Senator Sam Foley. Opportunistic Hopper knew that, due to a previous attempt, he could not appoint anyone that Taylor recommended, but sees Smith as someone who Paine and thus Taylor can easily manipulate, especially important now as Paine, Taylor and Foley when he was alive had been working behind the political scenes to push through a dam project, all for their own personal gain, buried in a deficiency bill. Every aspect of political life conspires to beat the little man down, first as represented by the greedy and malevolent Jim Taylor and then as represented in the Washington establishment types who laugh off Smith's highest ideals. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American political comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold.The film is about a newly appointed United States Senator who fights against a corrupt political system, and was written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story "The Gentleman from Montana". He is reunited with the state's senior senator--presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine. Jeffrey Smith is a man who believes children are the future and deserve immediate funding for an outdoor camping experience. When Smith arrives in Washington, he is seen as a naive lightweight and a country bumpkin by almost everyone with who he comes into contact, including the Washington press corps, his fellow senators, and even his secretary Clarissa Saunders - known professionally purely as Saunders - whose years working behind the political system, including being in the know about what her previous boss Foley and Paine were and are up to about the dam project, has made her a cynic. The governor of an unnamed western state, Hubert "Happy" Hopper (Guy Kibbee), has to pick a replacement for recently deceased U.S. A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. Parents Guide, The 25 Best Black And White Movies of All Time. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington essays are academic essays for citation. Lost causes are an important part of Smith's sense of what is right and his purpose in the world. He struggles to keep up with the world around him, but his insistence on his own personal beliefs keeps him showing up in the Senate and working hard to fight for what he believes in, in order to take on corruption. And build their bodies and minds for a man-sized job, because those boys are gonna be behind these desks some of these days. Another theme the films explores is the way that cynical beliefs can spread and affect an entire system. While his peers do not care as much about the history of Washington, and are instead caught up in ambition and ascending the ranks in politics, Smith has a pure love for his country and its ideals that guides his every move. GradeSaver, Read the Study Guide for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington…, I Will Not Yield: Cultural Values in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, View Wikipedia Entries for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington…. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for, and he fought for them once, for the only reason any man ever fights for them: Because of one plain simple rule: Love thy neighbor. This cynicism is emblematic of a broader attitude in Washington. By the time the film was made, the power of these machines had waned considerably from their heyday around the turn of the century. A Senator of an West State has just died. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Plot Keywords But the idea that powerful political conspiracies controlled the country became increasingly prevalent over the course of the 20th century, and Mr. Smith marks one of the earlier instances of a new genre of "conspiracy" films that—after World War II especially—would become a staple of Hollywood. The body politic into which Mr. Smith steps is headed by business interests, swayed by a cynical and opportunistic approach to capitalism that prevents individuals and organizations from working for the common good. And I loved you for it just as my father did, and you know that you fight for the lost causes harder than for any others." He is a true American history wonk, and when he first arrives in Washington, he marvels at all the landmarks that define the city, including the Capitol Dome and the Lincoln Memorial. Frank Capra’s overarching thematic concern, one which extends across several of his films, is the theme of one individual going against the system to improve the world. The choice of the governor is on Jefferson Smith, the local scout leader, a naive and inexperienced idealistic naive. Taylor and Paine have to decide how much hardball they will play to make Smith comply or in turn ruin him, while Smith will show if he has what it takes to play with the big boys on the senate floor. When Jeff, the idealistic Washington outsider, is appointed to be the new United States Senate, his plans now stand the chance at being fully realized. Much of the film's drama as well as its thematic tension is based around a single character's attempt to buck this system—to save democracy by reasserting the power of a single individual. 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 power brokers and with the entire Senate. Taylor first tries to corrupt Smith and then later attempts to destroy Smith through a scandal. Upon the death of Senator Samuel Foley, Governor Hubert Hopper, after careful deliberation upon listening to the recommendations of his closest confidantes, appoints young Jefferson Smith to fill the vacancy, despite or because of Smith's lack of political experience and thus lack of political know-how. All you people don't know about lost causes. What Paine is initially unaware about is that what Smith proposes in his bill would place the dam project in jeopardy. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn't back down. At one point, Jefferson Smith alludes to one of his father's central beliefs: "Lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for." In fact, Saunders and Moore call him "Daniel Boone" before they have even met him, as a kind of sarcastic homage to his Western upbringing, his love of the frontier, and his status as the head of the Boy Rangers. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington study guide contains a biography of Frank Capra, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The cynicism of politics is typified by Senator Paine, who once held lofty ideals, but caves to pressures from manipulative bad guys like Jim Taylor, and compromises his beliefs in favor of keeping his career. Jeff is the model of patriotism: he recites Lincoln, and is head of the Boy Rangers. GradeSaver "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Themes". | | Copyright © 1999 - 2020 GradeSaver LLC. A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. At the end of the filibuster, Smith says, "I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Paine. Senator Paine takes Jefferson Smith under his wing, and acts as if he wants to help him, even though he secretly hopes for his failure. Smith's father was murdered when he was working as a journalist trying to expose greed in his town, speaking truth to power and fighting for what was right. Another guiding principle in Smith's life is his love of nature. Through a series of fortunate, and unfortunate, events, an unsophisticated local hero, Jefferson Smith, is appointed a US Senator. And that's why it seemed like a pretty good idea for me to get boys out of crowded cities and stuffy basements for a couple of months out of the year. When it lands on edge and next to a newspaper story on one of Smith's accomplishments he chooses Smith, calculating that his wholesome image will please the people while his naïveté will make him easy to manipulate. Showing all 6 items Jump to: Summaries (5) Synopsis (1) Summaries. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Plot. Made to prove political flaws Control over media and the benefits Many say our government is worse today than it was in the movie "Yellow Journalism" "Drive-by media" Taylor's physical manipulation of the media Ending of movie proves not all journalists are corrupted Themes From He works under Taylor, a bullying brutish hood who controls the political system in his state. When Paine tries to "talk some sense" into Smith, he tells the young newbie that in order to "become a man" Smith has to cede to the standards of Washington, however crooked they may be. Smith represents someone who refuses to transition into manhood in the way that Paine describes it. The governor's children want him to select Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), the head of the Boy Rangers.