Tag Archives: Frank Capra

8 Shots From 8 Films: Special Lisa Marie’s Favorite Best Picture Winners Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

8 Shots From 8 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 8 Shots From 8 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

My list of my favorite Best Picture winners is a fluid one.  There are a few — like All About Eve, It Happened One Night, the two Godfathers — that are always on the list.  I love these four films with all my heart.  Then there are films like No Country For Old Men that I think about and say, “Of course that’s going on the list!”  There are other films that have snuck up on me.  Until I was making out this list, I didn’t realize how much I truly did like Coda.

Anyway, here’s my top 8!

8 Shots From 8 Oscar-Winning Films

It Happened One Night (1934, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

Casablanca (1942, dir by Michael Curtiz, DP: Arthur Edeson)

All About Eve (1950, dir by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, DP: Milton R. Krassner)

West Side Story (1961, dir by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, DP: Daniel L. Fapp)

The Godfather (1972, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)

The Godfather Part II (dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)

No Country For Old Men (2007, dir by Joel and Ethan Coen, DP: Roger Deakins)

CODA (2021, dir by Sian Heder, DP: Paula Huidobro)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special James Stewart Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, we celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest American actors of all time, the wonderful James Stewart!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 James Stewart Films

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker and Joseph Biroc)

Rear Window (1954, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Robert Burks)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962, dir by John Ford. DP: William H. Clothier)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Frank Capra Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

127 years ago, on this date, Frank Capra was born in Sicily.  Capra was six years old when his family immigrated to the United States and, for the rest of his long life, he would often talk about seeing the Statue of Liberty from the deck of a boat sailing to Ellis Island.  Capra went on to become a director whose work celebrated the ideals and the promise of America.  He not only gave us the holiday classic, It’s A Wonderful Life, but he also directed one of the few political films that matteed, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.  And let us not forget that the first two comedies to win the Oscar for Best Picture were directed by Capra, It Happened One Night and You Can’t Take It With You.

In honor of a great career and legacy, here are….

4 Shots From 4 Frank Capra Films

It Happened One Night (1934, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

You Can’t Take It With You (1938, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker and Joseph Biroc)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Ward Bond Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

121 years ago today, the great American character actor Ward Bond was born in Benkleman, Nebraska.  In a career that last nearly forty years, Ward Bond appeared in more than 200 films and he currently holds the record for being the actor to appear in the most films nominated for Best Picture.  (He appeared in 13 nominated films, two of which won.)  He did 22 films with John Wayne and was a favorite of both John Ford and Frank Capra.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Ward Bond Films

Gone With The Wind (1939, dir by Victor Fleming, DP: Ernest Haller)

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker and Joseph Biroc)

The Searchers (1956, dir by John Ford, DP: Winston C. Hoch)

Rio Bravo (1959, dir by Howard Hawks, DP: Russell Harlan)

6 Shots From 6 Best Picture Winners: 1927 — 1939

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, I’m using this feature to take a look at the history of the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Decade by decade, I’m going to highlight my picks for best of the winning films.  To start with, here are 6 shots from 6 Films that won Best Picture during the early days of the Academy Awards!  Here are….

6 Shots From 6 Best Picture Winners

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927, dir by F.W. Murnau, DP: Charles Rosher and Karl Struss)

Wings (1927, dir by William Wellman, DP: Harry Perry)

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930, dir by Lewis Milestone, DP: Arthur Edeson)

It Happened One Night (1934, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935, dir by Frank Lloyd, DP: Arthur Edeson)

Gone With The Wind (1939, dir by Victor Fleming, DP: Ernest Haller)

Scenes That I Love: Senator Smith Tells Off The Establishment In Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is Frank Capra’s birthday!  Capra was born 126 years ago, on this date, in Sicily.

Now, if you’ve been reading this site for a while, you should know that my favorite Capra film is It’s A Wonderful Life.  However, a close second is 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.  In today’s scene that I love, Sen. Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) holds the Senate floor as he denounces the corruption that he sees all around him in Washington.  There’s a reason why Senator Smith is still held up as the ideal public servant.  It’s just a shame that he was a fictional character.

6 Shots From 6 Films: Special Frank Capra Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

125 years ago, on this date, Frank Capra was born in Sicily.  Capra was six years old when his family immigrated to the United States and, for the rest of his long life, he would often talk about seeing the Statue of Liberty from the deck of a boat sailing to Ellis Island.  Capra went on to become a director whose work celebrated the ideals and the promise of America.  He not only gave us the holiday classic, It’s A Wonderful Life, but he also directed one of the few political films that matteed, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.  And let us not forget that the first two comedies to win the Oscar for Best Picture were directed by Capra, It Happened One Night and You Can’t Take It With You.

In honor of a great career and legacy, here are….

6 Shots From 6 Films

Ladies of Leisure (1930, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

It Happened One Night (1934, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker)

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, dir by Frank Capra, DP: Joseph Walker and Joseph Biroc)

State of the Union (1948, dir by Frank Capra, DP: George J. Folsey))

Scenes That I Love: The Cemetery Scene From It’s A Wonderful Life

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Over the past 11 years, I’ve shared so many scenes from It’s A Wonderful Life that I’m a bit worried that I’m gong to run out of moments to share. It’s A Wonderful Life is one of my favorite films of all time, along with being a Christmas tradition. I watched it earlier this month and I’ll be watching it tonight with my family.

Below is one of the more somber but important scenes in It’s A Wonderful Life. George and Clarence go to what would have been Bailey Park if George had been born. Instead, it’s now a cemetery and buried there is George’s brother, who would have died if George hadn’t been born. And, as Clarence explains, every man that George’s brother saved would have died as well. “Each man’s life touches so many other lives,” as Clarence puts it.

Here is a scene from a wonderful movie called It’s A Wonderful Life.

Scenes That I Love: George Bailey Tells Off Mr. Potter In It’s A Wonderful Life (Happy Birthday, Frank Capra!)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today is the 124 anniversary of the birth of Frank Capra and, in honor of this day, here’s a scene from one of my favorite films of all time, 1946’s It’s A Wonderful Life. In this wonderfully acted and directed scene, George Bailey tells off Mr. Potter, for the first but certainly not the last time:

Scenes That I Love: The Phone Call From Sam Wainwright From It’s A Wonderful Life

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Tonight, NBC will be airing It’s A Wonderful Life.

Watching It’s A Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve is a tradition for many people.  It definitely is for me and my family.  I’ve watched It’s A Wonderful Life so many times that I’ve practically got the entire movie memorized.  It’s not only my favorite Christmas movie but also one of my favorite movies of all time.

Everyone knows, of course, that It’s A Wonderful Life is a film about a man named George (played by Jimmy Stewart) who gets a chance to see what the world would be like without him.  What I think is often overlooked is that it’s also a powerful and poignant love story and that the scenes between George and Mary (Donna Reed) are some of the most intensely romantic ever filmed.

In the scene below, George and Mary get a phone call from Mary’s ex, Sam Wainwright.  Sam has a business opportunity but George has more on his mind than staying in Bedford Falls and making money.  This scene, which begins with Mary upset and George feeling lost, ends with one of the most powerful kisses of the 1940s.

This is a scene that I love from a movie that I love and I look forward to watching it tonight!