‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ yet again

In these polarized political times, it's comforting to seek out those politically themed movies that have transcended reality to become modern myths. Such as movie is Frank Capra's 1939 screed "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."

Written by Sidney Buchman, the son of a Russian immigrant who would be Oscar-nominated four times (winning for 1941's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"), "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is one of actor Jimmy Stewart's best pre-WWII performances. It was based on a story titled "The Gentleman From Montana," by Lewis R. Foster.

Stewart plays Jefferson Smith, a naive appointee to the U.S. Senate from an unnamed Western state. Appointed on a whim by his state's political boss (played by Edward Arnold), who believes he can manipulate the upstart, Smith soon clashes with what clearly is corruption. And true to his nature as a Boy Scout type, he stands his ground — which nearly kills him.

The key word there being "nearly." Like most of Capra's movies, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is a fantasy. Yes, it's a pleasing fantasy about one man's fight against evil. But it also features a five-minutes-from-the-end change of heart by one of Smith's enemies (played by Claude Rains) that's as phony as anything Hollywood has ever produced.

I actually don't mean that as criticism. I admire Capra's movies, and I particularly appreciate his trademark insistence on truth and justice for all. But what the past several decades have taught us is that truth and justice are relative notions, and the party in power defines it any way it wants. And that's never been more true than it is now.

You can make up your mind about "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" when it screens at 2 and 7 on Sunday and the following Wednesday (Oct. 17) at two local Regal Cinemas theaters: Northtown Mall and Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone Stadium.