Blu-ray Review Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Richard Gallagher]

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Blu-ray Review

Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is one of the most famous and beloved films ever made. It was nominated for no less than eleven Academy Awards in a year which saw the release of such classics as Gone With the Wind, Stagecoach, and The Wizard of Oz, to name just a few. Sony has now released it on Blu-ray with a nearly-pristine transfer and a nice array of special features.

Studio: Sony

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1

Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HDMA (Mono), Spanish 1.0 DD (Mono), French 1.0 DD (Mono), Other

Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Other

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: 2 Hr. 9 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, Other

DigiBook

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: ABC

Release Date: 12/02/2014

MSRP: $19.99

The Production Rating: 5/5

I wonder if this Don Quixote hasn't got the jump on all of us.Mr. Smith Goes to Washington opens with the announcement that a U.S. Senator from an unidentified Middle America state has died suddenly. Governor Hopper (Guy Kibbee), the state's ineffectual chief executive, has to appoint someone to fill out the deceased Senator's term. Governor Hopper takes his marching orders from Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), a party boss who stands to make a fortune when Congress passes a bill authorizing the construction of a dam on land which Taylor and his associates have secretly purchased. They want the new Senator to be a compliant man who will do whatever they say. However, Governor Hopper's constituents balk when he proposes to appoint one of Taylor's stooges, so he ends up selecting Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), a political neophyte who is something of a local hero because of his work with boys and his heroism in putting out a forest fire.It turns out that Smith's father was a friend of the state's living Senator, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), who unbeknownst to Smith is now a corrupt politician who is working hand in hand with Taylor in the scheme to build the dam. Senator Paine is certain that he can control Smith and he advises Taylor to go along with the appointment.When Smith arrives in Washington he is so wide-eyed with excitement that he wanders off from his entourage and spends the day taking a sightseeing tour of the city. When he finally arrives at his Senate office he meets Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur), the deceased Senator's secretary. Saunders is constantly threatening to quit her job but is persuaded by Senator Paine to stay on. Saunders (no one uses her first name and everyone calls her just "Saunders") is single and has spent all of her life in the D.C. area. Diz Moore (Thomas Mitchell) is a heavy-drinking reporter who wants Saunders to marry him, but she is content to be his friend.Saunders is convinced that Smith is hopelessly naive, but she nevertheless helps him to draft his first piece of legislation, a bill which would create a summer camp for boys on the very land where Taylor and Senator Paine have planned to build their dam. When Saunders finally tells Smith what his friend Senator Paine is up to, she advises him to pack up and go home because he can't stop the dam project "in 9 million years."James Stewart deservedly garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, but the supporting cast is just as good. Jean Arthur excels as the hard-boiled Saunders, who begins to fall for Smith in spite of herself. Harry Carey, who plays the Vice-President, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, as was Claude Rains for his portrayal of Senator Paine. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for Best Picture (but lost to Gone With the Wind) and Frank Capra was nominated for Best Director (the award went to Victor Fleming).

Video Rating: 5/5 3D Rating: NA

While the transfer of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is not perfect - if by perfect we mean flawless - it is nothing short of miraculous. The DigiBook in which the Blu-ray disc is encased includes an essay by Sony's Grover Crisp about the restoration. The goal was to use the original film negative as much as possible, but some of it was beyond repair and other sources had to be utilized. As a result, writes Mr. Crisp, "...there are sections throughout the film where the image quality slightly shifts at the beginning or end of certain shots."The black & white image is properly framed at 1.37:1. Joseph Walker's cinematography shines, with excellent contrast and black levels. Art Director Lionel Banks did an amazing job of recreating the floor of the U.S. Senate on the Columbia lot.Our resident expert, Robert A. Harris, has declared that this is nothing less than "a master's class in film restoration." I encourage readers to check out all of Mr. Harris' remarks and the interesting discussion which follows.A few words about...™ Mr. Smith Goes to Washington -- in Blu-ray

Audio Rating: 5/5

The excellent English 1.0 DTS HD-MA audio was harvested primarily from Frank Capra's personal nitrate print, which was struck from the original camera negative in 1939. The result is a soundtrack which is crystal-clear and free of age-related anomalies. The music score by the great Dimitri Tiomkin is given as pleasing a soundstage as possible.

