1930s – Twentieth Century Fun With Film

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Characters, Tropes and Subversions

As good as the script for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is, as clever as the dialogue, as stirring as the story, and as well-balanced a film as it is, it would hold little weight to an audience without the use of a film’s most important tools: good characters. If a story is the spineContinue reading “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Characters, Tropes and Subversions”

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Genre and Themes

At first glance, indeed, even at second glance, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington doesn’t seem to really lend itself to a specific genre the way The Goonies or The Princess Bride did. Whereas those films positively dripped with the atmosphere of an adventure or fantasy film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is considerably more ‘realContinue reading “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Genre and Themes”

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: The Story

The story of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington opens up, not with the titular character at all, but with a hubbub of telephone conversations reporting the sudden and unfortunate death of American senator: Samuel Foley. Instead of mourning the death of this political figure, the cogs in the political machine immediately begin turning to tryContinue reading “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: The Story”

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Legacy and Impact

1939 was quite a year for movies. Gone with the Wind adapted the story of Scarlett O’Hara and her plantation dramatically for the big screen, telling the story with grand, sweeping visuals that took the Oscars by storm. The Wizard of Oz took the fairy tale of a girl from Kansas transported to a magicalContinue reading “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Legacy and Impact”

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 2 hrs, 9 minutes A naive youth leader is appointed to a seat in the senate, intended to be a pawn for other politicians. When his idealistic plans conflict with a corrupt scheme for personal profit by other senators, Washington DC at large wages war against Jefferson Smith’s character,Continue reading

Month of Horror Masterposts: Frankenstein

Oscar History

Also nominated for Best Picture in 1930 was Robert Z. Leonard’s The Divorcee, which had four nominations for that year, and one win for Best Actress for Norma Shearer in the role of Jerry. The same year, Shearer was also nominated for Best Actress for the role of Lally in Their Own Desire.