Principal cast
James Stewart as Jefferson Smith, Jean Arthur as Clarissa Saunders, Claude Rains as Joseph Paine, Edward Arnold as Jim Taylor, and Guy Kibbee as Governor Hopper
Film 29 of 244 on the Screen Path
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Romance, drama, laughter and heartbreak... created out of the very heart and soil of America!
About the film
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1939 film at stop 29 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
After the death of a United States Senator, the idealistic Jefferson Smith is appointed as his replacement in Washington. The naive and earnest new senator soon finds himself battling political corruption.
Key craft credits
Joseph Walker (director of photography), Al Clark (editor), Gene Havlick (editor), Dimitri Tiomkin (original music composer), and Sidney Buchman (screenplay)
- Director
- Frank Capra
- Release
- 1939-10-19
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Genres
- Comedy and Drama
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 50 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 50 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
50 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
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