MOVIE · 1939

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

ComedyDrama129 min

After a U.S. senator dies, an idealistic outsider is tapped to fill the seat and arrives in Washington as a patriotic sightseer, only to collide with a political machine built on favors, intimidation, and backroom deals. James Stewart is Jefferson Smith, the earnest new senator whose belief in public service makes him easy to underestimate. Around him, Jean Arthur and Claude Rains bring the sharper instincts of people who know how the city works. Frank Capra frames the Capitol, the press, and the Senate floor as the battleground for a mounting smear campaign and a fight over what government is supposed to be.