Mr Smith Goes to Washington

James Stewart starred in five films in 1939 but it was Mr Smith Goes To Washington that really launched his career and cemented his screen persona. Stepping in to Gary Cooper's shoes (the film was originally to be a sequel to Mr Deeds Goes To Town), he plays the idealistic and patriot politician to a tee and, along with director Frank Capra, rarely bettered this film.

Jefferson Smith (Stewart) is leader of the Boy Rangers and a state hero when - as the result of others' corruption - he's picked as the shoo-in state senator. Believing him to be naïve and easily manipulated, which he is to begin with, the state's corrupt political machine regards him as a passive seat-filler, a front for their plan to build a dam on land they own, thence earning them a fortune when they sell it back to the government.

When Smith's effort to set up a national boys' camp on the very same land threatens to reveal the plot, he quickly finds himself framed for corruption, a victim of a pervasive power that even turns family friend Senator Paine (Rains) against him. But Smith has his morals to defend and embarks on a three-day filibuster to uncover the plot and bring a little honesty to the senate.

'Capra-corn' was the term applied to the director's penchant for idealism, and it's true that Mr Smith's driving force is the triumph of the ordinary, honest man against widespread corruption. But Capra makes a few digs at the White House that still hold true today, and which caused the film to be branded 'un-American' on its release.

While this is clearly Stewart's film, it's also a superb ensemble piece. Notably, Jean Arthur lends a cynical edge to Smith's idealism as his efficient and world-weary assistant who names him 'Don Quixote Smith' to begin with, but soon warms to his appealing sense of right and wrong. As do we.