Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

Frank Capra's work seems to have been vastly misread. It's a Wonderful Life is held up as a heartwarming holiday picture (which it is anything but, if you look carefully), and this movie is praised for its good message about democracy and America, but, like I said, that only comes about because of a totally arbitrary ending. This movie is incredibly cynical about American politics, and while the content is nothing new to us, it is a strong reminder of the imperfections of the political system. The most significant factor is the fact that no party names are mentioned; unlike today's films and TV shows, where self-righteous liberals paint Republicans as evil and Democrats as valiant heroes, this movie rigorously avoids partisanship. Everybody is a politician, greedy for re-election. And even the best people can get corrupted, as indirectly expressed by Paine himself when he tells Smith of the need to compromise in order to get things done. And, until that very last shot, the overall feeling is that one man cannot change the world, no matter how hard he fights. Somehow, I have a feeling that if Capra had his way, he would have ended the picture just before Paine madly made his final confession.

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