Frank Capra at Columbia Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Frank Capra at Columbia Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 17, 2024

If you've only heard the name "Capra" at Christmastime or in passing, allow me a brief rundown of the numbers. Born three years before the turn of the 20th century (1897 for the mathematically challenged), Italian American filmmaker Frank Capra didn't waste much time in Hollywood, quickly rising to the level of household name in an era when all but the most famed movie producers, directors and screenwriters were anything but household names. (Google was not, contrary to popular Gen-Z belief, available to the masses prior to the Depression. Or... for the six decades that followed. Anyway...) Having immigrated to the US with his family at five-years old and coming of age in an Italian ghetto in Los Angeles, he survived serving in World War I and launched his Tinseltown career upon his return, seeing his first work hit the screen at twenty-four. From there he embarked upon a long journey that included forty-two feature films, thirteen war films, three Academy Awards, and dozens of festival and industry nominations and honors, not to mention prizes and accolades. Capra spent forty resoundingly influential years making theater audiences gasp, laugh and cry before he retired. Today, he remains a household name, at least among cinephiles. No small feat. He's given us the likes of timeless classics It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace and It's a Wonderful Life (among so many others, depending on who you ask), and did so while churning out three, sometimes four movies per year. Capra is Hollywood royalty and a figure without whom movies would look very, very different.

Sony's 20-film Frank Capra at Columbia Collection box set features a host of movies, many making their Blu-ray or 4K UltraHD debut. Moreover, it's available at a relatively low price point, allowing even those unfamiliar with Capra's work a unique opportunity to gorge on early filmmaking greatness. He didn't always deliver a hit. He didn't always win audiences. Not all of his films withstand the test of time. But the Columbia Collection promises something special: a chance to watch Hollywood evolve through the lens of one of its most beloved. The set includes:

• So This Is Love (1928) - review
• The Way of the Strong (1928) - review
• That Certain Thing (1928) - review
• Submarine (1928) - review
• The Younger Generation (1929) - review
• Flight (1929) - review
• Ladies of Leisure (1930) - review
• Rain or Shine (1930) - review
• Dirigible (1931) - review
• Platinum Blonde (1931) - review
• The Miracle Woman (1931) - review
• American Madness (1932) - review
• Forbidden (1932) - review
• Lady for a Day (1933) - review
• The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933) - review
• It Happened One Night (1934) - review
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) - review
• Lost Horizon (1937) - review
• You Can't Take It with You (1938) - review
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - review

The 28-disc collection also includes the feature-length documentary Mr. America (2023).

Frank Capra at Columbia Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The video presentations included in the Columbia Collection are uniformly very good (many are downright striking), with very few issues to report. Purchase with confidence:

• So This Is Love (1928) - review
• The Way of the Strong (1928) - review
• That Certain Thing (1928) - review
• Submarine (1928) - review
• The Younger Generation (1929) - review
• Flight (1929) - review
• Ladies of Leisure (1930) - review
• Rain or Shine (1930) - review
• Dirigible (1931) - review
• Platinum Blonde (1931) - review
• The Miracle Woman (1931) - review
• American Madness (1932) - review
• Forbidden (1932) - review
• Lady for a Day (1933) - review
• The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933) - review
• It Happened One Night (1934) - review
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) - review
• Lost Horizon (1937) - review
• You Can't Take It with You (1938) - review
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - review

Frank Capra at Columbia Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The twenty-film set's lossless tracks are all very good; more often great. Purchase with confidence:

• So This Is Love (1928) - review
• The Way of the Strong (1928) - review
• That Certain Thing (1928) - review
• Submarine (1928) - review
• The Younger Generation (1929) - review
• Flight (1929) - review
• Ladies of Leisure (1930) - review
• Rain or Shine (1930) - review
• Dirigible (1931) - review
• Platinum Blonde (1931) - review
• The Miracle Woman (1931) - review
• American Madness (1932) - review
• Forbidden (1932) - review
• Lady for a Day (1933) - review
• The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933) - review
• It Happened One Night (1934) - review
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) - review
• Lost Horizon (1937) - review
• You Can't Take It with You (1938) - review
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - review

Frank Capra at Columbia Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Frank Capra at Columbia Collection arrives in a striking 18-case box that sits inside of a lift/stage of sorts that displays the titles behind swinging/retractable "doors," all of which sits at a slight but appealing upward angle. Individual cases can be removed for more traditional shelf arrangement, but unfortunately, the box set itself doesn't slide out of the lift/stage piece, meaning the additional height the lift/stage adds to the set isn't optional. Still, I oohed and aahed when taking the box set out of its shipping container, and I strongly suspect most of you will do the same.

Alas, despite its 28 discs, the Columbia Collection isn't a supplemental powerhouse. Many of the films include new commentary tracks from film historians, but only the most well-known movies earn more content. And even then, it's sometimes a slimmer selection of featurettes and lesser extras. Here's a brief overview:

• So This Is Love (1928) - new audio commentary with film historians Stan Taffel and Bryan Cooper
• The Way of the Strong (1928) - new commentary with Taffel and Cooper
• That Certain Thing (1928) - no notable extras
• Submarine (1928) - no notable extras
• The Younger Generation (1929) - no notable extras
• Flight (1929) - theatrical trailer
• Ladies of Leisure (1930) - commentary with film historian Jeremy Arnold
• Rain or Shine (1930) - also includes international version, along with a Michel Gondry featurette
• Dirigible (1931) - theatrical trailer
• Platinum Blonde (1931) - no notable extras
• The Miracle Woman (1931) - Ron Howard featurette
• American Madness (1932) - new commentary with film historian Steven C. Smith and author Victoria Riskin, commentary by Frank Capra Jr. and author Catherine Kellison, Frank Capra Jr. featurette
• Forbidden (1932) - commentary with author Jeanine Basinger
• Lady for a Day (1933) - no notable extras
• The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933) - new commentary with film and fashion historian Kimberly Truhler, plus a featurette with Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard
• It Happened One Night (1934) - new commentary with film historian Julie Kirgo, commentary by Frank Capra Jr., multiple production featurettes, and more
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) - new commentary with Smith and Riskin, commentary with Frank Capra Jr., production featurette and more
• Lost Horizon (1937) - commentary with Charles Champlin and Robert Gritt, multiple featurettes, and more
• You Can't Take It with You (1938) - commentary by Frank Capra Jr. and author Catherine Kellison, a production featurette and more
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - new audio commentary with Kirgo, commentary by Frank Capra Jr., production documentary, five featurettes, and more
• Mr. America (2023) - 93-minute HD documentary about Capra's life and career.

Frank Capra at Columbia Collection 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Frank Capra at Columbia Collection not only serves up twenty films (many making their high definition debut), it affords viewers and collectors the unique opportunity to watch a filmmaker come of industry age and grow in cine-skill through a series of chronologically fascinating works released between the years of 1928 and 1939. It's essentially a Capra and early Hollywood evolutionary chart; a glimpse into the maturing of an art in the hands of a true artist. The collection isn't for everyone obviously, but anyone who appreciates early 20th century films or has a fondness for the productions of yester-yesteryear, you can't go wrong. Add to that a host of excellent video presentations, faithful audio offerings and a fairly decent collection of new and old extras, and the only surprise you'll encounter is the extremely reasonable price point attached to the box set. Highly recommended, particularly if you have Christmas cash to spend!