Another Classic I Haven't Seen Yet #20 - Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

“…and some day, the people in this building will be even more corrupt…”

I don’t know if this movie is oddly prophetic or if 1930s politics were just as sleazy and corrupt as today with the William Randolph Hearst’s of the ages oiling their own political machine, but this hit the spot given the climate in Washington today.

The boy scout who never grew up takes on the intertwined spider web of big business, big media, and politics. And somehow wins.

We all know that this is a fantasy movie, however. At least my lack of faith in the system tells me so. It wouldn’t end with the dastardly Claude Rains having a come to Jesus moment and spilling the beans (only after offing himself doesn’t work) to the Senate as Jimmy Stewart is being carried out unconscious after a 24 hour filibuster. It’d probably end with Stewart’s political and private career destroyed and the blood money dam being built anyway.

But it’s nice to dream of a working political machine. And that’s why this movie is great.