Jefferson Smith, a naive young senator, arrives in Washington full of ideals — and discovers that idealism, spoken honestly, can still shake a corrupt system.
In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), directed by Frank Capra, James Stewart plays Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, who is appointed to the United States Senate when a seat falls vacant. Smith is chosen because political bosses think he will be easy to control, but he takes his duty seriously. When he discovers a corrupt land deal, he speaks out, and his colleagues try to destroy his reputation.
Stewart’s performance is the heart of the film. He plays Smith’s innocence without making him foolish, and his famous filibuster scene, in which he speaks for hours in the Senate chamber, is built on exhaustion, conviction and a voice that grows hoarse but never gives up. Jean Arthur plays Clarissa Saunders, the cynical aide who comes to believe in Smith, and their relationship gives the film its warmth.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington made Stewart a major star, and it remains a defining portrait of American idealism — a film in which one honest voice, played with complete sincerity, matters.