In celebration of Columbia’s 100th anniversary, Sony has released a 20-film collection of Frank Capra’s films made for the studio between 1928 and 1939 plus a fall length documentary, Frank Capra: Mr. America.

All the films are presented in standard Blu-ray, but nine of them are also presented in 4K UHD Blu-ray as well. Eleven of them feature full-length commentary.

The first six in the collection, four from 1928 and two from 1929, are relatively unknown films. They are So This is Love and The Way of the Strong, both featuring new commentary by Stan Taffel and Bryan Cooper; That Certain Thing, Submarine, and The Younger Generation, both in 4K; and Flight, the last four without commentary.

The better-known films begin with 1930’s Ladies of Leisure with commentary by Jeremy Arnold and featuring Barbara Stanwyck in her first starring role for Capra. Also from 1930 is the comedy, Rain or Shine starring Joe Cook, in both U.S. and international versions.

1931’s Dirigible and Platinum Blonde are both presented in 4K while the same year’s The Miracle Woman, which was released between the two films, is standard Blu-ray only.

The Miracle Woman was the film that both Capra and Columbia honcho Harry Cohn thought would bring them Oscar nominations at least for Barbara Stanwyck’s bravura portrayal of the phony evangelist but the film was an unexpected flop. Platinum Blonde, on the other hand, was an unexpected smash hit thanks to Jean Harlow’s performance in the title role.

1932’s American Madness, another smash hit starring Walter Huston and Pat O’Brien, features a brand-new commentary by Steven C. Smith with Victoria Riskin, daughter of Capra’s longtime screenwriter Robert Riskin and Fay Wray. It also features the previously released commentary by Frank Capra Jr. and Catherine Kellson.

1932’s Forbidden is a pre-code tearjerker about an unwed mother played by Barbara Stanwyck that isn’t very good but is certainly watchable for Stanwyck’s performance. It features commentary by Jeanine Basinger.

1933’s The Bitter Tea of General Yen , the inaugural presentation at Radio City Music Hall, features another bravura performance by Barbara Stanwyck along with an equally fine one by Nils Asther, which also failed to get Oscar’s attention. It features a new commentary by Kimbery Truhler.

1933’s Lady for a Day is the film that finally got Capra some Oscar love. It was nominated for four Oscars for Best Picture, Actress (May Robson), Director, and Adapted Screenplay, the latter by Robert Riskin whose girlfriend at the time, Glenda Farrell, co-stars along Warren William and a host of great character actors including Guy Kibbee and Walter Connelly.

The last five films in the collection are not only among the best of Capra and Columbia, but among the best films of all time. All five are presented in 4K UHD as well as standard Blu-ray.

1934’s It Happened One Night was the first comedy to win a Best Picture Oscar and the first film to win the top five categories for Picture, Director, Actor (Clark Gable), Actress (Claudette Colbert), and Screenplay (Robert Riskin). Previously released as part of the Columbia Classics – Volume Four 4K Collection, it features new commentary by Julie Kirgo and the previously released commentary by Frank Capra Jr. plus numerous extras.

1936’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town won Capra his second Oscar for best Director. It also earned Gary Cooper his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The film lost to The Great Ziegfeld and Cooper lost to Paul Muni in The Story of Louis Pasteur. The film, which also bolstered the fame of Jean Arthur, won Best Picture awards from both the New York Film Critics and the National Board of Review. It features new commentary by Steven C. Smith and Victoria Riskin as well as the previously released commentary by Frank Capra Jr. and numerous extras.

1937’s Lost Horizon is the restored 133-minute edition of the beloved fantasy film starring Ronald Colman. Featuring Jane Wyatt, John Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton, Margo, Isabel Jewell, H.B. Warner, and Sam Jaffe, the Oscar winner for Best Film Editing and Art Direction features previously recorded commentary by Charles Champlin and Robert Gitt, and more.

1938’s You Can’t Take it with You was the second Capra film to win a Best Picture Oscar. It also earned him his third Oscar for best Director. Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the film version is much zanier albeit with a greater emphasis on the romance between stars James Stewart and Jean Arthur than the antics of Lionel Barrymore, Spring Byington, Ann Miller, Mischa Auer, Donald Meek, and others. It includes previously released commentary by Frank Capra Jr. and Catherine Kellson, and more.

1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, previously released as part of Columbia Classics – Volume One 4K Collection, was nominated for 11 Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Actor (James Stewart) and two Supporting Actors (Harry Carey, Claude Rains). The film and Capra lost to Gone with the Wind and Victor Fleming; Stewart lost to Robert Donat in Goodbye, Mr. Chips; and Carey and Rains lost to another supporting actor in the film, Thomas Mitchell, who won for Stagecoach. A new commentary is provided by Julie Kirgo. The previously released commentary by Frank Capra Jr. is also included with a ton of special features.

The documentary, Frank Capra: Mr. America features both new material and tidbits picked up along the way in the commentaries and mini documentaries presented as extras on many of the films. Mentioned in the documentary are Capra’s later films made outside of Columbia, most notably 1941’s Meet John Doe and 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life.

Happy viewing.