Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Literary Elements

Director

Frank Capra

Leading Actors/Actresses

James Stewart, Jean Arthur

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Thomas Mitchell

Genre

Political Dramedy

Language

English

Awards

The film was also nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Stewart), Best Screenplay, Best Original Story (which it won), two Best Supporting Actor nominations (for Claude Rains and Harry Carey), Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Music (Score), and Best Sound Recording.

Date of Release

October 19, 1939

Producer

Frank Capra

Setting and Context

Washington D.C. in the 1930s

Narrator and Point of View

No narrator.

Tone and Mood

Fun, Screwball, Dramatic, Political, Fast-paced, Heartwarming, Heart-wrenching

Protagonist and Antagonist

Senator Smith vs. Corrupt Washington (Jim Taylor and Senator Paine)

Major Conflict

The conflict between newly appointed Senator Smith and the corrupt establishment in Washington D.C., specifically Senator Paine as he is being manipulated by Jim Taylor.

Climax

The climax occurs when Smith collapses and Paine reveals the truth.

Foreshadowing

After the president of the Senate swears the senator in, he says to Smith "Senator, you can talk all you want to now." This foreshadows the fact that Smith will use a filibuster to talk a great deal later in the film.

Understatement

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Allusions

Allusions to politics, history, literature, the Bible, popular culture, mythology, other movies, sports, economics, and other organizations.

Paradox

Parallelism

Paine and Smith are parallels for one another, one who makes compromises and the other who stands up for his ideals.

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