In a speech given in Chicago back in 1856, future President Abraham Lincoln remarked that: “Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government.” Such faith in the ability of the body politic to bring about real change and progress in the manner in which they are governed stands as the cornerstone to the democratic way of life. Without such faith in the power of the individual, or a group of individuals to enact meaningful reform, a democratic society cannot succeed. With that faith understood and deeply felt, however, it cannot fail.
The matter of this sort of faith also provides the central dramatic question in Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a film which, I feel obliged to admit before diving fully into my review, is one of my all time favorites. Mr. Smith, through a cast of colorful, archetypal characters and humorous, swift pacing, delivers a quintessentially American story: that one person, driven by an earnest desire to do good, can overcome overwhelming obstacles to make the world a better place. I absolutely eat it up every time I have the pleasure of viewing it again.
Some may balk at Capra’s romanticized, “feel good” vision of what it means to be a “good” politician in America. Jimmy Stewart’s Jefferson Smith is a wide-eyed, unapologetic idealist, who though he believes in his country and its ideals with every fiber of his being, is unwilling to compromise his ethical principles in the name of “getting things done” or preserving his own political power. Those of us who follow American politics even casually often lament the fact that “nothing gets done in Washington”, or wish that varying political factions in our country “would only work together”. Such cooperation, as explained by Claude Rains’ Senator Joseph Paine in Mr. Smith, often requires “some compromise” from time to time. The logical conclusion of such thinking is that political expediency, rather than moral correctness, is the most essential quality for us to have in our leaders. Is this really the America that we want to inhabit? Is this the sort of nation we wish to be? Personally, my answer would be a resounding no. I believe we ought to expect and demand more from our leaders.
I do not balk at Jefferson Smith, nor do I roll my eyes at his quixotic efforts toward decency. Indeed, I embrace Capra’s vision of what heroic Americanhood is. Though it warms my heart to see Stewart’s awkward, folksy character fumble with his hat when nervous, and get choked up over seeing the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Dome (those that know me will understand that I see a lot of myself in these habits…), what I really love about Jefferson Smith is the earnestness with which Stewart brings him to life. Smith is the sort of person who can serve as a catalyst to bring the best out of the people around him – something every American should strive for.
Arguably, Jean Arthur’s Saunders is the real action hero of Mr. Smith, if the film could have only one. She has the know-how, brains, and grit to make Senator Smith’s filibuster a reality, and sees Smith’s idealism not as a liability, but as a beautiful, precious thing to be shepherded and protected from a world of corrupt influences and power brokers. Senator Paine too is moved by Smith’s penchant for fighting for “lost causes”. Paine’s fall from grace, then redemption in the film’s final moments, throwing away a potential White House bid just to earn back his moral fiber and save Smith’s good name, show us that Jefferson Smith is more than just a “grown boy ranger”. Smith is an ideal to be strived for – something that we should all carry around with us in our hearts as we try to make the world just a little bit better, a little more honest. He is everything America, and each individual among us can be if we make the choice to do so.
The truest hero, in my mind, is someone who not only performs good deeds themselves, but inspires others to perpetrate and spread goodness as well. As Mr. Lincoln was also fond of saying: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” I think this is a lesson that Frank Capra would like us to remember as well.
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