(1897 – 1991) Sicilian-born director whose movies embody the comedy and pathos of the American dream. For a decade after the mid-1930s, Capra brought together character, comedy and sometimes dark shadings to stories of the triumph of small-town good and honesty over elites. Epitomized by It’s a Wonderful Life (1947), which became a holiday staple, Capra’s gaze also took in gender relations (It Happened One Nïght, Oscar 1924), politics (Mr Smith Goes to Washington, 1939) and a bitter view of mass media (Meet John Doe, 1941). During the Second World War, Capra devoted his energies to the Why We Fight documentaries. His vision, however, generally failed to capture audiences in the postwar world beyond nostalgic viewings.