TCM VAULT: Frank Capra - The Early Collection in September

WHAT: WHEN: STUDIO: TITLES:

Frank Capra - The Early Collection (TCM Vault) September 3rd Sony Ladies of Leisure (1930), Rain or Shine (1930), The Miracle Woman (1931), Forbidden (1932), The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)

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One of Hollywood's most beloved directors, Frank Capra, will have five of his early sound pictures released on September 3rd when Frank Capra - The Early Collection hits the streets.

Available exclusively for purchase at TCM.com, these five films will be available for rent here at ClassicFlix and nowhere else! Details below.
-- Frank Capra is one of the most popular and beloved filmmakers of all time, but many of his earlier films have never been made available on DVD. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) are joining forces with The Film Foundation on Frank Capra - The Early Collection, a box set of five 1930s pre-code Capra classics coming to DVD for the first time

The set features five key movies made after Capra struck out on his own in the early sound era and became Columbia Pictures' most important and financially successful director, transforming the company from a poverty row studio to a major player in Hollywood. The films in the collection demonstrate the first evidence of Capra's emerging directorial style, his keen interest in subject matter that dealt with social issues and his ease at mastering any genre he tackled.

Ladies of Leisure (1930)
This drama marked Frank Capra's first collaboration with Barbara Stanwyck. The film tells of a Depression-era romance between a working-class model and a high-society artist, played by Ralph Graves. The film is based on the 1924 play Ladies of the Evening, written by Milton Herbert Gropper.

Rain or Shine (1930)
This rollicking comedy-drama follows the ups and downs of a struggling traveling circus. Joe Cook, Louise Fazenda, Joan Peers and William Collier Jr. star in this film, a non-musical version of a Broadway musical of the same name.

The Miracle Woman (1931)
In this dramatic exposé of religious charlatans, Barbara Stanwyck stars as a female preacher modeled on Aimee Semple McPherson. David Manners co-stars as the blind man who falls in love with her.

Forbidden (1932)
This charming, romantic drama depicts the intense relationship between librarian Barbara Stanwyck and a wealthy married man, played by Adolphe Menjou. Ralph Bellamy and Dorothy Peterson co-star.

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
This once-controversial drama depicts an affair between the fiancée of an American missionary, played by Barbara Stanwyck, and a Chinese warlord, played by Nils Asther. Toshia Mori shines as General Yen's concubine, Mah-Li. The film, which was the first ever to play Radio City Music Hall, also features a memorable dream sequence in which Yen seduces the young missionary. The interracial aspect of the story led the film to be banned in many areas where miscegenation laws were in place.