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Summary: A wonderful movie about our country...
Review: This movie is perfect for 4th of July, or for any day, for that matter. It is funny and heartwarming, and shows the true meaning of democracy in our country. Basically, it is the story of Jefferson Smith, a young and naive boy scout leader who is chosen to replace one of his state's Senators for a short time. Essentially, Smith is chosen as the replacement because the corrupt officials in his state just want someone they think they can manipulate easily. Unluckily for them, however, it turns out that Smith is not the easily controlled weakling they thought he would be. Instead of simply listening to his superiors, Smith begins to figure things out for himself and to fight for what he believes in regardless of the consequences. Along the way, he is helped by Saunders, a cynical secretary, played by Jean Arthur. This movie also features fantastic performances, especially by Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur. Anyhow, this is a wonderful movie that really shows what our democracy should be all about. Although this movie was made in the late 1930s, it could have been made yesterday, for the issues it deals with are still very relevant today. The DVD is great - really worth getting! Enjoy!
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Summary: A James Stewart and Frank Capra Movie- What Do You Expect?
Review: It isn't hard to imagine that our founding fathers envisioned politicians like Jefferson Smith. Of course we all know that a man with such integrity and idealism could never achieve political office. The reason: It's right there in this movie. The Jim Taylors and Sen. Paines would never allow it. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington isn't as artistic a film as Citizen Kane or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but it's quite simply the most entertaining and moving film I've ever seen. The reason: It's right there in the movie. The greatest film actor of all time, in arguably his greatest performance, and, in terms of commercial success, the greatest director in arguably his greatest film. The reason I say arguably is because these two teamed up for another film called It's A Wonderful Life. However, I think Mr. Smith is a better movie. It's able to elicit the same emotion and sentiment as It's A Wonderful Life, but it has a powerful message that drives it. More importantly, Frank Capra believes in his subject and his message. Some people accuse him of making commercial movies, not venturing into deeper subject matter, and painting the world in unrealistic ways. But how many of those same critics aren't completely engrossed in the movie when Stewart filibusters before congress, one of the most powerful scenes in film history. I guess Capra believed that there is a little good in all of us and it takes a Mr. Smith to bring it out of us. That may be commercial, shallow, and unrealistic but it's a nice thought anyway. And I certainly don't want to be the one to prove Mr. Capra wrong. So what's wrong with a movie that believes in Americanism and idealism, especially when it is as well-made and well-acted as Mr. Smith.
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Summary: Classic in every sense of the word
Review: I would have to agree with everyone else here, that there is no better performance in film history than Jimmy Stewart and Jeff Smith. He put his heart and soul into the role, and a masterpiece came out. I would like to correct magellen's review, in that Stewart did not win for his performance in Mr. Smith. He won the following year for his role as Mike Connor in "The Philadelphia Story". Many believe Stewart was given this as a payback for the Academy overlooking him for his "Mr. Smith" role. He was nominated for his performance in "Mr. Smith" and was given the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actor (1939). Great film!
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Summary: Great Performances All Around
Review: I first watched this movie my senior year of high school (our government teacher showed it in order to explain what a filibuster is!). Last night I watched it again for the first time in eight years, with my younger brother who is a James Stewart fan. I realized then what a well-made movie MR. SMITH is! Stewart gives a magnificent performance, not least in that memorable filibuster scene, in which he talks himself hoarse (you can actually FEEL his exhaustion!). The character Stewart presents, Jefferson Smith, is an unsophistocated man who nevertheless fiercely believes in the ideals of America: powerful feelings burn beneath his naive facade. The rest of the actors are perfect in their roles, from Claude Rains' flawed idealist to Jean Arthur's tough yet good-hearted secretary who is eventually won over to Smith's way of thinking. The great acting performances and superb direction make MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON a fine film, as well as a tribute to the values -- freedom, tolerance, courage -- that make America great.
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Summary: Jimmy Stewart's Finest Performance in Capra Gem!
