Mr. Smith Goes To Washington Can Be Overly Heavy-Handed But It Can Also Be Quite Stirring

In the nearly 80 years since Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes To Washington was released, the landscape of American politics has drastically been overhauled, to the point that the overall political stances of the countries two primary political parties, the Republicans the Democrats, have now got completely opposite political aspirations compared to where they were in 1939. But one thing was true then as it is today, the general public does not like politicians, they seem them as crude, conniving and not to be trusted. Some things never change and the core ideas of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, namely standing firm to your morals in the face of corruption, still very much ring true to this day.

The Mr. Smith of the title is Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart), an ordinary man who really had no interest in the world of politics, but his popularity among the local townsfolk, especially among the children, means he is plucked up to be his home state's newest Senator. It's a massive chance of pace for Jefferson Smith, a man who prides himself on his devotion to his country and who carries an idealistic vision of the American political system. That's a vision that doesn't jive with the frequently corrupt goings-on that occurs on Capitol Hill and that includes the process that allowed him to be chosen as a candidate for Senator in the first place.

Turns out higher-up's representing Jefferson's home state picked Jefferson Smith specifically because they felt he'd be easy to control. But once Jefferson gets wise to their plans, he's not gonna take this schtick lying down, no sir. He's gonna protest this corruption by any means necessary, even if it means engaging in an extensive fillibuster on the Senate floor. The journey that our titular lead character goes through in the course of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is an intriguing one as he starts out idealistic before being blown away by the complex corruption that exists outside his small-town surroundings before ending the film cognizant of the rampant misconduct in the world but also cognizant of the importance of sticking to a hopeful attitude and crusading for the little guy. In many respects, this specific character arc feels like a precursor for the personal journey Wonder Woman went on her in her own solo movie last year.

There's a reason this kind of arc has proved to be so resonant that it crops up in films both new and classic, though it takes a deft hand to sell such a character journey, especially in terms of making the idealistic nature of the protagonist feel believable. Luckily, Jimmy Stewart is the king of humanizing sincere "Aw Shucks" protagonists and he does just that in portraying Jefferson Smith. While I wish the writing of Jefferson Smith allowed for the character to take on more dimensions in his earlier scenes (even just having his initial walk around Washington D.C. be done in a less hurried manner could have helped get to know this guy better), Stewart is able to consistently sell this guy as someone who could actually exist and also as a personification of all the best qualities human beings strive to achieve.

The rest of the characters aren't quite as interesting mainly due to the screenplay that doesn't offer up as many distinctive or interesting personalities for the supporting players inhabit. Now, to be clear, when I say these characters sometimes lack for depth, I don't mean that in comparison to modern-day movies, I mean compared to the characters found in other Frank Capra features of the same era like It Happened One Night the supporting players here struck me as underwritten. For instance, someone like Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur) is just a stock love interest. To be fair though, Claude Rains does solid work in his antagonistic role and I enjoyed the lively President of The Senate played by Harry Carey who just seems enamored with everything Jefferson Smith has to say.

The majority of the characters may not leap off the screen, but Mr. Smith Goes To Washington still manages to more than garner one's interest through a third act detailing Jefferson Smith engaging in a filibuster on the Senate Floor as a sign of protest against corrupt politicians who have slandered his good reputation. Jimmy Stewart's performance, as well as some assured direction from Frank Capra, make this a riveting turn of events, especially since the corrupt politicians fight back using the press to spread slander about Jefferson Smith which just feels oh so topical in this day and age of Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting. Though not the best collaboration between Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington certainly still manages to stir the soul eight decades later.