Mr. Smith Goes to Washington poster & wallpaper

James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains

An idealistic, small-town senator heads to Washington and suddenly finds himself single-handedly battling ruthless politicians out to destroy him.

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92% liked it

38,632 ratings

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27 critics

Unrated, 2 hrs. 9 min.

Directed by: Frank Capra

Release Date: October 19, 1939

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DVD Release Date: February 22, 2000

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Stats: 2,528 reviews

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington James Stewart Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Harry Carey in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Claude Rains in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
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Flixster Reviews (2,528)

  • rubystevens
    July 4, 2009
    rubystevens
    when it was first released, mr. smith goes to washington was attacked by the washington press, and politicians in the u.s. congress, as anti-american and pro-communist for its portrayal of corruption in the american government...when a ban on american films was imposed in german-...( read more)occupied france in 1942, some theaters chose to show mr. smith goes to washington as the last movie before the ban went into effect. one theater owner in paris reportedly screened the film nonstop for 30 days after the ban was announced. ~ via wiki........ jimmy + jean + capra = marvellous
  • hypathio7
    June 3, 2009
    hypathio7
    A boy ranger meets wised up Washington types and a political machine, he's Don Quixote, he's David against Goliath without a slingshot. I enjoyed this very much. Sure Stewart is so squeaky clean and sentimental, but he's the little guy you have to root for against corruption. ...( read more)You have to! People can't give up on ideals and making the world a better place. Wonderful supporting characters in Arthur, Mitchell, Rains, and Arnold too. Jean Arthur is incredibly attractive! She is intelligent and strong and Jefferson Smith would have never said what he needed to say in the Senate filibuster without her.
  • 366weirdmovies
    October 10, 2008
    366weirdmovies
    An honest rube of a boy scout leader is appointed senator and sent to Washington where he uncovers political corruption, which he defeats using "Robert's Rules of Order." Some great moments, both subtle and crowd-pleasing, although in the end this sappy civics lesson is too blat...( read more)antly manipulative to rank as a real classic.
  • Redlats
    September 10, 2008
    Redlats
    I've always known about this movie. 50 years after it is filmed, I finally saw it for the first time. It is fine - honest hill billy takes on corrupt politicians and wins. But I prefer modern movies. The old ones seem too simplistic.
  • hobster1
    June 25, 2008
    hobster1
    Frank Capra is one of the most gifted directors that ever lived and here is the proof.
  • anastasia57001
    October 31, 2009
    anastasia57001
    One of the reasons James Stewart's star went on to shine into eternity, Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is an unforgettable tale about politics, corruption, and doing the right thing. The script is hilarious, and impeccable (from Sidney Buchman, a veteran of the tren...( read more)ches of Hollywood who also won an Oscar for 1941 "Here Comes Mr.Jordan"). Claude Rains delivers an inspired performance as always, here as the authoritative senator. Jean Arthur (who already had 25 years on her back starring in films by then) is simply amazing as Clarissa Saunders. Edward Arnold, another (forgotten by now) movie veteran is perfectly convincing as the villain and Thomas Mitchell, delightful as the battered journalist, adds yet another asset to the cast. You will want to see this again, in time, for the "feel-good"vibe and the wisecrack, snapping dialogues, which was back then, a trademark of the 30's style in the States.
  • samanthaseaotter
    October 28, 2009
    samanthaseaotter
    James Stewart was such a hottie!
  • soccermeg123
    October 19, 2009
    soccermeg123
    this is a pretty good movie. Had to watch in gov't.
  • ElCochran90
    October 18, 2009
    ElCochran90
    "Either I'm dead right, or I'm crazy!"

    MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)


    Director: Frank Capra
    Country: United States of America
    Genre: Drama
    Length: 129 minutes

    ...( read more)albums/ww125/ElCochran90/Decorated%20images/?action=view¤t=Smith.jpg" target="_blank">Photobucket

    Ladies and gentlemen: THIS is the definition of cinema. The fact that it was made 70 years ago is totally unbelievable. Every single aspect, from cinematographical to technical, is wholeheartedly assembled into one single piece of cinema masterpiece. Italian director Frank Capra directs his most complex, fast-paced and utterly fantastic superlative cinematic project that almost no director by that time could ever dream of. This is not only his best masterwork, but it is, arguably, the best political drama ever brought to amazed worldwide audiences.