Special Features Rating: 5/5

There are many worthwhile extras on this Blu-ray disc.There is an interesting and informative commentary track by the late Frank Capra Jr. Many readers may not realize that he produced the wholly unnecessary 1977 remake, Billy Jack Goes to Washington."Frank Capra's American Dream" is a feature-length documentary which is hosted by Ron Howard.Also included are five featurettes:1. "Frank Capra Jr. Remembers...Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"2. "Conversations with Frank Capra Jr.: The Golden Years"3. "Conversations with Frank Capra Jr.: A Family History"4. "Frank Capra: Collaboration"5. "The Frank Capra I Knew" (the reminiscences of Jeanine Basinger, curator of the Frank Capra Archives at Wesleyan University)The Blu-ray disc also includes the film's theatrical trailer and its international trailer. The international trailer includes footage which was cut prior to the film’s release.The DigiBook includes an essay about the film by Jeremy Arnold, the aforementioned essay by Grover Crisp, numerous still photographs, and partial filmographies of James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, and Frank Capra.

Overall Rating: 5/5

As an exposé of political corruption, Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a genuine crowd-pleaser which was enthusiastically embraced by American filmgoers in the historically monumental year of 1939. Capra, an immigrant from Italy who died in 1991 at the age of 94, would undoubtedly be dismayed by how the influence of money on our political process has increased over the years. Even so, it is difficult to watch this film without coming away with the belief that there is still a place for honest politicians in Washington. This outstanding Blu-ray release is attractively priced and is highly recommended.

Reviewed By: Richard Gallagher

Support HTF when you buy this title:

 

[Richard Gallagher]

There also in Ultraviolet code which comes with the Blu-ray. I thought that it was just an insert for Sony Rewards but I just noticed that it has an Ultraviolet code on the back.

 

[GlennF]

How could anyone who loves movies not own this at the current price? A great restoration, many extras, and a very informative digibook (not the usual puff pieces many of them are). If this great film doesn't sell I would give up releasing classic films if I were a film studio.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Rich,

Thank you for the review.

This is one of the few Sundays I am not working this month. I am going to spend
the morning watching this film for the very first time. I am greatly encouraged by
the overly positive reviews.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Rich,

Thank you for the review.

This is one of the few Sundays I am not working this month. I am going to spend
the morning watching this film for the very first time. I am greatly encouraged by
the overly positive reviews.

Ron, I'll think you like it as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a great film.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Due to Ron's post, I decided to view my BD this morning and I was very impressed by the video and audio presentation of this great film. I haven't watched any of the bonus material except the "Frank Capra Jr. Remembers Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" featurette. However, I plan to watch reminder of the bonus material in the very near future. As to the film, Harry Carey's reactions in the last 30 or so minutes of the film always cracks me up.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just finished watching this marvelous film.

It's another one of those moments when you wonder how you missed
a film like this for most of your life.

My only complaint is that the film is a little over-the-top in patriotism,
but I can understand, for the time, the themes that were being driven
home to audiences.

I concur with Mr. Crawford that Harry Carey's reactions in the final
third of the film are quite amusing.

Great film. Great transfer. What more could you ask for?

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Ron,

You make a good point about the time in history when the film was made.

Interestingly, when the film was released there were objections that it was anti-American because it allegedly painted the Senate in a bad light. The essay in the DigiBook covers this in detail.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I also think that, as a first-generation immigrant himself, that patriotism is something that Capra himself felt very deeply. But it definitely didn't hurt when the film was trying to chase off accusations of Communist sympathies.

 

[Johnny Angell]

How could anyone find communist sympathies in this film? Was it the portrayal of corrupt politicians?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

How could anyone find communist sympathies in this film? Was it the portrayal of corrupt politicians?

The short answer is yes. The argument was that by portraying the U.S. Senate as a corrupt institution, and portraying the politicians as stooges for equally corrupt big business, the movie was sowing opposition to the American capitalist republican system of government.

According to TCM, the screenplay came under a great deal of scrutiny from the Hays Office, before the head ultimately endorsed the picture, stating: "It is a grand yarn that will do a great deal of good for all those who see it and, in my judgment, it is particularly fortunate that this kind of story is to be made at this time. Out of all Senator Jeff's difficulties there has been evolved the importance of a democracy and there is splendidly emphasized the rich and glorious heritage which is ours and which comes when you have a government 'of the people, by the people, and for the people."