Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939). Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page paper which provides an overview of the director, cast and plot; examines the film’s history to evaluate how it was perceived by the public and the reasons it became famous; considers the themes of “citizen politician” and the role of the press/media in a democratic society; and finally, discusses whether or not the film is a realistic portrayal of the American governmental process and what lessons can be learned from it by contemporary politicians. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGsmith.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
American Dream and that it was within anyones grasp (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington PG). Dubbed the "populist filmmaker" by contemporary cinematic historians for his celebration of average, small-town
agrarian life, Frank Capras films were unabashedly sentimental and idealistic, preferring to focus on the inherent goodness of human behavior and the ways in which it can be employed to
positively change society. When Capra began directing motion pictures for the struggling Columbia Studios, the studio was derogatorily referred to by its rivals as Poverty Row, for it had
neither large budgets nor major star power at its disposal. Nevertheless, Capra never gave up, and it was his Everyman ingenuity and the uncompromising artistic vision of his films
that helped Columbia Studios not only eventually turn a profit but also achieve critical respectability and popular acceptance. Between the years of 1932 through 1939, Capras films had received
six Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, and his first comedy, It Happened One Night, swept the 1935 Oscars, winning the five major awards, a feat not duplicated until 1975s
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington PG). Because Columbia was relatively small in comparison to studio giants MGM and Warner Brothers, it had to rely
on a limited group of performers. One of the most appealing was a tall, gangly young actor named James Stewart, who would become Capras favorite spokesman for old-fashioned and
incorruptible American ideals. It is Stewarts genuine likeability that keeps the 1939 film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, from becoming too saccharine and cloying (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
PG). His innocence is always believable and moving, and the audience identifies with his role as novice politician Jefferson Smith, who finds himself nearly flattened by the wheels of
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