Review of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) by Simeon D — 19 Sep 2010

No one is better than Frank Capra to expose the heart and sincere essence of what it means to be an American in this inspirational piece of storytelling.

Jimmy Stewart stars as Jefferson Smith, a Montana boy scout leader suddenly turned senator by Senator Paine (Claude Rains). At first, everyone makes fun of Smith and his traditional values, especially by his secretary (Jean Arthur) and his press corespondent (Thomas Mitchell). But once he finds himself in a scandal of alleged corruption, Smith must convince the Senate that he is innocent; by any means possible.

Frank Capra's direction is spectacular. Like every great director you can automatically identify his style. Orson Welles is dramatic and visually dazzling, John Ford is sentimental and has vivid landscapes, Alfred Hitchcock is smug and suspenseful, and then you have Frank Capra, who provides a nimbly paced sympathetic story about moral values as well as great visuals when you need them.

I would rank this with Capra's other achievements; It Happened One Night, You Can't Take It With You, and A Wonderful Life. If It Happened One Night is the rudimentary romantic comedy, and A Wonderful Life is the rudimentary inspirational story, then this is the rudimentary underdog story.

The story is flawless, and so is Capra's storytelling, but I will admit that there are some points that transcended my believability. Like the talking for 23 hours scene. And there were moments that were "too good to be true" or just seemed a little to unreal. Otherwise every scene is expertly crafted and there are many little details that make the film work better as a whole.

The screenplay is deservingly monumental. Politicians and corruption? That sounds Absurd! Well here you go in 1939. And it's probably the most pro-American-film-that-criticizes-the-government ever made. Every scene, and I mean EVERY scene at the Senate House or with Claude Rains or with Harry Carey was perfect because it managed to keep its sense of seriousness and still have the old Hollywood magic.

There's one scene near the beginning where Mr. Smith goes around punching journalists in the face, and that was just plain hilarious. There's also a great moment where Jimmy Stewart is nervous about talking to this girl who he has a crush on, and the camera just focuses on his hat which he's fidgeting with. Not something to be missed.

Now, there's a lot of hullaballoo about the performances here. Jean Arthur is good. Claude Rains is phenomenal. Harry Carey is amiable. Thomas Mitchell (trivia: he won an Oscar for Best Sup. Actor the same year for Stagecoach) is witty and charming. Edward Arnold yet again fits into the "evil corporate monster" role. And now to Jimmy Stewart:

Jimmy Stewart is my favorite actor and is who I consider is the greatest American actor of all time. Naturally, the only reason I went out to get this film was because of his legendary performance. After watching this, I must reflect; other than his famous monologue at the end, Stewart isn't really given much to do. So during the end he's spectacular and completely grabs your heart. For the rest of the movie, when he's there, he's okay.

This film was nominated for 11 Oscars and won 1. "Why is that?" you may ask. 1939 was the same year that Gone With The Wind was made. You could say that the Oscars were already reserved. Gone With The Wind vs. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is a worthy battle, but I consider Gone With The Wind to be the granddaddy of all Best Picture winners. It also deserved to win every award it did over Mr Smith Goes To Washington, which is Picture, Director, Screenplay, Art Direction, and Film Editing. Jimmy Stewart didn't win Best Actor, and that's not as much of a crime as it seems, because my second choice would have been Clark Gable for Gone With The Wind other than whoever that was that did win.

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is predictably iconic and a timeless masterpiece that represents Frank Capra at his finest. 99/100.