James Stewart at his best

|Classic Film Review & Commentary|

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Directed by Frank Capra, Story by Lewis R. Foster, Screenplay by Sidney Buchman

**** (out of 4)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a film that is more applicable to 2008 than to the year of its release in 1939 (a GREAT year for Hollywood to say the least). Unfortunately, corruption in both the Republican and Democratic parties is an on-going problem and one which is indicative of the public’s lack of participation in democracy (It's interesting to note that no political parties are mentioned in the film. It gives one the sense that corruption can happen in any party).

Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains) on comprising and the lack of participation by the people:

I've served our state well, haven't I? We have the lowest unemployment and the highest Federal grants. But, well, I've had to compromise, had to play ball. You can't count on people voting, half the time they don't vote, anyway. That’s how states and empires have been built since time began.

Things haven’t changed. Voter turnout for federal elections was 55.3% in 2004 (Presidential Election year) and 43.6% in 2006 (Mid-term elections). Plato once said, “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” This is indeed the case in Senator Jefferson Smith’s (James Stewart) state (presumably Mississippi because newspapers are from Jackson City).

Governor Happy Hopper (Guy Kibbee) is nothing more than a puppet, a yes man under the control of the influential newspaper and business mogul Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold). Taylor has given political careers to Happy and Sen. Paine and he can take them away just as fast.

Taylor runs a well-oiled political machine that utilizes the media to mold public opinion. When he tries to destroy Smith we see an exploitation of radio, newspapers and various types of propaganda rallies, not to mention malicious attacks on the opposition. Essentially he tells people how to think and is able to get away with it because many people either are ill-informed or apathetic to democracy. There is a similar phenomenon in the 21st century with 24 hour cable news television channels. Channels like FOX, CNN, MSNBC, etc, cater to certain ideologies and bombard viewers with political propaganda. People are able to choose a channel that fits their political leanings and consequently strengthens their political orientation. This results in partially “informed” individuals and is contributing to the rise of ideologs – individuals adamant in their support of liberalism or conservatism (or neo-conservatism in some cases), for example. This is only one of many elements contributing to a “red state/blue state” political landscape in contemporary America.

Another interesting media dynamic in the film is the behavior of the National Press Club, specifically that of Diz Moore, played well by Thomas Mitchell who is great at portraying flakey drunkards. Mitchell’s character illustrates the fickleness of the media and its insatiable desire for stories and to entertain, rather than inform. Once Smith arrives in Washington it doesn’t take long for Diz and his press counterparts to smear the junior senator. They misquote Smith and bait him into giving them samplings of his boy ranger knowledge of which make for stories that make Smith look like a small-town, backwater, harebrained rube.

Later in the film when Smith is making inroads in his filibuster against the Taylor machine, Diz jumps on Smith’s side and cooks up a story against the Taylor machine which is “allegedly crooked, inside and out.” These are excellent examples of how much political influence the media has and why it’s often referred to as the “fourth branch” of government. The media’s influence since the time depicted in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington has only increased exponentially as more media outlets (television, internet, etc) are introduced.

One of the main reasons why this film resonates so well with me and why it’s my favorite Frank Capra film is the performance of James Stewart as Senator Jefferson Smith (aided by Sidney Buchman’s terrific screenplay), which is beyond any praise I can write in this selection. His performance is one of very best performances in the history of Hollywood. Stewart was perfect for this role because of his everyman qualities, believability and his ability to reach a level of passion in his performance that few actors can reach. The last 25-30 minutes of the film which are largely dominated by Smith’s filibuster is as good as it gets in cinema and incredibly poignant:

Jefferson Smith: [His voice very hoarse] Just get up off the ground, that's all I ask. Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something. And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so's he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That's what you'd see. There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties. And, uh, if that's what the grownups have done with this world that was given to them, then we'd better get those boys' camps started fast and see what the kids can do. And it's not too late, because this country is bigger than the Taylors, or you, or me, or anything else. Great principles don't get lost once they come to light. They're right here; you just have to see them again!

Smith may be naïve to the inner workings of congress, but his honesty and desire to do what is just and good is refreshing. Only Stewart could deliver a modest line like this with so much passion and humility:

Jefferson Smith: Now, you're not gonna have a country that makes these kinds of rules work, if you haven't got men who've learned to tell human rights from a punch in the nose.

Yes, some of Smith’s enthusiasm for America may sound hokey by today’s standards, but I believe Capra and screenwriter Sidney Buchman went that far with the Smith character to show a great contrast with Washington and the Taylor machine. Smith looks more heroic and Edward Arnold’s character Jim Taylor appears that much more sinister.

Overall, the cast is sensational because its actors are highly skilled in both comedy and drama. In addition to Stewart and Arnold, the supporting performances by Claude Rains, Jean Arthur, Thomas Mitchell, Guy Kibbee, Eugene Pallette, Harry Carey and the actors playing members of congress are all exceptional. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a treasure of a film—it’s educational (shows us how a bill become a law), funny, uplifting and hopeful, rewarding and features James Stewart at his best.