The theme of one man being able to combat the ways of a long-established system is not a new one. In fact, man versus machine is one of the oldest forms of conflict in cinema, but this is a different kind of "machine," this "Taylor Machine." When a young, naive, and idealistic man by the name of Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) is placed, as a pawn, in the United States Senate, he is honored and humbled by the job set out before him. He sees it as an opportunity to provide a service for his country, and, even more so, his people. In Jefferson Smith, we see everything that is good and wholesome in America. One man who wishes for nothing more than an improvement upon a country that he already cherishes. He intends to do everything he can to fulfill his duty as a newly appointed Senator. However, the people that put him there were not nearly as patriotic in their intentions. Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold) and Senator Joseph Harrison Paine (Claude Rains) have conspired to put Smith in office in hopes that he will simply sit there and keep quiet while they pass a bill that will profit Taylor. Smith's dream of building a national boy's camp is shattered by Taylor's scheme to build a dam in the same area. The powerful Jim Taylor is forced to pull some strings in order to discredit the young senator so that his dam can be built. The Taylor Machine frames Smith, accusing him of fraud. Shamed, Smith is ready to leave Washington behind when his assistant, Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur) inspires him to fight for his ideals just as his forefathers had. Smith returns to congress, armed with a new strategy to accomplish his goal.
James Stewart gives one of his finest performances as Jefferson Smith, the young, passionately patriotic Senator confronting corruption in the government he holds so dear. Jean Arthur's performance as Clarissa Saunders is strong, while Claude Rains is forced to counter Stewart's inspired intensity (a feat that I feel he accomplishes). The filibuster scene is one of the highlights of the film, and one of the more memorable sequences in American cinema. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a wonderful movie, not just because of James Stewart's relentless performance, but because it has quite a bit to say. It is a statement declaring that ideals are stronger than the pages they are printed on, and that it is our ideals and the spirit through which we see them realized that allows one man to topple "the machine."
James Stewart gives one of his finest performances as Jefferson Smith, the young, passionately patriotic Senator confronting corruption in the government he holds so dear. Jean Arthur's performance as Clarissa Saunders is strong, while Claude Rains is forced to counter Stewart's inspired intensity (a feat that I feel he accomplishes). The filibuster scene is one of the highlights of the film, and one of the more memorable sequences in American cinema. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a wonderful movie, not just because of James Stewart's relentless performance, but because it has quite a bit to say. It is a statement declaring that ideals are stronger than the pages they are printed on, and that it is our ideals and the spirit through which we see them realized that allows one man to topple "the machine."