Mr Smith Goes to Washington is a great film that released in 1939 directed by Frank Capra. The film stars James Stewart as the lead Jeff Smith on his adventure and experience in washington.
Jefferson Smith is a good hearted patriotic citizen in his community and usually helps out with the kids in his community and state, running a kids newspaper by kids for kids. With no background in politics, Smith is chosen by a corrupt governor to be a senator after the previous passed away. When he arrives in washington, he realises the true beauty of the country, but also learns the terrible truth about the politics within washington. Smith learns that some politicians are corrupt and are being payed by Joe Payne, a businessman, to make legislation that benefits his cause and will make him money. Smith finds this out and fights in the senate to try and bring Joe Payne and the corrupt senators down.
…show more content…
He learns from his secretary that his fellow senator from his state, accompanied by Joe Payne, have a bill in the senate that has yet to be voted on, that would build a dam on the very land that smith wants to build his camp on. Joe payne has been buying up all the surrounding land in order for the government to buy the land off of him to build the dam and make a huge profit. When Joe Payne finds this out and Smith tries to tell the rest of the senate, he is accused of owning the land himself and that he is the one that is trying to manipulate the senate to make a profit. Smith has to fight against the other senators, the press and public to try and convince them and show them the
The main plot of the movie, Mr. Smith goes to Washington is a conflict between Jeff Smith, Senator Paine, and Jim Taylor. A senator of a state passed away causing a new senator needing to be appointed. Jim Taylor a local publicist who had pull around the Senate, pressured the governor to select Jefferson Smith. He was appointed as the new Senator of the State, because everyone thought that he was incompetent, naive, and would not get in their way. However when Smith passed a clever bill that got in the way of Jim Taylor’s scandal, Jim and Senator Paine tried to do whatever they could to get Jeffrey expelled from the Senate.
The main characters in the movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, are Jefferson Smith, his secretary Clarissa Saunders, the senior senator from Smith’s state, Joseph Paine, and a newspaper magnate by the name of Jim Taylor. Jefferson Smith is in charge of the Boy Rangers and is avery patriotic but politically inexperienced man. His secretary Clarissa Saunders has lived and worked in Washington for some time and has become disillusioned with politics and tells Smith to go home, that a man like him has no chance in D.C. Senator Joseph Paine is the senior senator in the state he and Smith are representing. Paine’s career success is owed in large part to Jim Taylor, the crooked newspaper man who helped Paine win his seat. Jim Taylor has a large
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a film about an average man’s journey and experience in Congress as Senator of Mississippi.
The shots used in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, overtly display the themes that the film’s director, Frank Capra, intends to convey to the audience. Capra, through the use of skillful camerawork and lighting, and contrast between shots that represent the Taylor machine and the Boy scouts, Capra is able to effectively show that the accusations levied against Jeff Smith, the film’s protagonist, are false. Through the use of shots depicting the boy scouts and local initiatives to spread the truth amidst a complete assassination of Jeff Smith’s character carried out by Jim Taylor, Capra uses very particular shots to contrast both parties. In shot number one, Capra displays two boys that are diligently going through the printing press tools, in
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” Mr. Smith was too naive to survive as a senator during the time the movie “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” took place. Mr. Smith’s naiveté was most evident in his ambitious proposal to start a national boys camp. However, when false allegations regarding Mr. Smith’s motives for starting the camp surfaced, Smith was too idealistic to defend himself from the political machine that accused him of acting in self-interest. Making matters worse, Senator Smith was a genuinely honest and simple-minded man, making it difficult for him to survive among his scheming colleagues.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington follows Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) and his adventure with American politics. The film begins when a governor needs to replace a senator. The governor decides to appoint Smith because he appears to be a wholesome family man, while also being naïve—which makes him easy to manipulate. When Smith arrives in Washington, Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains) becomes a mentor to Smith. Smith falls in love with Paine’s daughter, Susan (Astrid Allwyn). Smith sticks out in Washington,
department in his cabinet was the department of state. The Department of State was made to work on foreign policy issues and to negotiate treaties and agreements. The Department of War was another one set up by Washington. It was changed to the Department of Defense in 1947 because the Department of War made it seem like we always wanted a fight. The Department of War was made to have control of all things military. They kept the troops in check and told the president how the troops were acting. The final one Washington made was the Department of the Treasury. The Department of Treasury tells the president the financial state of the United States, commands the Secret Service, and authorizes the printing of the United States Postal Service stamps
The film portrays the government in a very negative light and shows how the senators have no real influence on lawmaking. Mr. Smith’s struggles as a senator gave the impression that the government functions completely on bribery, blackmail, and lies. The film gives a very strong message about the lack of democracy in American government and politics, along with the ignorance of the American people. Mr. Smith portrays the average American citizen: he is naïve, has faith in the democracy, and is ignorant
When protagonist Jefferson Smith very suddenly becomes a US Senator, he is portrayed as the perfect example of nominal patriotism. He has several speeches by Washington and Lincoln memorized, is the leader of a group of what are basically Boy Scouts, and spends his first day in Washington DC in awe of the monuments.
During the years while Washington was the General Master he was never a really good one. When Washington try to be the spotlight is when he was getting a speech to his fellow people in the colonies. If he lost the war he would become the person who has lost American. Washington have won some wars, but not all of them.
The film, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is an great example of what is going in the politics back then and today too. Some characters in the film are Jefferson Smith- Young Senator and the main character, Clarissa Saunders- Smith’s Assistant, Joseph Paine- Senior Senator, Jim Taylor- Political Boss, Gov. Hopper- Governor, Chick McGann- Taylor’s Assistant and Diz Moore- Newspaper Reporter and Saunders friend.
Smith then rents a room above the shop where he previously bought the paperweight. Julia and Smith meet in the room whenever possible to have sex and share in the contraband food and drink they are able to obtain. As the citizens prepare for a large political movement supporting Oceania in its ever-going war, O’Brien makes contact with Smith and arranges a secret meeting between the two, confirming Smith’s suspicions about O’Brien’s disloyalty to the Party.
Constantino Brumidi was a painter with an undying love for America; a passionate fire of gratitude spurred his creation of several murals for the capital of the country he held so dearly, the most famous of which being The Apotheosis of Washington. However, these feelings culminated into a ridiculous painting that ignored the basic elements of art and would have offended Washington, creator and All-American icon, himself.
Frank Capra's movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington did an excellent job of describing the politician's secrets and underlying motives that truly relate to real life politics. It serves the troubling honesty that our civilization has been developed to operate in diplomacies. It honestly describes an amicable concept about the Senate while also shining light on the less pleasant aspects of politics. The film at the time of its release and to current day has an effect on its audience, and would've been thought to go against the grain at the time of its release; however, it is not rebellious, the film is motivated by an influential disgust towards an ill-treatment of authority in government. The movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington modestly has a truly
Jack Smith a 17 years old teen from (Ontario, Canada) is invited to stay with his cousin Mary Loose-Doe from (Water city, N.Y). Accompanying him in his trip is his other cousin 21 year old Bill Jones, both boys are foreign to the United States and the city life as they derive from a small settlement. Mary shows the boys a good time, taking them out to party’s offering them marijuana and alcohol. The boys are later introduced to Mary’s boyfriend 21 year old Pete Poorchoice. Pete is a High school droop out and veteran of two reformatories.