]RAY BERRY: About 40?[00:13:26]FRANK CAPRA: Yes.[00:13:27]RAY BERRY: Are all ofthese still existing[00:13:29]or are some lost?[00:13:30]FRANK CAPRA: No, some are lost.[00:13:31]Some of the early ones are lost.[00:13:33]RAY BERRY: Since1931, say, dirigible,[00:13:37]are all of those still existing?[00:13:41]FRANK CAPRA: It ispossible that all of them[00:13:43]are still existingexcept for one.[00:13:48]Lady For a Day.[00:13:49]The negative of LadyFor a Day is lost.[00:13:52]There are a couple ofprints existing of Lady[00:13:53]For a Day that might be usedto make dupe negatives from.[00:13:59]RAY BERRY: You filmed theLindsay Crouse play, Arsenic[00:14:04]and Old Lace.[00:14:04]FRANK CAPRA: Arsenicand Old Lace, yes.[00:14:06]RAY BERRY: And how did youlike that film yourself[00:14:08]when you saw it?[00:14:09]FRANK CAPRA: I loved it.[00:14:11]It was a very funny film.[00:14:12]RAY BERRY: It played beforea college audience recently[00:14:15]and the audience just loved it.[00:14:17]It was a full houseand they laughed[00:14:18]until the tears rolled down.[00:14:20]And it was an absolutelytimeless thing.[00:14:21]FRANK CAPRA: Yes, well that'sthe way it affected me, too.[00:14:23]But I saw the play and Iwanted to do that very badly.[00:14:28]RAY BERRY: It brought upthe very definite thought[00:14:31]that this kind of comedy,which was shot in what, '41?[00:14:34]This sort of thing isvery, very adaptable today,[00:14:37]and of course there's nothingbeing made like that on films[00:14:40]that I know of.[00:14:41]The situation we're into withtelevision and with films[00:14:44]today is a far different thing.[00:14:46]They're making a verydifferent kind of film.[00:14:48]I'd like to, if I could,quote something from your book[00:14:53]concerning films todaybecause I think it's--[00:14:55]FRANK CAPRA: That's whathappens when you write a book.[00:14:58]It comes back to haunt you.[00:15:00]RAY BERRY: Well, I shouldn'tthink this would haunt.[00:15:03]But on page 400 ofyour autobiography,[00:15:07]we run across this paragraph.[00:15:09]"Practically all of theHollywood filmmaking of today[00:15:11]is stooping to cheap,salacious pornography,[00:15:14]and a crazy bastardizationof a great art[00:15:16]to compete for the patronageof deviates and masturbators.[00:15:19]If that isn't aslide from films,[00:15:21]it'll do until a realavalanche hits our film mecca."[00:15:24]First of all, let mesay I completely agree.[00:15:27]You could go even furtherand include the sadists[00:15:29]because they seem to have asignificant part in today's[00:15:32]filmmaking.[00:15:32]Why?[00:15:33]What's happened to filmmakingthat the people who[00:15:36]put together all of thismoney and all of this talent[00:15:39]should producethat kind of film,[00:15:41]rather than something whichis designed for entertainment?[00:15:44]FRANK CAPRA: Well,most of the film today[00:15:46]is being produced byindependent producers.[00:15:50]That is the old studiosystem where they produce 40,[00:15:54]50 pictures in onestudio is gone.[00:15:57]And today, the systemis roughly that you[00:16:00]finance one picture at a time.[00:16:03]And when you do that, youbecome very conservative.[00:16:07]Because if you don't makeprofit with that one film,[00:16:10]you may not finance a next one.[00:16:11]If you don't make aprofit with two films,[00:16:13]you have a verydifficult time going on.[00:16:16]So profits are theprincipal thing today.[00:16:20]The films must make a profit.[00:16:23]And so what happens is thatthese so-called independent[00:16:28]producers, who shouldbe very innovative[00:16:30]and try to make new things, newideas, experiment, they're not.[00:16:38]They are following each other.[00:16:41]Now, along comesGodfather, a big hit.[00:16:46]Now we get a wholeline of the Godfathers[00:16:49]coming out on theprinciple of violence.[00:16:53]Along comes somethingon I'm Curious Yellow,[00:16:55]a hit from Sweden,explicit sex, a big hit.[00:17:02]Then all we get nowis explicit sex,[00:17:05]whether the storycalls for it or not.[00:17:08]And they are followers today.[00:17:11]Trend followers,not trend makers.[00:17:13]And it is mostly because theythink past performances will[00:17:24]assure them profits.[00:17:25]That's the last thingthat will insure them[00:17:27]because the trendmakers make the money,[00:17:30]but the trend followers do not.