Review: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a timeless, brilliant parable of Good Vs. Evil, played out in the U.S. Senate. Good is represented by Jimmy Stewart, in the film he SHOULD have won an Oscar for (MGM, trying to bolster 'Goodbye, Mr. Chips' at the box office, influenced it's Academy members to award Robert Donat with the statue; the following year, Stewart appeared in 'The Philadelphia Story', for MGM, and won Best Actor!). He is magnificent as Jefferson Smith, an idealistic youth leader, who is offered up as an innocent and gullible replacement for a Senate vacancy. Evil is personified by Claude Rains, as the suave and corrupt senior Senator, and Edward Arnold, brilliant as a ruthless party boss. In many ways, 'Smith' is cut from the same cloth as Capra's earlier masterpiece, 'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town', and both films costar the radiant Jean Arthur, here cast as Smith's secretary. She is an old hand at understanding political wheelings and dealings, and at first, she considers her new boss a total idiot! But Smith's integrity wins her over, and with the help of reporter Thomas Mitchell (1939's busiest actor!), the three manage to outlast the forces of Evil, in the most rousing filabuster Hollywood has ever filmed! Two supporting characters deserve special attention; Harry Carey, one of Hollywood's most beloved Western stars, plays a warm, sympathetic Vice President, in a small but very crucial role; and Beulah Bondi is terrific as Stewart's mother (she would play his mother again in the Capra/Stewart classic 'It's A Wonderful Life'). The new DVD edition offers the insights of Frank Capra, Jr., son of the legendary filmmaker, as well as trailers, vintage material, and a whole lot more! If you've seen 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' before, treat yourself with this lavish new edition! If you haven't seen it, you are in for one of the most wonderful cinema experiences you'll ever have, from the best year Hollywood ever had! Simply put, this film is a masterpiece!
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Summary: The movie will not yield.
Review: Frank Capra captures the heart of american patriotism without ever becoming preachy. Mr. Smith is equal parts civics lesson, romance, tense drama and at its heart: the perfect fish out of water comedy. Jimmy Stewart is fantastic as Jefferson Smith an honorory senator who accidentally stumbles on corruption. Stellar performances were turned in by Jean Arthur, Claude Raines, Edward Arnold and Thomas Mitchell, but it is Stewart who dominates this film. The phrase Capraesque gets bandied about with too much regularity these days when describing recent films. I would strongly reccomend Mr. Sith goes to Washington as Capra at his most Capraesque.
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Summary: This movie taught me the ideals of America
Review: I first watched this wonderful movie about six months after I arrived in America from a country where there was little personal freedom. I had just taken an ESL American history class in high school, and had understood little. This movie was simply a great eye-opener for me, a foreigner with little notion of the American freedom. Capra's masterpiece depicted an America rife with with corruption, with lies and ruthless men to whom America was a money and power machine. Against this backdrops stands Jefferson Smith, the hero, who is picked as a stooge senator for his home state by the political machine. (The original screen play identifies the state as Montana; Capra said it was Illinois; but isn't Jackson City the capital of Mississippi?) His innocence and ideals -- and incorrutibility -- immediately warm the heart of every audience member. He's indeed the light in the dark tunnel, the hope for every American who feels that what this great country stands for is shamelessly disregarded and discarded by our politicians. The classic filibuster scene is such a joy to watch, esp. for people who don't quite get what a filibuster is. (Of course, how Mr. Smith could go on talking for 23 hours 16 minutes without going to the toilet puzzles me.) The movie also lucidly explains how a bill is written, submitted for consideration, debated, compromised, and finally sent for vote, in the House and the Senate. It's both an entertaining and educational movie. The filibuster scene may strike some us lecturing. Indeed, the senators in the movie turn a deaf ear to the earnest speeches of Mr. Smith. Democracy, freedom, accountability, "government of the people by the people for the people", all mean nothing to these people. Equally amazing, when the film was screened by Congress in 1939, they damned the film as un-American for depicting them as thieves and stooges. Alas, in film and in real life, politicians are simply people without a conscience. As a naturalized American, I feel all these people should be executed, for betraying the very basic foundation of this country. I re-watched the movie recently in the aftermath of Sept. 11. My eyes became wet as I listened to Mr. Smith begging his colleagues to wake up their conscience. It's a shame that our politicians, ranging from George W. Bush to the donkeys in Congress to some judges, are still thieves, clowns, and traitors to the American ideal of universal liberty. Every day they chip away at the foundation of America by allowing corrupt business leaders to rob the nation of its wealth, by letting terrorists come in at ease and killing us at will, and by turning blind eyes and deaf ears at the plight of the middle class. Like Senator Paine in the movie, every politician of today pretends they represent the people, while in fact they represent nothing but their selfish needs. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is IMHO the best movie of all time. It's not because it has great acting or fancy special effects. It's because it addresses an endangered concept, first brought forth by America's founding fathers, the concept that this country was to be better than any other country, past or present. And I'm not talking about just being richer or having more Playstation games.
