Contrasting corruption and innocence is a major part of the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The film, made in 1939, stars Jean Arthur and James Stewart and is directed by Frank Capra. We know from the beginning that a United States senator has died and needs to be replaced by a regular man who will follow orders without asking questions. After two names are brought up, the governor of the state has a hard time debating on who to choose. His children offer a new option, Jefferson Smith (Stewart), the leader of the Boy Rangers. He is loved by all the children and, as the kids put it, “For every kid there are two votes.” From the first time we meet Mr. Smith, we know that he is full of innocence man who would do anything for his country.
Behind the scenes in Washington, however, the corrupt senators, led by Smith’s counterpart Senator Paine (Claude Rains), have made a bill that would build a dam in Willet Creek providing increased income for a business that is paying off the senators. Unfortunately for them, Jefferson Smith tries to pass an act that would bring boys from all over the country to Willet Creek for a vacation to keep the out of the rough cities. When Smith finds out the truth about Willet Creek, and that the money from the dam will go to a wealthy business man named James Taylor, he tries to stop the act from being passed, only to find himself being cast aside by the country that he loves. The film stresses the difference between Smith and the other senators with editing, showing his growth from a passive small town worker to a man with a purpose that will fight for the innocence that lies in the hearts of everyday American citizens.
We first meet Jefferson Smith at a large party to congratulate him on becoming a senator. A montage opens this scene, which includes a picture of the bald eagle, the American flag waving in the air, and the “Star Spangled Banner” playing in the background. The montage effect allows the viewer to know what to expect about the upcoming scene and Jefferson Smith’s persona. Smith is an all-American man who loves the country that he will soon serve. The montage gives a straight forward message of American symbols and pride. He lives in an idealistic world that has never been tainted and, from what he knows, cannot be tainted. Jefferson Smith’s idea of a patriotic, honest society is shown powerfully through the montage sequence before we even meet the new senator.
From the montage, the scene cuts to an extreme long-shot of the party. No specific person stands out, but we do hear a spokesman beginning to introduce Jefferson Smith. The scene continues to cut from the extreme long-shot to a medium shot. Within the frame, the viewer can now see the head table and can distinguish the spokesman, but Smith is still just an unknown figure. Senator Paine and Jim Taylor are recognizable because of their earlier conversation in the film. The next cut goes to their side of the table as Senator Paine is introduced. Both Paine and Taylor give confident smiles as the film gives an eye line match from one to the other. With a cut back to the speaker, Jefferson Smith is finally introduced. The song, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” is played by the band at the party. After the conclusion of the song, Smith gives a speech, but he is never on the screen for a long period of time. Cuts away from Smith to the crowd show their pleasure and excitement for him. Included during the speech are loud ovations from the crowd and close-ups of certain audience members to add a closeness that Smith feels with them. The fast cutting gives Smith a humble quality that is accentuated by his actions and expresses his nationalistic ideals.
The next major sequence that shows Jefferson Smith’s patriotism is his arrival in Washington. Without warning his chaperone, Smith leaves the train station and begins to sight see. Another montage is started when the new senator gets onto a bus with ordinary Americans, which is what Jeff continues to be, even as Senator. Continuing the montage are cuts from one historic building to another along the tour. We see shots of Smith smiling and taking in the scenery as well. Along the tour are the Jefferson Memorial, the Declaration of Independence, and the Washington Monument. The montage fully shows the vast history and culture that Smith is taking in and enjoying.
Interspersing tracking shots of the monuments keeps reminding the audience that Jefferson is on a tour bus, not a limo or private car that most senators would use. With the montage, the film cuts a long day of sight-seeing into a short period of time, but with the same, if not better, results. After the montage, Smith finishes his tour with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial. Eye line matches of Smith to Lincoln’s statue show his appreciation. Smith also looks at a young boy reciting the Gettysburg Address to his grandfather and an old African American man taking his hat off in admiration for Lincoln. This sequence cuts all of these together to show how much Jefferson Smith loves his country the same amount that these other average Americans do. With editing, Jefferson Smith is shown to be a patriot and a normal, everyday American man.
After a few days in the Senate, Jeff wants to contribute more than just signing bills that he doesn’t know anything about. He decides to ask Senator Paine if he should write a bill of his own. Since Smith doesn’t know anything about writing bills, or even the process the bill takes, his secretary Ms. Saunders (Jean Arthur) has to help him. This scene takes place in Jeff’s office with no music. It is a long take with minimal shot revere shot cutting between the two characters. Most of the screen time is devoted to Saunders as she explains the process to Jeff. The minimal cutting allows the audience to see Jeff learn the process. His naivety when it comes to governmental processes furthers his identification with the American public.
To contrast that scene, later in the night, the two characters begin to write the bill. Again, there is no music and the take is long, but this time Jeff is the focal point. While he is trying to figure out what to write, he asks questions about Saunders that end up revealing things about himself. The audience is now learning about Smith along with Saunders. As she teaches him the political ways in Washington, he is teaching her about the patriotism in small town America. Without the distraction of shot reverse shot editing, Jefferson Smith’s personality comes out. We see his overwhelming love for his country rub off on Saunders through subtle editing techniques.
The turning point in Jeff’s life comes after he finds out that Senator Paine, along with many other senators, are corrupt and accepting graft. Smith is basically run out of town with false allegations and phony evidence. Betrayed and dejected, Jeff visits the Lincoln Memorial for one last time before he goes back home. There is no patriotic music in the background or other happy citizens. An eye line match from Smith to Lincoln’s statue reveals the same President, but a different Smith who is fighting back tears. Another eye line match shows the Gettysburg Address engraving with the phrase, “And that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish forever.” These are the ideals that Smith holds, but the corrupt senate does not. After he walks over to a dark area and sits down, the film cuts to a close up of his crying face. After a few seconds, a cut reveals that Saunders is walking over to him. This is followed by a long take of Saunders repeating Jeff’s ideals back to him. Saunders gives Smith the idea to fight back against the corruption with his patriotism and strong will. Following her speech, there is a cut to a long shot of the two leaving the monument walking back into the light, but now, the music has picked up tempo and is more uplifting. A shot of Lincoln is followed by a shot of Jeff saluting the statue as if the audience gets an eye line match of what Lincoln is looking at. It seems that the former president is behind Smith, just like the American public.
After coming to Washington, Jefferson Smith is blinded from corruption because of his patriotic ideals and small town mindset. Over the course of the film, he has to grow up to save the democracy that he loves so much. As shown by the editing, Smith gains the power he needs to overcome the corruption in the Senate. Jefferson Smith uses his love for America to fight corruption and relate to the common public. The editing and sound show Jeff’s growth from a small town worker to a powerful man who can use his patriotism for good.
As a young filmmaker, the editing in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is inspiring because it shows how to create messages in a film without overstating them. Within the Hollywood system, Capra was able to make this film with deep rooted themes. There is no need to go over the top with editing when it does not serve the story. When the story is the most important thing, style should not overshadow it. Making a film within studio confines and creating subtext through editing is the most influential aspects that I learned from watching this movie.
