To protest the dearth of available options at the multiplex, I decided to raid the vault and watch one of those highly touted films from way back. I ended up seeing director Frank Capra’s 1939 film “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.””Mr. Smith” is a Washington-themed morality play starring Senator Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) fighting for good and Senator Harrison Paine (Claude Rains) batting for evil.The film opens as the credits roll to the strains of “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” The first shot is a close-up of a reporter yelling into a phone, “Senator Samuel Fuller is dead.” The next shot shows Paine waking up the governor, who in turn calls on Jim Taylor, his political boss, for advice. The third and fourth scenes already expose the balance of power in the state. The governor is in bed, while Taylor is cashing chips with his friends. The Masters of the   Universe do not sleep.Paine had snuck in a bill to build a state dam on private land. Taylor owned the land and planned to sell it to the state once the bill was passed. Counting on the political naiveté of Smith, the governor appointed him to the office. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans of men are nuked by mere chance.  Smith also wants to use that same piece of land for a Boy Scouts recreation park. These competing interests set up a magnetic political conflict which will resonate with even today’s audiences.The main reason the film retains its power is superb acting by Stewart and Rains. Stewart, as seen in “Vertigo” and “Rear Window,” usually played the average man    laboring with impotence, who hides an undercurrent of steel beneath the “aw-shucks” demeanor. But never had this tension been put to greater effect than in his metamorphosis from neophyte to quick-witted orator.Rains provides able opposition with his depiction of Paine. As an idealist who had yields to corruption and the influences of power in Washington, we watch him ditch his nobility and enter the senatorial ring like the seasoned gladiator he is.”Mr. Smith” gushes with sincerity and bromides like “a man must stand for his ideals regardless of the opposition” or  “one man is capable of making a change.” But is that the behavior we expect in our politicians?  While all fights are important, not all are worth dying for. The prudent politician knows the difference, which is why he argues for compromise (partisans of all stripes will disagree with that assessment).It seems Capra’s veneration of ideals fosters quietism among the populace. “I won’t run for public office, lest I be corrupted,” says one person. His neighbor replies, “I won’t vote. Those people in Washington are beholden to special interests.” But in truth, we are all special interests.The film also exposes the difficulty of identifying the opposition in a democracy. During his filibuster, Smith promises to vacate the floor if the people of his state tell him to do so. Several baskets of mail urging him to quit are brought to Senate, but he doesn’t back down. One could argue the people’s voices were stifled by the political machine and if they were allowed to express their opinion it would be in Smith’s favor. Even if that were granted, it leaves me wondering how we could tell the difference. We watch the news and read about the Tea Partiers rising to take their country back. These groups claim to know the pulse of the country, but how can we tell they aren’t simply a vocal minority? Not much has changed from President Bush’s transition to President Obama’s. Is it possible these protests are simply fevers stoked by invisible puppet masters like Jim Taylor?So some might disagree, like I do, with the thesis presented by “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” But  70 years after its release, the fact we are still thrilled by its David v. Goliath struggle and elated by the success of the underdog is a testament to how a film can transcend the milieu in which it was made.Freke Ette is a political theory graduate student from Uyo, Nigeria. You can follow him on Twitter @TDR_fette
 
 
 
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