Day 155: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Movie #102 – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - 129 min, cert U.

Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) is the head of the Boy Rangers, a children’s organisation similar to the Scouts. Despite his lack of political ambition, he is chosen as a replacement for a recently deceased senator due to his political naivety and wholesome reputation. He is expected to be easily manipulated by his corrupt boss. Upon his arrival in Washington, Smith proposes a bill that will allow the Boy Rangers to buy some land to use as a national camp. However this land has already been earmarked for another project which his colleagues are trying to push through under the radar. When he refuses to withdraw his proposal, Smith becomes the target of a fiendish smear campaign in an attempt to hound him out of office. In an attempt to prove his innocence he launches a filibuster whereby he attempts to talk non-stop in the senate until his reputation can be restored.

The best thing about this film is, without question, the performance of James Stewart. He was not the first choice for the whole, but is nevertheless perfect for it. He has a wonderful ‘everyman’ kind of charm, and can inject incredible amounts of passion into the roles he plays. This movie made him a star, and rightly so. The script is also very good, as are the performances of the supporting cast.

The movie caused quite a furore when it was first released. It came out at a time when America was preparing to go to war, and the last thing they needed was something that could be seen to be undermining the authority of the government. Many politicians tried to have it banned for bringing the US political system into disrepute.

Score – 6/10. Not bad but I found it a little dull.

Next up is The Maltese Falcon, classic film-noir with Bogart as Sam Spade.