Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Upon its initial release in the banner movie year of 1939 (which also saw Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz), Frank Capra's beloved Everyman classic was hailed by film critics and the general public alike, but also criticized by politicians and the news media for (cough, cough) presenting an unfavorable image of the Senate. After a senator dies, naïve Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), head of the Boy Rangers, winds up being conscripted into legislative service as the junior senator to fellow congressman Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), who is conspiring with cronies to get a bill passed that carries an unethical bit of pork for creating a dam on Willet Creek in Smith and Paine's home state. Paine encourages Smith to work on the latter's pet project—a bill to create a national boys' camp—unaware that Smith's intended site is that same Willet Creek. Stewart is at his boyish best here, wide-eyed in front of the Lincoln Memorial, but rising to the challenge when he's figuratively tarred and feathered by corrupt politicians—ultimately holding the Senate floor for hours during an impassioned filibuster in which he reminds his colleagues what democracy is all about. Based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished novel The Gentleman from Montana, the film earned 11 Oscar nominations—including Best Picture, Director, and Actor (Stewart)—but only won for its screenplay. Bowing on Blu-ray, extras include audio commentary by Frank Capra Jr., the feature-length 1997 documentary Frank Capra's American Dream (hosted by Ron Howard), and retrospective featurettes. A true American classic that continues to resonate in these sorry legislative times, this is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)