Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a film directed by Frank Capra, about corruption in Washington. It shows the corruption being as natural as breathing air to some, and others fighting to the last to stop it. Frank Capra had a knack for tackling controversial subjects. This movie is no exception.
This film is about a naive young man named Jefferson Smith (James Stewart). He is appointed to the United States Senate, by the governor. He comes up with an idea to build a boys camp on a parcel of land. The land is coveted by a political boss, Jim Taylor, (Edward Arnold), who wants to build a dam and profit from it. The boss and his cronies, try to dissuade Senator Smith from his idea by getting his mentor; a senior senator named Joe Paine, (Claude Rains) to speak to him. He does, and fails to persuade Smith to go along with the dam project. The boss’s flunkies do everything to slander and libel Senator Smith. This strategy appears to work. Smith is depressed that everyone has turned against him. He doesn’t know what to do until he talks to Saunders, an idealistic reporter, played by Jean Arthur. She convinces Senator Smith to continue fighting for the boys camp. He starts a filibuster in the senate, and reads the entire constitution. He collapses from exhaustion, which prompts a full confession, from Senator Paine, and complete exoneration for Senator Smith.
James Stewart was making movies in Hollywood for a few years, before Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He projects his well known image, of a man fighting for his beliefs on the screen. He is very impressive, in the scenes where he is riding around Washington, on a bus, checking out the sites. He rides by The Supreme Court Building, the Jefferson Memorial and The Lincoln Memorial. This scene is good because, Stewart never says anything, he just has expressions and no dialogue. Another scene is when he listens to Claude Rains character, Senator Paine. He doesn’t say anything after Paine speaks to him. He just gets up and leaves, disgusted that his mentor is involved with a corrupt political machine. Stewart saves the best for last, when he is giving his speech at the end of the film. He pleads his cause but to no avail. His spirit is broken after the corrupt Senator Paine, brings in bagfuls of letters condemning his actions. After seeing this, Senator Smith, walks away, and collapses from exhaustion.
Jean Arthur plays Saunders, the reporter. She makes friends with Stewart, and helps him to better understand things. She has a wonderful scene with Stewart, when she uses gentle persuasion to convince Jefferson Smith to keep fighting the good fight. There is a scene when the senators wont allow James Stewart ‘s character to speak. She shouts “let him speak” from the gallery. She also coaches him from there. Her portrayal of Saunders is a forerunner of other strong portrayals of female reporters, like Ann Mitchell in Meet John Doe and Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday.
Edward Arnold made a living out of playing unlikeable characters. Jim Taylor, the political boss, is no exception. When his political machine is threatened by Jefferson Smith’s plans, he pulls out all the stops. He manages with a look or a veiled threat, to get the dam back on track. He even has the bikes of Smith’s pals, the boy rangers, damaged, so they can’t get out the word about the senator. He takes all of the good out of Joe Paine’s character, by reminding him of how he got his position. Edward Arnold succeeds in giving a performance of an unredeemable character.
Claude Rains played many characters in his career. Most of them were not likeable. He played Joe Paine, as a man conflicted. He welcomes Senator Smith into his home, and explains to him about being a senator. Rains conveys his man in conflict, when Jim Taylor tells him that he owes his career to him, and he agrees to talk to Smith. After Jefferson Smith has refused to go along, Joe Paine condemns him in the senate, and shows his contempt. It’s a great piece of acting by Rains, followed by his showing a man consumed by his guilt and confessing his crimes. It makes for a powerful scene, from a man with a unique acting style.
Harry Carey and Thomas Mitchell are supporting characters in this film. Harry Carey plays the president of the senate. He manages to convey a business side, and keep order, while sympathizing with Senator Smith. Thomas Mitchell plays Diz, a veteran reporter, and friend and confidant to Saunders. He lends some comic relief to an otherwise serious film.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a film by Frank Capra. His films have the theme of the little guy against the establishment. This is no different. The scene of Senator Smith at the Lincoln Memorial, while a boy reads The Gettysburg Address, with the help of an adult is pricelesss. It makes a bold statement about the film. Capra manages to show the evil of the political machine. Jim Taylor’s henchmen threaten the boy rangers and damage their bicycles, and steal their papers. The power of the press is shown, when a series of pictures appear in the papers, showing Senator Smith as a buffoon. Smith’s anger is expressed, when he assaults as many reporters as he can find. When Jimmy Stewart’s character, Smith has a dialogue with Saunders , about what to do, it speaks volumes. This is because Saunders speaks in a soft voice, and is mostly done in shadow. When Senator Smith is speaking, Saunders has a note given to him by the page. It says that her friend Diz, played by Thomas Mitchell, thinks she’s in love with him, and that he is right. Smith sees the note, and smiles in agreement. It’s a wonderful way of communicating feeling without dialogue. Capra does great work with the camera, showing Smith in various shots during his filibuster. Frank Capra gets the most out of the actors in the film, and the camera. He manages to take a film about corruption and have a bright light expose it in Jefferson Smith.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington succeeds because of the title character’s determination to stand against corruption. The acting also stands out, particularly Jimmy Stewart, who was nominated for an academy award for this film. He later developed more flawed, rougher edged characters, but Jefferson Smith will always be one of his best performances. Frank Capra helped develop Stewart’s early acting style. It’s a tribute to his skill that this film turns out well. The story works, because it is a lesson in faith in humanity. It will always have a place in the hearts of film lovers everywhere.