[00:17:32]And this is a set up todayin Hollywood and all places[00:17:37]that is a sorry one.[00:17:40]They're makingpornographic pictures.[00:17:42]And they're makingsavagely violent pictures[00:17:47]because they think, youcan't get that on television.[00:17:50]That's why yourreasonable people[00:17:52]go to the theatersis to see something[00:17:54]they can't see on television.[00:17:56]And that is not so.[00:17:59]They'll go to seea film, providing[00:18:02]it entertains them, andlifts them, and provided[00:18:05]it gives them stories abouthuman beings, not stories[00:18:11]about human leperism Thecreep heroes, of course, are--[00:18:16]and they're goingout of circulation.[00:18:18]And They should go out.[00:18:20]And the quicker wereturn to making[00:18:24]films that willentertain, uplift, and not[00:18:27]entirely degradethe human spirit,[00:18:31]why the better it'll befor us and for our country.[00:18:34]Because I think films notonly reflect the times,[00:18:39]but they also affect the times.[00:18:43]RAY BERRY: Why doyou think television[00:18:44]has failed to fill this void?[00:18:46]What they've comethrough with, of course,[00:18:48]are thumb-sucking situationcomedies and melodramas.[00:18:51]And when they attemptdramatic films,[00:18:54]usually they're nothing but verymechanical, mystery thrillers.[00:19:00]And crime shows andmystery thrillers[00:19:02]seem to be the onlything on television[00:19:04]in these years, theearly 70s, which appear[00:19:07]to show any inventive talent.[00:19:10]FRANK CAPRA: Televisioneats up material faster[00:19:12]than it can be produced.[00:19:14]And it eats it up andthe sort of material[00:19:16]you get on television isgenerally rather half-baked,[00:19:20]not fully developed.[00:19:21]Not fully developed.[00:19:24]Playwrights used to workon a play four years.[00:19:26]Now they've got two weeksto write an hour play.[00:19:31]And naturally it's half-baked.[00:19:33]Naturally it's likesomething else.[00:19:37]And so the people arenot allowed enough time[00:19:43]with those shows thatthey make on television.[00:19:45]Now on films, that's whyfilms seem better than that[00:19:49]shows you get on television.[00:19:51]Principally, becausemore time is devoted.[00:19:53]People are allowedto develop, polish.[00:20:02]A film that costs$4 million is bound[00:20:06]to beat something thatcost $100,000 because[00:20:08]of just the actual timenecessary to do it.[00:20:12]Not so much the talent, asthe time and the attention[00:20:16]that is given.[00:20:17]RAY BERRY: What about themoney available to writers?[00:20:19]For instance, the short storythat became the basis for It[00:20:23]Happened One Night?[00:20:24]As I recall fromyour book, I think[00:20:26]the short story was$5,000, which is considered[00:20:29]a low price to pay at the time.[00:20:31]Today, what would theybe paying for the rights[00:20:33]to a short story, whichwould be expandable?[00:20:37]FRANK CAPRA: Well, if theythink it's something big,[00:20:40]the money that is paid for,say, a best-selling book[00:20:45]is tremendous.[00:20:47]A million dollars,half a million dollars.[00:20:50]RAY BERRY: Are shortstories still being bought?[00:20:52]FRANK CAPRA: Short stories,you can get $100,000 from it.[00:20:55]If they can develop theminto a film, yes, of course.[00:20:58]Now, that doesn't meanevery short story gets that.[00:21:01]But I mean one thatis really wanted[00:21:03]and somebody wanted tospend a lot of money on it.[00:21:07]If they're going to spend fouror five million on something,[00:21:10]they want something thatcosts more than $5000.[00:21:14]RAY BERRY: They just feelbetter about spending the money?[00:21:16]FRANK CAPRA: They feel betterabout spending the money, yes.[00:21:19]RAY BERRY: I'd liketo look into something[00:21:20]else in your book, whichis a personal statement[00:21:23]on the aspects of filmmaking.[00:21:24]And I'm going to read this.[00:21:26]It's several paragraphs long.[00:21:29]"There is a type of writing,which some critics deploringly[00:21:32]call the gee-whiz school.[00:21:33]The authors theypoint out, wander[00:21:35]about wide-eyed andbreathless, seeing everything[00:21:37]as larger than life.[00:21:39]If my films, and thisbook, smack here and there[00:21:42]of gee-whiz, well, gee-whiz.