Highest-Rated Movies about 'Frank Capra'

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), It Happened One Night (1934), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It with You (1938), It's a Wonderful World (1939), Lost Horizon (1937), Meet John Doe (1941) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Frank Capra movies.

#1. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Storyline: Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed on a lark by the spineless governor of his state. He is reunited with the state's senior senator--presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine. In Washington, however, Smith discovers many of the shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss, Jim Taylor. Taylor first tries to corrupt Smith and then later attempts to destroy Smith through a scandal.

Plot Keywords: political, idealism, corruption, democracy, fight, justice, american politics ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#2. It Happened One Night (1934)

Storyline: Ellie Andrews has just tied the knot with society aviator King Westley when she is whisked away to her father's yacht and out of King's clutches. Ellie jumps ship and eventually winds up on a bus headed back to her husband. Reluctantly she must accept the help of out-of- work reporter Peter Warne. Actually, Warne doesn't give her any choice: either she sticks with him until he gets her back to her husband, or he'll blow the whistle on Ellie to her father. Either way, Peter gets what (he thinks!) he wants .... a really juicy newspaper story.

Plot Keywords: romance, comedy, classic, road movie, journalist, opposites attract, oscar winner ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#3. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Storyline: Mortimer Brewster is a newspaperman and author known for his diatribes against marriage. We watch him being married at city hall in the opening scene. Now all that is required is a quick trip home to tell Mortimer's two maiden aunts. While trying to break the news, he finds out his aunts' hobby; killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar. It gets worse.

Plot Keywords: comedy, black comedy, murder, family, madness, elderly, eccentric ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#4. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Storyline: Longfellow Deeds lives in a small town, leading a small town kind of life - including playing the tuba in the town band. When a relative dies and leaves Deeds a fortune, Longfellow picks up his tuba and moves to the big city where he becomes an instant target for everyone from the greedy opera committee to the sensationist daily newspaper. Deeds outwits them all until Babe Bennett comes along. Babe is a hot-shot reporter who figures the best way to get close to Deeds is to pose as a damsel in distress. When small-town boy meets big-city girl anything can, and does, happen.

Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, drama, classic, american film, black and white, small town life ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#5. You Can't Take It with You (1938)

Storyline: The stenographer Alice Sycamore is in love with her boss Tony Kirby, who is the vice-president of the powerful company owned by his greedy father Anthony P. Kirby. Kirby Sr. is dealing a monopoly in the trade of weapons, and needs to buy one last house in a twelve block area owned by Alice's grandparent Martin Vanderhof. However, Martin is the patriarch of an anarchic and eccentric family where the members do not care for money but for having fun and making friends. When Tony proposes Alice, she states that it would be mandatory to introduce her simple and lunatic family to the snobbish Kirbys, and Tony decides to visit Alice with his parents one day before the scheduled. There is an inevitable clash of classes and lifestyles, the Kirbys spurn the Sycamores and Alice breaks with Tony, changing the lives of the Kirby family.

Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, family, classic, drama, american, black and white ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#6. It's a Wonderful World (1939)

Storyline: Private eye Guy Johnson (James Stewart) is charged with tracking every move of boozing tycoon Willie Heyward (Ernest Truex) -- and ensuring that the mogul comes to no harm. But Guy runs into trouble when, after a bender, Heyward is accused of murder and Guy gets roped in as an accessory. Desperate to prove his innocence, Guy makes a daring escape from a prison train and, while on the run, kidnaps poet Edwina Corday (Claudette Colbert), who gradually warms to his cause.

Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, musical, classic, black and white, 1930s, hollywood ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#7. Lost Horizon (1937)

Storyline: British diplomat Robert Conway and a small group of civilians crash land in the Himalayas, and are rescued by the people of the mysterious, Eden-like valley of Shangri-la. Protected by the mountains from the world outside, where the clouds of World War II are gathering, Shangri-la provides a seductive escape for the world-weary Conway.

