adonis98-743-186503 A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn't back down. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington showcases what you would should be expecting which is boring conversations, boring characters, boring acting and just a boring and bland movie in general. It's a film that doesn't have anything special about it and yet and i mean yet somehow got inside the Top 250 because it was made in a time when movies were like Space or like imagination never existed at all. (0/10)

JohnHowardReid Director: FRANK CAPRA. Screenplay: Sidney Buchman. Based on an original screen story, "The Gentleman from Montana", by Lewis R. Foster. Photography: Joseph Walker. Film editors: Gene Havlick and Al Clark. Music composed by Dimitri Tiomkin, directed by M. W. Stoloff. Art director: Lionel Banks. Costumes: Kalloch. 2nd unit director: Charles Vidor. Technical adviser: Jim Preston. Montage effects: Slavko Vorkapich. Stills: Irving Lippman. Assistant director: Arthur S. Black. Sound engineer: Edward L. Bernds. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Frank Capra.Copyright 10 October 1939 by Columbia Pictures Corp. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall, 19 October 1939. U.S. release: 19 October 1939. U.K. release: January 1940. Australian release: 25 January 1940. 13 reels. 11,822 feet. 131 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Idealistic greenhorn senator uncovers corruption in Washington.NOTES: Academy Award, Lewis R. Foster, Original Story (defeating Bachelor Mother, Love Affair, Ninotchka and Young Mr Lincoln). Also nominated for Best Picture (lost to Gone With The Wind); Best Actor, James Stewart (lost to Robert Donat for Goodbye, Mr Chips); both Harry Carey and Claude Rains, Supporting Actor (lost to Thomas Mitchell in Stagecoach); Directing (lost to Victor Fleming for GWTW); Art Direction (lost to GWTW); Film Editing (GWTW); Best Music Score (Stagecoach); Sound Recording (When Tomorrow Comes).2nd Best Picture of 1939 (Goodbye, Mr Chips was first) — The Film Daily annual poll of U.S. film critics.Best Male Performance of 1939, James Stewart — New York Film Critics.COMMENT: Outstanding entertainment — although the film is not without its defects. Chief problem is that there is too much talking, especially in the middle of the film where Capra is content to capture the dialogue in long, static takes. If about 15 minutes were trimmed from the Arthur-Stewart scenes, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" would be a masterpiece.All the same, as Graham Greene wrote in The Spectator, it's a great film, acted by such a magnificent cast, "Capra can afford to fling away on tiny parts men like Eugene Palette, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell and Harry Carey. . . . Here is Capra, back to his finest form. All the familiar qualities are here: the exciting close-ups, the sudden irrelevant humor, the delight in the ordinary human face."* Greene truly states that you remember the faces in this film vividly — the faces chosen and shot with such Capra care — and this, it might be added, long after the "message" and the forced romance are forgotten.* The Pleasure-Dome: The Collected Film Criticism of Graham Greene 1935-40 edited by John Russell Taylor (Oxford University Press, 1980).

grantss Through a series of fortunate, and unfortunate, events, an unsophisticated local hero, Jefferson Smith, is appointed a US Senator. The people pulling the strings in his party and State figure that he will be compliant and malleable and basically stay out of the way of their plans, some of which aren't entirely ethical, or legal. However, a well-intentioned deed sets off a dramatic chain of events, a series of events that will see him at odds with his colleagues, with the shadowy, bullying powerbrokers and with the entire Senate.Brilliant movie from Frank Capra. While Capra also gave us such great movies as It's A Wonderful Life, Meet John Doe and It Happened One Night, this is his greatest work. A superb indictment of politics and how democracy has been undermined and corrupted, told with the trademark Capra brand of wholesomeness and practical idealism. Considering how politics has even further degenerated since 1939, even more relevant today than when it was released in 1939.Clever, engaging plot that doesn't waiver for a second. Not an ounce of deadwood in the movie - every scene is perfect and important. Some great twists and turns and some great tension towards the end as Smith struggles to preserve his name and ideals. Wonderful themes and morals too, as you would expect from Frank Capra.Add in some excellent performances, especially from James Stewart in the lead role and Jean Arthur as Ms Saunders. Both received Oscar nominations, as did Harry Carey for playing the President of the Senate.In all, Mr Smith Goes To Washington was nominated for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, but won only one, for best original screenplay. Unfortunately for it, the 1940 Oscars belonged to a juggernaut known as Gone With The Wind...

bib12342004 This movie sends a very strong message to the American people, as not all politicians are corrupted or on the take. It shows the true way how a democracy system should work here in the US. The political statements shown in this movie were attack when the film was released, as people thought of it as anti-American and pro-Communist for its portrayal of corruption in the American government. In my opinion this film shows the faults and positives of our political system. A film like this really can give the viewer of what the true democracy system feels like and shows it only takes the courage of one man to stand up against corruption. Mr. Smith is that man who is not a career politician, just a common man that bleeds red, white and blue. He has an idea that would benefit sociality as it will help kids stay out of trouble and become men. When he finds out about the graft scheme he stands tall and challenges the big political machine Taylor, with out fear like the other members of the hall. This shows the courage of a man standing by his self against the same members of his party. Mr. Smith stands his ground and keeps to his word to ensure that a "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth"