Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life
Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life is a 1993 British short comedy film written and directed by Peter Capaldi. It stars Richard E. Grant as Franz Kafka and co-stars Ken Stott. The title refers to the name of the writer Franz Kafka and the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Frank Capra, and the plot takes the concept of the two to absurd depths.
| Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Peter Capaldi |
| Written by | Peter Capaldi |
| Produced by | Ruth Kenley-Letts |
| Starring | Richard E. Grant |
| Cinematography | Simon Maggs |
| Edited by | Nikki Clemens |
| Music by | Philip Appleby |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 23 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The film features a rendition of "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" from the 1910 operetta Naughty Marietta.
In 1994, the short won the BAFTA Award for Best Short Film. The following year it won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, tying with Trevor.
Synopsis
editThe great writer Franz Kafka is about to write his famous 1915 work, The Metamorphosis, but inspiration is lacking, and he suffers continual interruptions.
Cast
edit- Richard E. Grant – Franz Kafka
- Crispin Letts – Gregor Samsa
- Ken Stott – Woland the Knifeman
- Elaine Collins – Miss Cicely
- Phyllis Logan – Frau Bunofsky
- Julie Cox – Party Girl
- Jessie Doyle – Party Girl
- Samantha Howarth – Party Girl
- Justine Luxton – Party Girl
- Laura Reiss – Party Girl
- Thea Tait – Party Girl
- Lucy Woodhouse – Party Girl
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | BAFTA Scotland Award | Best Short Film | Peter Capaldi | Won | [1] |
| Atlantic Film Festival Award | Best Live Action Film | Peter Capaldi | Won | [2] | |
| Best Short Film | Peter Capaldi | Won | [2] | ||
| Best Set Design | John Beard | Won | [2] | ||
| 1994 | Angers European First Film Festival Audience Award | Short Film | Peter Capaldi | Won | [3] |
| BAFTA Film Award | Best Short Film | Peter Capaldi, Ruth Kenley-Letts | Won | [4] | |
| Celtic Media Festival Award | Best New Director | Peter Capaldi | Won | [2] | |
| Vevey International Funny Film Festival Award | Prix Schwartz Best Short Film | Peter Capaldi | Won | [2] | |
| 1995 | Academy Award | Live Action Short Film | Peter Capaldi, Ruth Kenley-Letts | Won | [5] |
References
edit- ^ "Latin for a dark room". The Herald. 22 March 1994. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "FRANZ KAFKA'S IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Premiers Plans Festival d'Angers" (PDF). Premiers Plans. 1994. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ Kenley-Letts, Ruth (2011). "Franz Kafka's "It's a Wonderful Life" (1993)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
- ^ "The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
External links
edit- Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life at IMDb
- Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life (1993) at AllMovie
- Full record for Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life at the National Library of Scotland
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