Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) – 8/10 – Fun, idealistic political drama that is relevant today
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON is a political drama by the legendary filmmaker Frank Capra and features another legend, James Stewart. The two teamed up three times throughout their careers and created three brilliant films: YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938), MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939), and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946). They may have collaborated more if the US Army hadn’t drafted Stewart and his overseas service in Europe. Jean Arthur stars opposite Stewart here, their third collaboration after THE PLAINSMAN (1936), and YOU CAN’T… (1938). I think they have wonderful chemistry working together. Arthur’s career slowed down after WW2 when Stewart was entering the prime of his illustrious career. Otherwise, they might have done more films.
A senator dies and his seat needs to be replaced by another from the same state. The governor of the state, Hubert Hopper (Guy Kibbee), must choose the replacement. The state’s other senator, the corrupt Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), along with con businessman, Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), pushes for one of their cronies. However, Hopper’s children convince him to choose Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), the young and exuberant head of Boy Rangers, a local Boy Scout group. Smith is an idealist but naïve, and the corrupt Paine takes him under the wing to manipulate him. Paine was once Smith’s deceased father’s friend, so Smith holds Paine in high esteem. Paine, along with conman Taylor, attempts to trick Smith into supporting their scheme to build a dam from which Taylor could profit. With the help of Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur), the honest and ethical Smith refuses to go along. This leads Smith into a confrontation with Paine and Taylor, with Congress and America as witnesses.
It’s a typical Capra film of good versus evil, with some charm and comedy mixed in. The things that stood out were the acting, cinematography, and the timeless script directed by a skilled director. I especially liked the Washington DC monument scenes, which were illegally filmed after US Parks forbade them. The Senate set they built feels like the real one. Though the pacing in several early scenes was underwhelming, the last 45 minutes made up for it. The energetic climax scenes were fun to watch and filled with tension. It also suffers from an abrupt ending, a common issue in many older films. This film had more scenes for the ending, but previous audiences’ negative responses forced filmmakers to remove them. Jimmy Stewart, though young at the time of filming, once again proves why he was exceptional. His versatility and acting prowess have to go down in the annals of film history.
Some interesting tidbits. This was the last film shown in Occupied France before the Nazis banned American movies. Boy Scouts of America were invited to be part of the film but refused. Capra had to use the fictional ‘Boy Rangers’ name for the Boy Scouts of America. Writer Lewis Foster testified he wrote this movie for Gary Cooper, but Stewart ended up with the role. Jean Arthur’s left side angle was said to be the most beautiful, so they positioned the sets and cameras to film her left side. Columbia Studio constructed the Senate chamber to scale and was the largest set on their sound stage. Other studios feared this film would push Congress to legislate against Hollywood, so they attempted to buy it for $2 million for discarding. Columbia didn’t budge and ended up making $9 million. It received 11 Oscar nominations and won one for Best Original Story.
Would I recommend this? Yes, I will recommend this film. I think it’s very much relevant today with rampant fraud in politics. Capra films rarely fail to entertain and leave you with a smile through their feel-good premises. While this film may not be very realistic, I think it’s commendable for its idealism and powerful performances. My rating is 8/10.
*Any trivia facts were obtained from IMDB’s trivia page and plot/name information from Wiki
