Rent Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

4.0 of 5 from 107 ratings
1h 50min
Rent Mr. Deeds Goes to Town Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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  • Available formats
Synopsis:
When a small-town idealist Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) goes to New York to collect a $20 million inheritance, he finds romance with wisecracking journalist Babe Bennett (Jean Arthur), becomes the target of ruthless businessmen and relatives, and finally decides to give his fortune away because it's so much trouble.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , John W. Austin, , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Frank Capra
Writers:
Robert Riskin, Clarence Budington Kelland
Others:
John Livadary
Studio:
Columbia Tristar
Genres:
Classics, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Collections:
A History of Sports Films (Summer Edition), All the Best: A Celebration of New Year Movies, Award Winners, Films to Watch if You Like It's a Wonderful Life, Films to Watch If You Like..., Holidays Film Collection, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, Oscar's Two-Time Club, Oscars: Winners & Losers, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Frank Capra, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top 10 Tennis Films, Top 100 AFI Laughs, Top Films, What to Watch Next If You Liked Nomadland
Awards:

1937 Oscar Best Director

BBFC:
Release Date:
04/04/2005
Run Time:
110 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, German Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Commentary by Frank Capra Jr
BBFC:
Release Date:
15/10/2018
Run Time:
116 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, French Dolby Digital 1.0, German Dolby Digital 1.0, Portuguese Dolby Digital 1.0, Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles:
Arabic, Danish, Dutch, English, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Commentary by Frank Capra Jr
  • Frank Capra Jr. Remembers...'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town'
  • Vintage Advertising Gallery
  • Original Theatrical Teaser

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Reviews (2) of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

"Budington must feel like an awful stranger.” - Mr. Deeds Goes to Town review by LJ

Spoiler Alert
19/10/2023

This comedy-drama is almost identical in plot to the later Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, except that Mr. Deeds is a jerk and it is much less engrossing.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Comedy-Drama. - Mr. Deeds Goes to Town review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
02/02/2021

 Frank Capra gives us an unlikely American hero, a rich man who wants to give all his money away! Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) is an everyman from Hicksville who inherits $20m and moves to the bright lights of New York. Mr. Deeds is taken for a ride, but surely he can trust the fast talking newshound (Jean Arthur) he is falling in love with?

Cooper gives a signature performance as the provincial, tuba playing writer of greetings cards who grows disillusioned by ambient corruption. Arthur became a star as the tough cynic who repents. As ever, Robert Riskin's dialogue is full of sharp political wit, and he's brilliant at voicing Deeds' idiosyncratic wisdom.      

Some of the commentary on America in the depression feels like editorialising. Unlike other Capra/Riskin films, the message isn't spun into the thread of the narrative. They hammer away at the point that America needs to find a unified solution to the depression which includes the rich and the poor. At times the film seems as unworldly as its hero.

There are many incidental pleasures, like the unflattering portrayal of the Algonquin round table of New Yorker critics. Its theme is that a corrupt society will always make good people appear naive, even dangerous. Which is fair enough. Deeds wins out because Capra can't send his audience home without hope. But the fascists had seized power across Europe.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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