10 Directors Who Completely Ruined Their Careers With One Movie
6. Frank Capra
The Killer Movie: It's A Wonderful Life It's not just terrible films that ruin directors' careers: back before It's A Wonderful Life became an uber-popular Christmas tradition, and before it became director Frank Capra's most famous movie, it was a bit of a disaster. The film flopped at the box office, failing to even make back its budget, and it crippled Liberty Films, the independent studio founded by Capra and a group of other directors, forcing it to be sold off. In Capra's own words, the film was "fatal to my professional career," and though he continued to make films, he went from one of the most influential movie-makers in 1945, to a low budget or TV director who would never again get the opportunity to make a mainstream populist film. Studios turned away from him, his films were no longer considered the "must-see money-making events" they had been previously. Ironically, the film that would be cheered for its uplifting message (before anyone realised it was actually a skewed horror movie) for years to come was deemed too corny. And then to top it all off, Capra was accused of being a communist by the House Un-American Activities Committee, just to kick him a little bit more.
The Killer Movie: It's A Wonderful Life It's not just terrible films that ruin directors' careers: back before It's A Wonderful Life became an uber-popular Christmas tradition, and before it became director Frank Capra's most famous movie, it was a bit of a disaster. The film flopped at the box office, failing to even make back its budget, and it crippled Liberty Films, the independent studio founded by Capra and a group of other directors, forcing it to be sold off. In Capra's own words, the film was "fatal to my professional career," and though he continued to make films, he went from one of the most influential movie-makers in 1945, to a low budget or TV director who would never again get the opportunity to make a mainstream populist film. Studios turned away from him, his films were no longer considered the "must-see money-making events" they had been previously. Ironically, the film that would be cheered for its uplifting message (before anyone realised it was actually a skewed horror movie) for years to come was deemed too corny. And then to top it all off, Capra was accused of being a communist by the House Un-American Activities Committee, just to kick him a little bit more.