Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) both follow a man who defend themselves against overwhelming odds. Director Frank Capra’s films, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It’s a Wonderful Life do a wonderful job of establishing the main character’s struggles using many different camera techniques and fast-paced editing. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington follows Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) as he becomes newly assigned to the United States Senate and fights against a corrupt political system. Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold) demands Governor Hubert Hopper (Guy Kibbee) to pick someone who would be easy to manipulate to get what they want, leading Hopper to choose Smith. A corrupt senator, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), mentors
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Smith Goes to Washington. Smith wanders away from his welcoming party and onto a tour bus. The montage that follows shows him from low angles and long shots as he looks at American history. While the montage shows many historical landmarks of Washington D.C., the music also collages many different American patriotic songs. In the beginning of the film, Smith appears small as he believes he’s unworthy to be a senator. Smith sits next to the governor as his head barely clears the table in the shot. When Smith takes the oath, he appears shorter than the President of the Senate. Also, when the press accuses Smith for being a stooge, all the men hover over Smith looking down on him. Once Smith starts to believe in himself, he becomes taller than people in the shot. When Smith goes to Paine’s office, he tells Smith to sit down, but Smith refuses. During the filibuster, Smith stands while everyone sits with the camera tilting up at him. Also, when Smith first sees the Lincoln Memorial, Smith stands glaring at the memorial. After Smith gives up, he returns to the memorial but this time at night and kneels next to his suitcases. The editing and transitions between scenes are fast paced wasting no time at all. Between almost every scene, a wipe transition leads to the next scene and the audio begins halfway through the transition. At the end of the film when Smith collapses and Paine confesses, the film doesn’t show Smith recovering or reuniting with Saunders and it doesn’t need
Smith Goes to Washington. Smith wanders away from his welcoming party and onto a tour bus. The montage that follows shows him from low angles and long shots as he looks at American history. While the montage shows many historical landmarks of Washington D.C., the music also collages many different American patriotic songs. In the beginning of the film, Smith appears small as he believes he’s unworthy to be a senator. Smith sits next to the governor as his head barely clears the table in the shot. When Smith takes the oath, he appears shorter than the President of the Senate. Also, when the press accuses Smith for being a stooge, all the men hover over Smith looking down on him. Once Smith starts to believe in himself, he becomes taller than people in the shot. When Smith goes to Paine’s office, he tells Smith to sit down, but Smith refuses. During the filibuster, Smith stands while everyone sits with the camera tilting up at him. Also, when Smith first sees the Lincoln Memorial, Smith stands glaring at the memorial. After Smith gives up, he returns to the memorial but this time at night and kneels next to his suitcases. The editing and transitions between scenes are fast paced wasting no time at all. Between almost every scene, a wipe transition leads to the next scene and the audio begins halfway through the transition. At the end of the film when Smith collapses and Paine confesses, the film doesn’t show Smith recovering or reuniting with Saunders and it doesn’t need