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
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	BBC Scotland The Scottish Film Production Fund Conundrum Films
Release date	1993 (1993)
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

The great writer Franz Kafka is about to write his famous 1915 work, The Metamorphosis, but inspiration is lacking, and he suffers continual interruptions.

Cast

• 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

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

1. "Latin for a dark room". The Herald. 22 March 1994. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
2. "FRANZ KAFKA'S IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
3. "Premiers Plans Festival d'Angers" (PDF). Premiers Plans. 1994. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
4. 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.
5. "The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Retrieved 20 November 2011.

External links

• 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