Film
There are plenty of brilliant political movies – but almost all are satirical and ironic. Frank Capra’s Mr Smith Goes to Washington is different. It inspires you to think well of the political process. And incredibly, it makes that most boring of political manoeuvres – the filibuster – seem heroic. James Stewart’s Mr Smith, the “Mr Smith” of the title, is homely and innocent, but he is a politician, a junior senator. And when he comes to Washington and is tricked and made to look guilty by corrupt veterans of the system, Mr Smith works with that system. By speaking nonstop for 25 hours about American ideals on the floor of the Senate, Mr Smith can impede their crooked plans and prove his own innocence – an almost Christ-like ordeal that results in his vindication. Peter Bradshaw