[00:21:44]To some of us, all that meetsthe eye is larger than life,[00:21:49]including life itself.[00:21:50]Who can match the wonder of it?[00:21:52]Despite his lean, bare prose,Hemingway was a gee-whizer.[00:21:57]The adrenals ofall his character[00:21:58]were oversized, as were his own.[00:22:00]He lived, wrote, and diedin a fireworks display.[00:22:03]Gauguin was a gee-whizzer.[00:22:04]He painted the South Seasnot as he found them,[00:22:06]but as he wanted to find them.[00:22:08]He created his own South Seas.[00:22:11]Homer's heroes were superheroes:Paris, Helen of Troy, Achilles,[00:22:14]Hector, Odysseus.[00:22:16]Plutarch's Liveswere superheroes.[00:22:18]And what of the prophets andapostles of biblical times:[00:22:21]Moses, Peter, David, and Paul?[00:22:23]Those were men to matchanyone's mountains.[00:22:26]We, the gee-whizzers,euphemistically[00:22:28]say we are of the upbeatschool, in contrast[00:22:30]to the down-beaters, whomwe non-euphemistically[00:22:32]relegate to the ash-can schoolbecause their films depict life[00:22:36]as an alley of cats, clawinglids off garbage cans,[00:22:39]and man as lessnoble than a hyena.[00:22:42]The ash-canners, in turn,call us Pollyannas, mawkish,[00:22:45]sentimentalists, andcorny happy-enders.[00:22:48]These are theHollywood filmmakers:[00:22:49]Mr. Upbeat and Mr. Downbeat.[00:22:52]One hopes to be righter thanright, and the other, righter[00:22:55]than wrong.[00:22:56]And in the middleis Mr. In-between.[00:22:58]Yet we all respectand admire each[00:23:00]other because thegreat majority freely[00:23:01]express their ownindividual artistry,[00:23:03]unfettered bysubsidies or strictures[00:23:05]from government, pressuregroups, or ideologists."[00:23:10]This was written nottoo many years ago.[00:23:12]I assume you still holdwith what you said there.[00:23:14]FRANK CAPRA: Yes, indeed.[00:23:15]Yes.[00:23:16]RAY BERRY: Now, would Ibe putting you on the spot[00:23:18]if I asked for some examples ingreat directors, contemporaries[00:23:23]of yours who would fit intothe upbeat, the downbeat,[00:23:26]and the in-between?[00:23:27][00:23:30]FRANK CAPRA: Well, yes, youwould be putting me on the spot[00:23:33]because that's acritical appraisal[00:23:37]of my fellow directors,which I'm not really equipped[00:23:40]to make.[00:23:40]And I should notmake because they all[00:23:44]do things in a different way.[00:23:45]They all see thingsin a different way,[00:23:46]and they're entitledto see things in a way.[00:23:48]And I'm not here to blamethem or castigate them[00:23:52]any way for what they do.[00:23:55]I think drama is justas dramatic as comedy.[00:24:00]Comedy is just as dramatic asdrama, and just as important,[00:24:05]by the way.[00:24:06]And so becauseI'm an upbeat man,[00:24:09]I'm not going tosay he's a downbeat,[00:24:12]and therefore I downgrade him.[00:24:13]No, I do not.[00:24:14]I may not like theBergman, the Swedish.[00:24:20]I think he deals too muchwith death and decomposition[00:24:25]of the human spirit.[00:24:27]But that doesn'tmean that I don't[00:24:30]have to admirehim because he can[00:24:31]do that stuff better thananybody else in the world.[00:24:35]So I love everybody,and I admire everybody,[00:24:38]and I take off myhat to everybody that[00:24:40]can make a film of any kind.[00:24:43]It's a big job.[00:24:44]RAY BERRY: All right.[00:24:45]Let me approach thisfrom a different way.[00:24:48]Of the directors who werecontemporaries of yours[00:24:51]in the 30s and 40s, was thereany director, or were there[00:24:55]any directors whose workyou particularly enjoyed?[00:24:59]FRANK CAPRA: I enjoyed,yes, a great many directors.[00:25:02]I enjoyed the films of HowardHawks, John Ford, Leo McCarey,[00:25:07]Henry King.[00:25:08]You want anymore?[00:25:09]I can give you lots of them.[00:25:11]RAY BERRY: Yes.[00:25:11]FRANK CAPRA: These were allgiant film makers in a way.[00:25:13]And I enjoyed everyone,whatever kind of film they made.[00:25:16]And they weren't all upbeatand they weren't all downbeat,[00:25:18]but there were twoexpressions of themselves.[00:25:20]RAY BERRY: Are youwilling to cite[00:25:23]a director you thinkmight be, perhaps,[00:25:25]the finest directorwho ever worked?[00:25:28]FRANK CAPRA: The finestdirector that ever worked?