There was a time in the United States when Americans seemed to be in love with their President. Even most of those who opposed him greatly admired Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Perhaps that is why American cinema featured few political films. The Birth Of A Nation and Greed, two silent film classics, were political but were not about the American political process. Even through the Great Depression, there was little interest in serious political drama. It’s no surprise that Preston Sturges’ wonderful 1942 film Sullivan’s Travels, in which the lead character, a Hollywood director determined to make a serious social film entitled “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” discovers that “there's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that's all some people have?” In 1939, however, with conflict in Europe headlining the news, beloved filmmaker Frank Capra gave us the blueprint for future American political films with his stupendous Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
James Stewart, fresh from starring in Capra’s offbeat comedy You Can’t Take It With You, plays the lead as Jefferson Smith, a young, idealistic, and naïve hero from an unnamed Midwestern state. He is head of the Boy Rangers, an organization based on the Boy Scouts of America, and a state hero after single-handedly putting out a forest fire. Claude Rains plays Senator Joe Paine, who must work with the governor of the state (Guy Kibbee) and the party boss (Edward Arnold), to select another senator to send to Congress after Paine’s seat mate dies. Boss Taylor wants to appoint a political stooge but the governor fears that the state voters will rebel if he selects Taylor’s lackey. After much indecision, the Governor chooses political neophyte Jeff Smith. Although immediately criticized by the Boss, the young greenhorn politician proves to be a popular choice after praising Senator Paine and delivering a number of patriotic oratories.
But all is not as it seems. Jeff Smith learns the hard way that America is not governed by truth and honesty but by graft and secret handshakes. Instead of accepting this corrupt world of politics, Jeff chooses to expose the system and all its faults. The love interest is cunning reporter Clarissa Saunders, played by Jean Arthur, who meets the young idealist while looking for a scoop but ends up helping him after seeing Jeff’s political naïveté. Plucky, brazen, and independent, Clarissa reminds me of Patricia Neal’s character in Elia Kazan’s A Face In The Crowd (1957) and Susan Harrison’s in Sweet Smell Of Success (1957). With the help of Clarissa and other political stalwarts who see Jeff as a welcome change from patronage and corruption, he tries desperately to fight Joe Paine’s political machine.
Learning senate rules and procedure as he goes, Mr. Smith gives us an American civics lesson and a history of the American legislative process. It is informative, interesting and exciting, culminating with the famous line, “Either I'm dead right… or I'm crazy!” Like most Capra films, it is a story of redemption and while at times it seems a little corny and overtly patriotic, particularly to non-Americans and even non-Republicans, it nonetheless captures the inner-workings of Washington in a profound way. I first saw Mr. Smith Goes To Washington in high school, and it was one of the reasons why I got excited about politics and went on to study political science. Advise and Consent (1962), The Best Man (1964), The Candidate (1972), and Primary Colors (1998) are notable later films about the American political process. Each took their blueprint from this fine movie.
