Studio: Columbia Pictures

Country: USA

Year: 1939

Director: Frank Capra

Producer: Frank Capra

Writing credits:
Lewis R. Foster (story)
Sidney Buchman (screenplay)

Cast:
Jefferson Smith: James Stewart
Clarissa Saunders: Jean Arthur
Sen. Joseph Paine: Claude Rains
James Taylor: Edward Albert
Gov. Hubert Hopper: Guy Kibbe
Diz Moore: Thomas Mitchell
Chuck McGann: Eugene Pallette
Ma Smith: Beulah Bondi
The Vice President: Harry Carey

Budget: $1.5 million

Rentals: $1.5 million

DVD Information

Run time: 130 minutes

Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese

Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese

Special features: Vintage Advertising, Original Trailers, Bonus Trailers, Frank Capra Jr Commentary, Frank Capra Jr Remembers

Plot: Senator Sam Foley is dead. Now, to ensure the passage of his dubious bill, James Taylor (Edward Arnold) — the power behind a corrupt political machine — needs to replace him with a yes-man who'll do what he's told without asking questions. Naive, patriotic Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), leader of a troop called the Boy Rangers, seems the perfect candidate. But when Smith introduces a bill to establish a national boys camp, he stumbles onto Taylor's plan for graft and personal gain, which involves even the state's senior Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains). Smith soon finds himself in a desperate battle — aided only by his cynical assistant Saunders (Jean Arthur) and an army of Boy Rangers — against Taylor's insidious power, with his own integrity and reputation on the line.

Comment: Spoilers ahead

Review: Since I had been given the choice of our first movie last time (sorry about that one Kendal *wink*), this time it was up to him to choose our next target. The title 'Mr Smith goes to Washigton' was out immediately. And as probably any twenty-something European regular movie-goer, my immediate answer to that was 'Huh?'. I had never heard of it, but Kendal's enthusiasm was infectious and by the next day, I had ordered the DVD, and I found myself looking forward to seeing it, which I did the day I received it. Now, the question of course is 'Sooooo, what did ya think?'

First things first: I liked that movie a lot. I'll probably never love it as much as Kendal though, for a simple reason: I'm very sensible to things like the 'pace' at which the story is told, the photography and visuals and the music, and none of those are remarkable here. Overall, the direction falls a little flat, except for a few scenes, as if Capra didn't want to detract us from the story and its characters. No, Capra here keeps things simple, straight to the point, but in a sense, that's completely befitting the main character's, Jeff, chid-like and direct honesty.

The story. Yes, it felt optmistic to the point of becoming corny, maybe; and that makes this movie a very American one. No European or Asian director would have dared to have as a main character someone as honest and naive as Jeff Smith. Or maybe they would, but only to have him ultimately crushed by the end. Most probably though, he would have surrendered to the siren's call and leave behind him his illusions. But who said optimism was overrated? Who said we haven't got the right to hope for a better world? Today, most movies dealing with politics are all set to demonstrate the corruption that appears to be an unavoidable consequence of power. We all know that by now, and probably in Europe even more so than in the US. What illusions we had left at the turn of the 20th century were ultimately destroyed in the two World Wars, with the Balkanic war serving as a cruel reminder. And this sensation of being caught in a vicious circle that's reinforced in fiction, either on paper or on screen, makes us even less likely to find the courage to break it. Maybe, just maybe, having a little optimism trown in the way for a change wouldn't hurt.

This optimism could have been plainly 'too much' if the movie, like its main character, weren't that honest. What may feel almost exasperating at the beginning, like Jeff's refusal to see all the corruption around him until it slaps him in the face, is the very thing that makes it, by the time you arrive at the second half, ultimately endearing. The spectator's journey is reflected in the story by Saunders, our eyes, ears and heart, who's first exasperated by Jeff's naivete, before being desperate for him to succeed to the point of becoming his pillar of strength. Now, I always loved Jean Arthur, and she certainly delivers another great performance here, finding the right balance between disillusionment and wishful thinking, between motherly protectiveness and womanly admiration by the end.

That's not to say that the other main actors weren't as good. Claude Rains excels as Senator Joseph Paine. He is the character who keeps the movie anchored in what we know as reality, a man who used to be full of good intentions, and still is to a certain extent (which makes him likable despite his faults) before being corrupted in turn. The turmoil in which he finds himself, torn between his 'duty' towards the people he's associated himself with, and his growing fatherly feelings for Smith, makes him the most conflicted character by far, someone who comes to despise who he has become. In a sense, he is the one who gives us hope in a possible better future. He appears, at the beginning, the very embodiment of the corrupted politician. But he also has a conscience, and he is able to see the wrong of his way, which opens a door for redemption. Redemption for Paine, and redemption for our system.

Last but not least, our 'Candide', Jeff Smith. Kendal has already said what needed to be said about James Stewart's admirable performance. But there is one more thing that I'd like to underline here. Jeff Smith, like a kid, arrives at Washinghton with big round eyes, a head full of dreams and naive preconceptions. He is first supported by the governor's children, and it is always the chilrden who trust him first, and actually, behave with him as if he was one of their own. Stewart is in that aspect also, the best actor they could have found at the time: with his long legs and long arms, there is something clumsy about the way he moves in the space, like a child who has grown up too fast, or about the way he behaves in front of a lady, like a heart-struck pre-adolescent. Interestingly enough, you see all that change, as he goes through his 'teenage years' -his rebellion against his father figure, Sen. Paine- to finally become an adult through his extraordinary filibuster before the Senate.

Which makes me think that all in all, this is as much a story about growing, as it is about corruption, and that Jeff's journey is what Capra wishes for his country, to open its eyes but retain its faith in the foundations that lie beneath it all, that lie beneath America.