Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American drama film starring James Stewart and Jean Arthur, about one man's effect on American politics. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was controversial when it was released, but also successful at the box office, and made Stewart a major movie star. The film features a bevy of well-known supporting actors, among them Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell and Beulah Bondi. ..."

"An ordinary American appointed to the Senate is nearly destroyed by a corrupt political machine, but triumphs in the end. ... 'A stirring and even inspiring testament to liberty and freedom, to simplicity and honesty and to the innate dignity of just the average man.' –New York Times"

"Think all hope for liberty is lost? Need some inspiration? This is the film to watch. This hero's quixotic battle of one against the ill-informed many is an image with which many libertarians will identify. ... The hero doesn't really understand these ideas well enough to identify what's gone wrong in Washington, but he does succeed at least in rooting out a thicket of political crookedness."