The Name above the Title: An Autobiography

If you are a big fan of movies, like I am, you will love this book written by a man who produced some of the best movies ever made. If you don't know who he is, it will introduce you to a remarkable member of the Hollywood film community during an important period in film history. He worked with some of the most famous and important actors, producers and writers ever, and what goes on behind the scenes. So many have won numerous Oscars and are truly in the great American film cannon. Well worth your time.

Say this for Capra, he was not a man of mystery.on the contrary, he was a man of transparency who believed in and fought for principles of freedom, and worked to reach the "common man" with these ideas and ideals.through his life he was a man who said what he thought and regretted the times that he did not. Those were times he felt did not stand for those principles that had defined his life and work. that is proper and constructive reflection; something we could use more of.Capra understood that his failures at those times was reflective of society at large; and he was very worried about it. He thought film was a medium that could and should uplift man and he had very little patience for people and projects that did not agree; hence those regrets.As to the substance of this book, some of the reviewers here felt he was full of himself. this reviewer thinks it's more complex than that. There are often quotation marks of self-deprecation showing his own skepticism for this commentary on one hand, and on the other his life of incredible accomplishment that not many could match.His reflections on the darkening direction of the country and world in the closing pages:----is it all chaos? No. These are pains of growth – accelerated growth caused by exploding knowledge and instant communications. All are searching — philosophers, scientists, students, whites, Blacks, hippies – all are searching and probing, yearning for goals, for meanings. The apparent chaos and methods is trial and error of man's evolution toward the divine.-------this comment seemed to embody so much of what was in Capra's films that drew me to his work and message.Almost 30 years from his death and close to 50 from the writing of this book; I'm afraid I will have to disagree with him about our path but our failure get there certainly cannot be blamed on him. He did his job.(oh yeah, this book is a major page turner from a master storyteller).

Not only a fabulous director but a writer in the same style. Also worked for the WWII effort in D.C.

This has been a truly enjoyable book for me. Over the years, I have read many biographies and autobiographies about actors, producers, writers, and directors. Classic Hollywood is by far my favorite time in movie history. This autobiography is about the wonderful movies that Frank Capra directed from the 1920's through the 1960's.This book is beautifully written. His memories about his service during WWII are just magic. I really was not interested in that particular time of his life because I was not familiar with the films he made for the United States Armed Services. The way he describes his experiences with the different Generals and the movies he made with them and for them, makes the whole war come alive in a totally different way. Believe me, you have no idea what kind of an effort was going on behind the battle scenes to keep the world free.But, as good as those memories are, it is his classic movies that kept me reading. "It Happened One Night, Mr Smith Goes To Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace, and It's A Wonderful Life," are just a few of the wonderful gifts that he has given us. His stories make these movies more interesting than they already are.Frank Capra really had a wonderful life and I can truly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about that time in our country's history. He not only was a great director but also a gifted writer. The Name Above The Title is a great story. Enjoy!

I knew a lot about Capra as a film maker but to read his story beginning with his very humble childhood in his own warm, friendly words is a real pleasure. The book is not a 'tell all' gossip fest. The author has certain standards and ideals and through his life he stood by them for the most part. As a part of an immigrant family he worked hard to achieve all he did in his life, He speaks freely about what it took to produce a film under the old studio system, post studio system and the government during war and peace time and gives his candid opinions of many people .... movie stars and behind the camera ... he worked with during his long career. If it doesn't end in a blaze of glory, well, that's life, even in glitzy Hollywood. All in all, a good read and with many fine pictures.

Hollywood has always seemed to have more than its share of schmucks. Frank Capra was one of the small minority of really good guys, as demonstrated over and over in his autobiography: The Name Above the Title. In the thick of the bitter Hollywood striving from a very early age, we're treated to a picture of a nice guy finishing first, and that while he was still a very young man. Guts, brains, taste and insight, he had them all. As well as a fundamental decency that he would never compromise. How can you not love the guy? He really was the films he made, and those films were him, to the bottom of his soul. Reading his story just makes me want to continue seeing all his films, over and over, which I've already been doing for forty years. Feel better about the human race and the United States of America: read this book.

Easy to read with tons of interesting details

Old yellowing brittle pages

I'm giving five stars for the writing, but I would strongly advise everybody to avoid this edition of the book. The typeface and layout is eye-wateringly small and cramped, but the real crime is the quality of the photographs: these potentially wonderful behind-the-scenes pictures have been reduced to grey blobs, stripes and smudges that look like they have been faxed in from Saturn and printed on toilet paper. Used toilet paper.

This really is a must for everyone who likes films...full of information, entertaining, informative, highly readable...I loved it and will be reading it again soon

*

A great book on cinema and film directing written by one of the greatest directors. Afable, witty and entertaining. A great way to learn about how he directed, fought the studios, collaborated with the government during World War 2 and became a great legend.