Review of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) by Adrian W — 07 Jun 2008

Mr Smith Goes To Washington is a staggering account of a small-town, flavour-of-the-month senator - elected only to bolster public opinion for his governer's party - who stumbles upon a corrupt regime in Washington.

Mr Smith is, in spite of his reasonably lofty status, just an ordinary man - A fresh-faced, idealistic newbie desperate to make a difference in an uncaring world. His desire to pass a bill to loan money to his state in order to build a Boy Scout camp is wonderfully low-key considering the considerable power and responsibility he's stumbled across, which makes it all the more powerful when the corrupt Jim Taylor blocks his plans to make himself richer.

Mr Smith's story has inspired countless imitators, from Juror #8 in 12 Angry Men to the titular character in Michael Clayton, an ordinary man who loves his country enough to stand up to the rules and challenge those he's supposed to answer to. His rock-hard determination and want to do well by those he loves even in the face of a seemingly unstoppable enemy is an epitomy of the wonder of free speech as well as the dangers of relinquishing it.

The era of the time that Mr Smith's story was first shown is vital - Indeed, his tale was, unfairly or not, initially derided as anti-American by those who confused the anti-corruption message of the film with one of anti-establishment. What is vital is that Mr Smith's home state and political party is never mentioned, firstly for the sake of fairness (it would detract from proceedings and simply become propaganda if a specific party was shown to be corrupt) but ultimately because this is not about a specific political party so much as the inescapable power of corruption in politics as a whole. James Taylor's power over the media is also shown, the anti-Smith propaganda getting so strong that not even the children who support Smith are safe, their car driven heartlessly off the road by the deliverers of a Taylor-owned rag.

But as powerful as the undertones of Mr Smith are, they really wouldn't be anything without the impossible-to-overstate performance of James Taylor, who effortlessly mixes his goofy charm and everyman likability with his powerful, charismatic screen prescence, creating a dynamic, strong character who you find yourself rooting for.

In these cruel, unusual, war-fulled times, the message of Mr Smith is just as relevant and though-provoking as it was 59 years ago - Fear, indifference and corruption are the greatest enemies of a free country. Mr Smith himself is nothing short of a hero, and the film has not lost it's class and relevance over the years.