Starring: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains
Release Date: Oct. 19, 1939
Running Time: 129 min
Genres: Drama, Comedy
Commentary Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a very moving picture directed by Frank Capra. James Stewart delivers a terrific performance as Jefferson Smith, a simple man who becomes appointed into the US Senate. The movie involves the struggle between the ordinary man and the rich and powerful, which is characteristic of many of Capra's films.
Plot Summary
Appointment to the Senate: Jefferson Smith (Stewart) is the head of the Boy Rangers in his home state, which is unnamed in the movie. The governor of his state needs to fill a vacancy in the senate due to the death of one of the senators. He ends up selecting Smith, much to his surprise. Smith is ridiculed by the press at first, but then Mr. Paine (Claude Rains), the other senator from his state, suggests that he propose a bill.
The Bill: Smith takes Paine up on his suggestion and proposes a bill to build a boys' camp in Washington DC. The boys listening to his proposal go wild with applause. Unfortunately, the location where he intends to build the camp is also the location of a dam proposed by Senator Paine, who it turns out is part of a corrupt government machine run by Jim Taylor. The Taylor machine falsely accuses Smith of privately owning the land and trying to make a profit from it, threatening to vote to expel him from the senate.
Fighting the Machine: Once Smith learns of this, he becomes disillusioned and threatens to leave Washington. However, his aide Clarissa Saunders (Arthur) convinces him to keep fighting by launching a filibuster preceding the expulsion vote. Smith agrees to this and gets on the senate floor, talking for hours about American values. His constituents try to rally around him but his opposition is too powerful. Eventually, Mr. Smith collapses on the floor. But then his opponent Paine feels terribly guilty and confesses the whole corrupt scheme on the senate floor, redeeming Mr. Smith.
Social Relevance Shortly after its release, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was accused by the Washington Press as well as many senators of being anti-American and pro-Communist by portraying corruption in the government. The movie was also banned by Nazi Germany as well as Italy and Spain during World War II. In 1942, some theaters in German-occupied France played the movie before the ban went into effect, one theater playing it nonstop for a month.
Movie Clips
Here's an inspirational clip in which Miss Saunders convinces Mr. Smith to keep fighting for his cause.
Here's a clip of the scene of Mr. Smith breaking down at the end of his long filibuster.
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Title: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 
