Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Director: Frank Capra
Stars: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains
Runtime: 129 minutes

Synopsis: A naive man must fight corruption when, to his big surprise, he is chosen to fill a vacancy in the US Senate.

Performances: 6/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 6/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10

Verdict: "It's a Wonderful Life" is perhaps Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart's most famous collaboration. A close second would be 11 times Oscar-nominated (for 1 win) "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". The Christmas classic is one of my favorite holiday movies of all time not because it stood the test of time - as a matter of fact, I don't think it does - but because Capra made the classic a magical experience that truly change my life and the way I perceive it. Unfortunately, that magic is not present in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". And while the story is a pretty interesting one, told in a time where democracy was still a fantasy in most countries, the whole thing felt terribly dated. The over the top performances didn't really work for me, the editing suffers from a lack of technology available at the time, and the jokes didn't age as well as the story did. However, there's still a lot to enjoy from the classic such as its gorgeous cinematography or its political message. I also loved the way Capra wrote the character of Jefferson Smith, who does a great job representing the audience as a person who doesn't know anything about politics but would do anything to fight corruption and bring justice to the table. Knowing the potential of a collaboration between Capra and Stewart, I was expecting a bit more from this picture, but I still had a great time watching it despite my issues with it.     

Final Grade: 7/10