    When a member of the US Senate passes away, an unexperienced and unsophisticated man, Jefferson Smith, is appointed to fill the vacancy, causing controversy among the process. After his idealistic ideas lead him to Washington and starts a project consisting in organizing a national boys' camp, the state political boss tries to submerge him in the deep world of political corruption and, after complaining and disagreeing with the intentional and malicious flaws of the political process, he tries to overthrow the system while trying to overcome a massive and catastrophic scandal organized against him. The film received 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Writing, Original Story, Best Actor in a Leading Role, two nominations for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring, Best Sound, Recording, Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture, winning only the first one. It had the misfortune of competing against the best (Hollywood) classic film ever made, Gone with the Wind (1939), which deservedly took away 5 Academy Awards from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Even so, this film is least likely to ever be surpassed within its genre.

    Whereas people may prefer It's a Wonderful Life (1946) or even It Happened One Night (1934) because of their charming simplicity and undeniable cinematically romantic magic, those films lacked an important element that made this film into a memorable social commentary: courage. Considering that the world was starting to participate in one of the most destructive and tragic wars of mankind history, the global situation was in a great turmoil. A great amount of guts is needed to explicitly speak out loud and share personal perspectives about topics that considerably started to rule the lives of the ones who belonged to the way of life of citizenship, and that was exactly what Capra attempted and succesfully ended up doing.

    James Stewart's brilliant performance is, perhaps, the best one he has ever done. Although this was his first nomination for best actor, he should have won it, since it is the best acting he ever did, in my opinion. He portrays the typical idealistic and patriotic American citizen whose childishly brilliant ideas push him to new levels of epiphanic maturity and social bravery. The power of his performance against to those who represent the political corruption found in the governmental system and authoritative figures, who would be Claude Rains as the Senator Joseph Paine and Edward Arnold as Jim Taylor, is a clear and controversially direct portrayal of how reason can prevail over judgment, justice can prevail over corruption and the ignorance of the law can prevail over the law itself. Jean Arthur plays the educated and cultured female figure of the nation, and her performance is extraordinary, among the most complete female performances of cinema. The supporting cast did an excellent job as well, each embodying the villains of the America that citizens dream of even nowadays.

    The direction is marvelous, making Mr. Smith Goes to Washington the most masterful cinematic project by Capra (no arguments allowed). The film editing is extremelly fast-paced and energetic, adding a lot of intense and emotional moments and vigor throughout. Sound is used in a fantastic way, and it is edited in the most astonishing form, not only considering the sounds themselves within a particular sequence, but also the constant changing of scenes. The screenplay is considerably long, and yet the running time of the movie is totally appropriate and endurable, despite its quick, but understandable rhythm. Both Lewis R. Foster and (specially) Sidney Buchman did an admirable work.

    Despite the highly patriotic unrealism that is portrayed at the end, the film gives a dreamed image of the America that hasn't existed yet. Its treating of unique (and nowadays common) topics such as the notorious influence of mass media, the power of the authoritative governors over its people and the American Constitution lead to one single conclusion: Freedom of speech, democracy and idealism can surpass the relative power of the government, and law triumphs once again. Audacious essay about politics that actually DOES NOT need any knowledge about the topic because of the way the plot is handled. The message and personal viewpoints of the director are clearly stated.

    99/100
  • RThornhill
    October 13, 2009
    RThornhill
    Terrific Capra tale with a great cast. "What is he, animal, vegetable or mineral? Maybe he's an oyster!" Recommended.

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Trivia

  • ***What Movie is this Tagline from? "Capra's Greatest Hit --- The Screen At Its Most Inspired!"***  Answer »
  • Which director was at the helm of the following films: Arsenic and Old Lace; It's a Wonderful Life; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; and It Happened One Night?  Answer »
  • In "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington", idealist Jimmy Stewart is outnumbered by the business-as-usual politicians. Who directed the movie?  Answer »
  • ****JAMES STEWART WON THE 1940 BEST ACTOR OSCAR FOR HIS WORK IN 'THE PHILADELPHIA STORY'. PUNDITS SAID HE WON IN 1940 TO MAKE UP FOR THE FACT THAT HE SHOULD HAVE WON IN 1939. FOR WHAT 1939 FILM WAS STEWART NOMINATED****  Answer »
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