American Madness (1932) :
Brief Review -
An underrated gem by Frank Capra. One of the finest-written films of its time that revives your faith in humanity over money. Frank Capra has given some great classics, and many of them hold that stature amongst critics and movie buffs. It's natural that many films go underrated, and American Madness has to be one of those films in Capra's glorious filmography. American Madness is a corporate drama but has various themes like humanity, romance, relationships, faith, and loyalty. I can't believe that somebody wrote such a smart film way back in the 30s and we weren't told about it occasionally. There is so much generosity in almost every character here, except for three, who have to be villainous to take the story forward. Just one or two faults in the writing: one is Mrs. Dickson going to have a drink at Clutt's house despite getting her lesson in the previous meeting, and the second is Matt being too silent repeatedly. There is a nice blend of conflicts, a line-up of events, and dramatic turnarounds in this film. You just walk along with the story and want to walk alongside it till the very end, until you see everything becoming happy and fine. This is the power of Capra's storytelling. He always did this. American Madness was like an early rehearsal for him before those well-known classics. The seeds for films like "Lady For A Day," "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town," "Lost Horizon," "You Can't Take It With You," and "It's Wonderful Life," were sown here. American Madness is just 75 minutes long, making it an extremely engaging affair. The banking business never felt so good and adorable on the screen. The performances are good, the writing is top-notch (except for the conclusion on Mr. And Mrs. Dickson's relationship), the technical aspects are fine, and the motive is socially appealing. Why didn't anybody tell me about this film before? It's so underrated.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
An underrated gem by Frank Capra. One of the finest-written films of its time that revives your faith in humanity over money. Frank Capra has given some great classics, and many of them hold that stature amongst critics and movie buffs. It's natural that many films go underrated, and American Madness has to be one of those films in Capra's glorious filmography. American Madness is a corporate drama but has various themes like humanity, romance, relationships, faith, and loyalty. I can't believe that somebody wrote such a smart film way back in the 30s and we weren't told about it occasionally. There is so much generosity in almost every character here, except for three, who have to be villainous to take the story forward. Just one or two faults in the writing: one is Mrs. Dickson going to have a drink at Clutt's house despite getting her lesson in the previous meeting, and the second is Matt being too silent repeatedly. There is a nice blend of conflicts, a line-up of events, and dramatic turnarounds in this film. You just walk along with the story and want to walk alongside it till the very end, until you see everything becoming happy and fine. This is the power of Capra's storytelling. He always did this. American Madness was like an early rehearsal for him before those well-known classics. The seeds for films like "Lady For A Day," "Mr. Deeds Goes To Town," "Lost Horizon," "You Can't Take It With You," and "It's Wonderful Life," were sown here. American Madness is just 75 minutes long, making it an extremely engaging affair. The banking business never felt so good and adorable on the screen. The performances are good, the writing is top-notch (except for the conclusion on Mr. And Mrs. Dickson's relationship), the technical aspects are fine, and the motive is socially appealing. Why didn't anybody tell me about this film before? It's so underrated.
RATING - 7.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.