Corruption, lies & the power of truth: ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington’ is a film for our times – by Stephen Kuhrt

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As Christmas approaches, many will repeat the annual ritual of watching It’s a Wonderful Life.

A lesser-known film with an equally powerful and important message is Mr Smith goes to Washington. Produced seven years earlier in 1939, it has the same director, Frank Capra and the same star in Jimmy Stewart.

Idealistic

The film tells the story of an idealistic and naïve young man called Jefferson Smith who is unexpectedly elected to the United States Senate. In reality, Smith has been picked to serve as a political stooge for a corrupt paymaster, Jim Taylor, because they think he will be easy to manipulate.

Initially, Smith is in awe of his fellow Senator, Joseph Paine, an old friend and colleague of his father’s. But he has no idea that Senator Paine is being controlled by Taylor.

When the new Senator Smith proposes a bill to establish a new national boy’s camp, he is unaware that the land he proposes to use for his camp is already ear-marked in another bill for a corrupt construction scheme backed by Taylor and proposed by Senator Paine.  

Overwhelming opposition

Instructed to keep quiet, Smith instead vehemently opposes the construction bill.

The great set-piece of the film is Smith’s ‘filibuster’ as he speaks for 25 hours non-stop on the Senate floor in an attempt to postpone the bill and prove his innocence. He faces overwhelming opposition from fellow senators, the general public and the media who make the claim that he is corrupt and should be expelled from the Senate.

When all hope seems lost and Smith collapses with exhaustion, Paine is suddenly overcome with remorse shouting ‘every word that boy said is the truth’, confessing the political corruption that he is involved in and insisting that he, and not Smith, should be expelled.    

So what relevance does an 85 year old film have for today?

1.The importance of courage

Jefferson Smith is an ordinary man who is not just good, but also brave. He finds within himself the conviction and courage to stand against the overwhelming power of corrupt institutions and business and their threats and lies. Few things of value can be achieved without courage.

This is why Jesus so often tells us not to be afraid and not to fear. As Maya Angelou wrote:

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

2. The power of truth

The film also displays the way that lies will eventually collapse and the truth will out. It has a powerful message of hope for anyone engaged in a battle against lies and injustice.

A few years ago, I was unjustly suspended from my job as a vicar after whistle-blowing about safeguarding failures in my diocese. Later, when reinstated in my role, I then faced consistent attempts to bring about my constructive dismissal. This film helped inspire me to keep going, maintaining faith in the power of truth to triumph over attempts to suppress it.

Whilst the full exposure of many truths won’t always occur in our lifetimes, Christians believe in the promise of a future judgement when the truth will be revealed (Romans 2.1-16). This can and should motivate us to keep speaking truth to power in the knowledge that this truth will eventually prevail.

3. How ‘good people’ become corrupted

The best performance in Mr Smith goes to Washington is Claude Raines’ portrayal of Senator Paine.  He came into the Senate with high ideals but allowed himself to become corrupted. Paine still knows the right lines to speak (‘the lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for’) and initially wants to protect Smith and warns him to back off from opposing his bill.

But when Smith persists, Paine seeks to destroy him and the corrupt ugliness that has grown within him is revealed. It illustrates the subtle way that good men can become corrupted and how easily a veneer of benevolence gives way to viciousness when threatened.

Despair

There are plenty of reasons for feeling despair at the moment and the themes of Mr Smith goes to Washington could not be more relevant.

Many feel bewilderment and dismay about Trump’s re-election as President and what it will mean for the US and global security. What hope is there for ‘truth’ with the endorsement of a leader with such a brazen track-record of lying?

But the film is also relevant to the safeguarding scandals in the Church of England which led to the resignation this week of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury.  As a Church, we need to develop a culture of courage and truthfulness to overcome our institutional dysfunction.

Redemption

Mr Smith goes to Washington does not shirk from showing the ugly side of politics, but it also displays the redemption that is possible when people find the moral courage to confess their wrongdoing and speak the truth. 

It’s a film which has genuinely inspired and sustained me through some hard times. It has helped strengthen my resolve to speak truth and to have courage and integrity. Why not give it a watch and see if it can do the same for you?

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Stephen Kuhrt is Vicar of Christ Church, New Malden where they run regular cinema clubs for the local community. He is the author of Using Film with Older People.