Plot Keywords: adventure, fantasy, drama, mystery, utopia, expedition, philosophy ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#8. Meet John Doe (1941)

Storyline: As a parting shot, fired reporter Ann Mitchell prints a fake letter from unemployed "John Doe," who threatens suicide in protest of social ills. The paper is forced to rehire Ann and hires John Willoughby to impersonate "Doe." Ann and her bosses cynically milk the story for all it's worth, until the made-up "John Doe" philosophy starts a whole political movement. At last everyone, even Ann, takes her creation seriously...but publisher D.B. Norton has a secret plan.

Plot Keywords: political, social, comedy, drama, black comedy, media, corruption ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#9. Lady for a Day (1933)

Storyline: Apple Annie is an indigent woman who has always written to her daughter in Spain that she is a member of New York's high society. With her daughter suddenly en route to America with her new fiancé and his father, a member of Spain's aristocracy, Annie must continue her pretense of wealth or the count will not give his blessing. She gets unexpected help from Dave the Dude, a well-known figure in underground circles who considers Annie his good luck charm, and who obtains for her a luxury apartment to entertain the visitors - but this uncharacteristic act of kindness from a man with a disreputable reputation arouses suspicions, leading to complications which further cause things to not always go quite as planned.—Paul Donahue

Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, classic, 1930s, american film, adaptation, disguise ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#10. The Nazis Strike (1943)

Storyline: In this installment of the Why We Fight propaganda film series, we see the events of Nazi Germany's diplomatic and military acts of international aggression. One by one, we learn of the Nazi's consistently underhanded and relenting violation of every promise of peace and exploitation of their foes's attempts of appeasement until the invasion of Poland September of 1939 which led to Britain and France finally taking an armed stand against Hitler.—Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>

Plot Keywords: war, world war ii, nazi, documentary, propaganda, history, military ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#11. The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)

Storyline: The American missionary Megan Davis arrives in Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War to marry the missionary Dr. Robert Strife. However, Robert postpones their wedding to rescue some orphans in an orphanage in Chapei section that is burning in the middle of a battlefield. While returning to Shanghai with the children, they are separated in the crowd, Megan is hit in the head and knocked out, but is saved by General Yen and brought by train to his palace. As the days go by, the General's mistress Mah-Li becomes close to Megan and when she is accused of betrayal for giving classified information to the enemies, Megan asks for her life. The cruel General Yen falls in love for the naive and pure Megan and accepts her request to spare the life of Mah-Li against the will of his financial advisor Jones. Meanwhile Megan feels attracted by the powerful and gentle General Yen, but resists to his flirtation. When Mah-Li betrays General Yen and destroys his empire, Megan realizes that to be able to do good works, one has to have wisdom and decides to stay with him while the General drinks his bitter last tea.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Keywords: romance, drama, war, historical, cross-cultural, tragedy, forbidden love ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#12. Platinum Blonde (1931)

Storyline: Reporter Gallagher loves reporter Smith who marries Anne. He's soon bored being married to a socialite and asks Gallagher to help him write a play. She arrives with a bunch of reporters and the mansion turns into a party. Anne arrives and orders them out and Smith goes with them.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>

Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, drama, classic, black and white, 1930s, hollywood ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#13. The Matinee Idol (1928)

Storyline: The famous matinee idol and blackface comedian, Don Wilson, heads out of town to escape adulation. There, calling himself Harry Mann, he accidentally joins a traveling acting troupe, and falls in love with Ginger Bolivar, who runs the troupe and stars in their Civil War melodrama. Don's producer sees the play, and thinks it's a comic masterpiece, and just what Don's Broadway show needs. But when Ginger finds out she's been played for a fool, will she forgive Don?—Kathy Li

Plot Keywords: comedy, romance, silent film, hollywood, 1920s, black and white, theater ...

Movie Details Click Here !

#15. The Strong Man (1926)

Storyline: A meek Belgian soldier (Harry Langdon) fighting in World War I receives penpal letters and a photo from "Mary Brown", an American girl he has never met. He becomes infatuated with her by long distance. After the war, the young Belgian journeys to America as assistant to a theatrical "strong man", Zandow the Great (Arthur Thalasso). While in America, he searches for Mary Brown... and he finds her, just as word comes that Zandow is incapacitated and the little nebbish must go on stage in his place.—Dan Navarro <daneldorado@yahoo.com>

Plot Keywords: comedy, silent film, 1920s, american film, slapstick, black and white, classic film ...

Movie Details Click Here !