Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Watched: December 22^nd 2010

I have to admit that there is a very awful portion of my life where if you’d asked me to name a James Stewart movie I’d have only said It’s A Wonderful Life. Thank God I’ve been introduced to him further. Through my obsession with Hitchcock films this semester I joyously watched him in Rope, Vertigo, and Rear Window and there was his turn in The Philadelphia Story. I was truly haunted by his portrayal of John Ferguson in Vertigo. His chilling work as an obsessed and tortured man left me cold and shocked. But it is in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington that he takes obsession to a completely different and far more moving level. The theme of earnest dedication to standing up for what is right against all odds is heart-breaking in this film and Stewart plays the eager and honest Mr. Smith with such pure humanity that he creates a true man out of what could have easily been played as a caricature. The awe Smith feels in seeing Washington D.C. for the first time and his confusion of all the corruption in it are simple emotions that create big waves. Though he is again playing a character that will stop at nothing to get what they want, this time it leaves goose bumps because it is so endearing. He stands on the principles our nation was built on and fights for truth and justice at all costs. This film was released in 1939 yet its message to politics and life in general could still resound today (the mark of a brilliant film).The film spoke of all the “Taylors” of the world—the people who cast a big shadow. One of the best scenes is when Clarissa speaks to Smith when he is at his lowest. The entire scene is shot with them shrouded by that shadow. The film ends with the light triumphing, suggesting even the smallest light can overcome darkness. It is not surprising that Stewart’s performance and the film itself remain such treasures to this day.