The Matinee Idol (1928) / Frank Capra's American Dream (1997)

Rating:
Summary: Capra's early years and a fine documentary to boot
Review: God Bless the French, for salvaging "The Matinee Idol," a "lost" Frank Capra movie uncovered in the archives of the Cinematheque Francaise, bringing one of Capra's last silent films back into the world of the living. Johnnie Walker stars as a Broadway star who accidentally falls in with an earnest but untalented regional theater company, the Bolivar Players. His big city pals see the show and it leaves them in stitches, so they invite the hapless rubes to a run on Broadway -- as a comedy act, unbeknownst to the actors themselves. The end of the film is rather abrupt: Walker seeks to make amends for the cruel joke, and to patch things up with the gal who runs the troupe, but doesn't go through the type of elaborate manouevers we'd expect to see a few years later, in a classic screwball comedy. (One imagines the script was clipped and the movie kept shorter than Capra might have liked...) Actress Bessie Love is a really interesting onscreen presence, and the scenes in which she and her fellow actors are jeered at by the audiences in New York are absolutely heartbreaking, in the classic Capra style. Not a stunning movie in artistic terms, though invaluable for any fans of Capra to see him in his work in his early years. (The accompanying biographical documentary, narrated by Ron Howard, is also available separately as a VHS tape, without "The Matinee Idol" as a backup feature.)

Rating:
Summary: Capra's early years and a fine documentary to boot
Review: God Bless the French, for salvaging "The Matinee Idol," a "lost" Frank Capra movie uncovered in the archives of the Cinematheque Francaise, bringing one of Capra's last silent films back into the world of the living. Johnnie Walker stars as a Broadway star who accidentally falls in with an earnest but untalented regional theater company, the Bolivar Players. His big city pals see the show and it leaves them in stitches, so they invite the hapless rubes to a run on Broadway -- as a comedy act, unbeknownst to the actors themselves. The end of the film is rather abrupt: Walker seeks to make amends for the cruel joke, and to patch things up with the gal who runs the troupe, but doesn't go through the type of elaborate manouevers we'd expect to see a few years later, in a classic screwball comedy. (One imagines the script was clipped and the movie kept shorter than Capra might have liked...) Actress Bessie Love is a really interesting onscreen presence, and the scenes in which she and her fellow actors are jeered at by the audiences in New York are absolutely heartbreaking, in the classic Capra style. Not a stunning movie in artistic terms, though invaluable for any fans of Capra to see him in his work in his early years. (The accompanying biographical documentary, narrated by Ron Howard, is also available separately as a VHS tape, without "The Matinee Idol" as a backup feature.)

Rating:
Summary: Early Capra Comedy/Great Documentary.
Review: THE MATINEE IDOL is a minor Frank Capra comedy made shortly after he came to Columbia in 1928. While certainly not top drawer it already deals with many themes which Capra would expand on as his career progressed. Comic bits, sentiment, and the determination of "the little guy" to succeed are well blended in this short but entertaining feature about a top Broadway star and the country acting troupe he brings to New York as a joke until he falls for their leading lady. The performances by Bessie Love and the now forgotten Johnnie Walker are quite good while Lionel Belmore (the Burgomaster in FRANKENSTEIN and subsequent films) steals the show as the troupe leader. Unfortunately the dated nature of some of the material in which the star performs in blackface (to cash in on the success of THE JAZZ SINGER the year before) does not play well with today's audiences. Although it's tastefully done (what Capra film isn't), it remains a product of its time and should be viewed as such. The real story here is the rediscovery and digital restoration of the film. It is beyond remarkable. The DVD comes with an insert which chronicles the extensive work necessary to bring this film back to life. Whether the film was worth it is debatable, the time and techniques used are not. This will be the future of old movies on video. The added bonus on this disc is the real reason to purchase it. FRANK CAPRA'S AMERICAN DREAM is a superb documentary that no student of film or fan of Capra should be without. An important release for the documentary and the restoration job rather than the film itself. If you are a film lover then it is definitely worth having.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent tribute to this century's greatest director.
Review: This video chronicals the life and achievements of the great Frank Capra. It contains rare footage and stills and is narrated by today's most popular directors. I highly recommend this for all Capra fans. END