[00:25:30]Well, I think the finest andthe most versatile director that[00:25:32]ever worked was John Ford.[00:25:35]RAY BERRY: What were some ofthe strengths in his approach?[00:25:39]FRANK CAPRA: What were some ofthe strengths of his approach?[00:25:42]Well, he had a great figure, anda great ability to tell a tale,[00:25:46]and his heroes werebigger than life,[00:25:53]and there was greatentertainment in his films[00:25:58]and great poetry in his films.[00:25:59][00:26:03]RAY BERRY: One of thethings that comes through[00:26:05]in your films, and Ibelieve in your book,[00:26:08]is an unusual ability on yourpart to measure a person,[00:26:13]whether he was an actoror someone working[00:26:14]with you, to know what hisstrong points and weak points[00:26:19]were.[00:26:20]And not only to want to be ableto bring out the strong points,[00:26:23]but to actuallybe able to do it.[00:26:26]To have the talent to workwith him as man-to-man[00:26:28]and to bring these out.[00:26:30]Was this a naturaltalent that you had,[00:26:32]or was it something thatyou learned how to do[00:26:34]and perfected?[00:26:34]FRANK CAPRA: Well, I wouldsuppose it is a natural talent.[00:26:37]I mean, I didn't go around andgo to school to learn anything.[00:26:44]But I did recognize thatthe situation as it was.[00:26:49]And the situationin the film is this.[00:26:52]Stars put their wholecareer on the line[00:26:55]on the judgment ofone man, the director.[00:26:58]Therefore, it is adirector's medium.[00:27:00]He's the only one that theycan look to for judgment[00:27:03]and they can look to for help.[00:27:07]And if that association betweenthat star and the director[00:27:12]is a happy one, thenit's a symbiotic thing.[00:27:16]We help each other.[00:27:17]But if it is an unhappyone, then the stars[00:27:19]become a little worriedabout their own careers,[00:27:23]and you get spottythings when they[00:27:26]don't agree as to exactlyhow to play the part.[00:27:29]So therefore, one ofmy principal virtues[00:27:35]was that I tried tounderstand that actor,[00:27:37]how to get the best performanceout of that particular actor.[00:27:40]And no two arealike, but my job was[00:27:42]to get the best performanceout of that person that[00:27:44]was possible forthat particular part.[00:27:48]RAY BERRY: Sometimes itappears that the general has[00:27:51]to be a director, sometimes hasto be a bit self-sacrificial[00:27:55]in sacrificing,certainly his own ego,[00:27:58]and sometimes otherthings in order[00:28:00]to get the most out of a star.[00:28:01]FRANK CAPRA: Becausehe understands[00:28:03]that this is apeople-to-people communication.[00:28:09]Audiences comeinto theaters, not[00:28:12]to get ego-massagingcuriosities from the director,[00:28:18]or from the writer,or from the cameramen.[00:28:20]They don't care less aboutgimmicks, about up shots,[00:28:25]down shots, zoom shots.[00:28:26]They don't mean a thing to them.[00:28:27]Those are just gimmicks.[00:28:29]But they do care whathappens to those people.[00:28:32]The actors are the directcommunicators to the people.[00:28:34]It's the lives of thoseactors and the characters[00:28:36]they represent that isinteresting to people.[00:28:39]People are interested in people,not in gimmicks, not in things.[00:28:42]If you understand that, then asa director, get out of the way.[00:28:46]As a cameraman, youget out of the way.[00:28:48]As a musician, youget out of the way.[00:28:50]You help the actorstell their tale.[00:28:53]RAY BERRY: All right, fine.[00:28:54]Thank you very much.[00:28:55]I wish we had more time,but this is, unfortunately,[00:28:57]just a half hour interview.[00:29:00]We've been watchingVirginia Viewpoints.[00:29:02]Our guest today, the eminentfilm director, Mr. Frank Capra.[00:29:06]My name is Ray Barry.[00:29:07]Mr. Capra, thank you very much.[00:29:09]FRANK CAPRA: Oh, thank you.[00:29:10]It's a pleasure tobe here with you.[00:29:12]RAY BERRY: [INAUDIBLE] get intoit, but we didn't have time.[00:29:17]And it happenedone night in the--[00:29:21][00:29:53]Has to be a director, sometimeshas to be a bit self--[00:29:56][00:30:00]be a bit self-sacrificial.[00:30:03]And stands that in order toget the most out of a star.[00:30:08]FRANK CAPRA: Becausehe understands[00:30:10]that this is apeople-to-people communication.
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