[3] [4] Capellani, along with his brother Paul, studied acting under Charles le Bargy at the Conservatoire de Paris.

[5] He then began directing plays for the Odéon, working alongside the lauded actor and director Firmin Gémier.

[2] He often drew upon his theatrical background to cast stage actor colleagues for his films, such as Henry Krauss, who appeared as Quasimodo in his The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1911) and as Jean Valjean in his Les Misérables (1912).

[2] His films cover many genres, including melodramas, fairy tales, costume dramas with historical and biblical themes, and literary adaptations, especially after taking up directorship of SCAGL in 1908.

[6] Characteristics of his style include a keen sense for staging actors in three-dimensional space, dynamic use of location filming, and an attention to subtle, realistic details that highlight the humanity of his characters.