Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Publication: St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture

Publication Date: 01-JAN-00

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Nominated for 11 Academy Awards in a year that included Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) is one of Frank Capra's most critically acclaimed films, and is considered by many to be his most memorable and enduring work. Mr. Smith tells the story of a naive young man who is appointed United States Senator. The governor, who is himself controlled by a corrupt media magnet, selects Smith to fill a vacant Senate seat in the belief that this wide-eyed, ultra-patriotic boy scout leader will be so overwhelmed by the Capitol's sights and monuments that he will neither notice nor understand the complex reality of backroom deals which define our government. However, Smith's lack of knowledge and experience are more than offset by his keen sense of moral integrity. In traditional Capra fashion, the hero is a common man who, although intellectually overmatched, prevails by virtue of his unshakable understanding of right and wrong. Capra presents in Smith a man who is unable...

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