By Amanda Pizzolatto (Rated G)
Before Frank Capra could open “The Greatest Gift”, he would journey with “The Man from Montana”. Before staying in Bedford Falls, there was a trip to Washington D.C. Before there was George Bailey, there was Jefferson Smith.
Jefferson Smith is the titular character in Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, played to perfection by Jimmy Stewart. Jefferson, or Jeff, starts out being the head of a Boy Rangers group, but is recommended as the next Senator by the sons of the Governor of some unnamed western state. The Governor eventually gives in and Jeff is appointed as the newest Senator. Upon arriving in Washington, Jeff proceeds to do some sightseeing before reporting to his office. His secretary, Clarissa Saunders, doesn’t know it’s him at first, but she gets him up to speed on what he needs to be doing right at that moment in the Senate. And well, his entire run as a Senator. However, it isn’t long before the newspapers start making fun of him. Being a man of action, he goes into action and starts punching some of them. He soon comes to understand more about why they said what they said and starts really considering what being a Senator actually means. For him, he wants to put together a boys camp for the Boy Rangers. But as he progresses with Saunders’ tutoring, things start to unravel in such a way that his integrity and that of the Senate is called into question. But it’s Jimmy Stewart playing Jeff, so it goes to reason that things would turn out well in the end.
That being said, there are some allusions to things and practices that many an American citizen complains about today that seemed impossible, unthinkable, even scandalous to even consider back when this movie came out. So much so that many people considered putting in a new law to prevent this kind of movie being made ever again. But that could be said to be part of the reason why it needed to be made, for such a time as this. Not that corruption couldn’t have found its way into the Senate back then, it’s just more known now, and a little too common.
That being said, all in all, this was an enjoyable look into the Senate at the time and the psyche of an honest man wanting to do good by his hometown. That man then takes a stand for what he believes in, and that provides the major turning point of the story, especially as his opponent seems to hit him from every side. This was the ideal Senator, well, basically still is, as many people would naturally rally around an honest man. But the hurdles he has to overcome sound so common today that one would watch it and long for Mr. Smith to head to Washington and shake things up again.
LogoSophia Magazine 