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Summary: The Little Guys Triumphs
Review: I have to admit that I have never been a big fan of Frank Capra's directing or the stories he chose. But this movie scores for me. James Stewart is simply amazing as Jefferson Smith, the naive young man who discovers that Washington and politicians are not what they seem to be. Jean Arthur, an actress who seems to be forgotten these days, is excellent as the secretary who has seen it all. Claude Rains and Harry Carey do well in supporting performances as a senator and the president of the Senate. The underlying themes about political corruption and the power of the people still work today. The scenes surrounding the filibuster are unforgettable, and you'll find yourself routing for the little guy, something I thought I was too cynical to do myself.
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Summary: THE LAST "CONSERVATIVE" MOVIE?
Review: In 1939, Frank Capra made "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", starring Jimmy Stewart. I have sources that tell me a film was made 10 years later that depicted the Republican as a good guy, but I could not verify it. To the best of my knowledge, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is the last big screen film in which the Democrat was the bad guy, and even then it is only inferred. In Capra's classic, a Midwestern political machine based on the corrupt Democrat organization in Kansas City that Harry Truman rose to power in, is exposed by an idealistic young Senator (Stewart). Claude Rains plays the Truman character. He looked just like him, and in end gives a Senate floor mea culpa of his complicity with Democrat crimes, which is highly, precisely and to quintessential effect the same one "Give 'em hell Harry" should have given, but never did. All is not lost for the Democrats, however, because Stewart is still a Democrat, and the hope for the future. In reality, the Democrats just got more corrupt, and Hollywood would be their willing ally. STEVEN TRAVERS
Author of "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman"
STWRITES@aol.com
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Summary: A Point of Order, Mr. Speaker...
Review: My first inclination was to complain that this DVD is like way overpriced and has not come down in price in some time. Yes, it is a truly great movie, and the DVD has some extra goodies, but there is no reason why it still should be way over $20 in price. That being said, there are few films that might be worth it and this is one of them. It still captures the essence of what being an American is--or what it should be. The lone man voicing his ideas against the machine, reminding us of what sanity is, of what priorities should be. At no time in American history is such a voice needed more than now: we want to send nearly $100 Billion to our enemy while people here will starve today. If that isn't the "Taylor machine" I don't know what is. This film speaks to the real war on terror--the grip that power and greed have on this country at any given time. In movies, especially Frank Capra movies, it all comes out ok in the end, even though many of his films have a suicidal crisis in them at some point. Meet John Doe, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, It's a Wonderful Life, and Mr. Smith all have a suicide that nearly happens. Why would that be,in the films of Frank Capra, considered the "feel good" director of all time? Because at some point life can become not worth living when all of its better values have been perverted, when it seems hopeless and that there is no way out of the madness,when one cannot bear all the tension and contradiction.(Gee, sorry for such a downer review). It might have something to do with the fact that the country was in the "Great Depression", economically and psychologically in the group sense, and that things really were pretty bleak. In Capra films, the response to despair is hope (that the badness will relent) and kindness (the kindness of others towards the unfortunate). And maybe that is the answer for our time as well. Where will we find it? Anyway, all this malarkey aside, Mr. Smith is a great movie, full of laughs, drama, and telling satire, a landmark performance by Jimmy Stewart, and well supported by a great cast all around--Claude Rains, Thomas Mitchell, Jean Arthur, Harry Carey, Edward Arnold. One of the most enjoyable films you will ever see and worth the high price you will pay for the DVD. And now, my filibuster ends.
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