Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Calificación de los usuarios:

8.4/10   

Director:

Frank Capra

Escritores:

Sidney Buchman (screenplay)
Lewis R. Foster (story)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

19 octubre 1939 (USA)

Género:

Drama

Frase comercial:

Capra at his greatest!

Plot:

A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the US Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn't back down.

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Senate | Corruption | Senator | Political Corruption

Premios:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Capra-corn but very watchable with some great performances...

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 4

3:30 PM

TCM

Reparto

Jean Arthur	...	Saunders
James Stewart	...	Jefferson Smith
Claude Rains	...	Senator Joseph Paine
Edward Arnold	...	Jim Taylor
Guy Kibbee	...	Governor Hopper
Thomas Mitchell	...	Diz Moore
Eugene Pallette	...	Chick McGann
Beulah Bondi	...	Ma Smith
H.B. Warner	...	Senator Agnew - Senate Majority Leader
Harry Carey	...	President of the Senate
Astrid Allwyn	...	Susan Paine
Ruth Donnelly	...	Emma Hopper
Grant Mitchell	...	Senator MacPherson
Porter Hall	...	Senator Monroe
Larry Simms	...	Hopper Boy (as Baby Dumpling)

También conocida como:

Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (USA) (complete title)
Caballero sin espada (Argentina) (Spain) [es]

Duración:

129 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Negro y Blanco

Relación de Aspecto:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Clasificación:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #5370) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | UK:U | Australia:G

Locaciones de Filmación:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Compañía:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivialidades:

One of the real senators from Montana walked out of the screening he attended in disgust.

Errores:

Continuidad: When the governor enters the Smith's home (with the band playing) we see, from the outside, Ma closing the door almost shut. When the scene shifts to inside the house, Ma is again closing the same door.

Citas:

Jefferson Smith: Either I'm dead right, or I'm crazy!

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life': A Personal Remembrance (1991) (V)

Banda de Sonido:

For He's a Jolly Good Fellow

Capra-corn but very watchable with some great performances...

Frank Capra's knack for getting the best out of JAMES STEWART and JEAN ARTHUR is demonstrated here with both stars giving superb performances. Ironically, Stewart would not win the Oscar for this role but was awarded one the following year for a lesser role in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY.

As a bumbling, naive senator who is a lamb thrown to the wolves in Washington, D.C., Stewart does a fabulous job--although there are moments when his bumbling awkwardness looks a bit staged. Jean Arthur is a natural for the role of the wise secretary who at first scorns his innocent ways but soon comes to realize he's the real thing.

All of the supporting players are excellent--especially CLAUDE RAINS as a mentor to Stewart who finally has a conscience about deceiving him, and Harry Carey (the western actor) as the man with the gavel who soon realizes that Stewart is not to be underestimated. His reaction shots, grinning and sometimes stifling a grin, say more than words. He and Rains both deserved their supporting role nominations.

But, as usual in a Capra film, you have to be willing to forgive some obvious plot contrivances or overall schmaltz. The ending (when it finally comes after some excessive length in running time) is rather abrupt as though the director suddenly realized he'd gone overtime on the story. And some of the sentimentality (such as the scene where Arthur joins him at the Lincoln Memorial where she knew she'd find him), is hard to swallow until you remind yourself that--hey, this is Capra-corn.

Nevertheless, despite some flaws, it's the kind of comedy-drama about Washington, D.C. that only a director like Capra could make. And the replica of the Senate is amazingly detailed, as are all the interiors which were shot on a soundstage at Columbia. It's also a nice lesson in how the Senate works, how bills have to go through committees, the rules of behavior, filibustering, etc. It will leave you with a warm glow--somewhat like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE in that respect.

Summing up: It's Stewart's show all the way. He's at his peak here.