Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

¶ … Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" directed by Frank Capra, and "Matewan" directed by John Sayles. Specifically, it will discuss the motives or causes of the characters who are prepared to take on the powerful. How do they do it, and is it justified? These two films both show the underdog taking on those with great power. Their causes are just, and their motives are pure, but they discover that those with power often overcome even the most just and moral causes.

Smith Goes to Washington" is a classic Jimmy Stewart, Frank Capra film that shows just how much political influence exists in Washington D.C. In this film, Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is appointed as a Senator after the man holding the office dies. He is a naive and trusting, honest man who the political leaders of his state feel they can manipulate and puppet in Washington. He has no idea he has been sent to Washington to ensure the state's political bosses profit from a dam the state does not need, built on land the politicians secretly own. When he finds out, his honor and honesty will not allow him to do anything but fight them for his own ideas, which include building a boy's camp on the very same land. He even finds that his own boyhood idol, Senator Paine, is corrupt and manipulated by the political bosses back home.

To be rid of him and his honest approach, the try to frame him. Instead, he fights them by filibustering on the Senate floor, refusing to give in to their threats to ruin his short Senatorial career. He fights by using the laws of the country against the corrupt politicians, and he fights as the miners do, honestly and naively. He fights for what he believes in and what he knows is right, just as the miners in "Matewan" do. However, he is also fighting for American justice and democracy, and so, unless the system fails entirely, he must win, or there will be no hope for any American. Smith does win in the end, and that is the major difference between justice and power in these two films.

Matewan" is another look at corruption and power, the power of business owners and the workers they exploit. In the film, the coal miners were poor, and the rich, powerful owners were determined to keep them that way and thus dependent on them at all costs. This film taught the viewer just how difficult work was in the mines in the 1920s, and how hard the people had to fight for just a few basic rights. Joe Kenehan was an admirable character who articulated the values that were really important, but in the end, those values died with Joe at the Matewan Massacre. He not only talked about what he believed in, he encouraged the miners to revolt, and he encouraged them to fight for their rights, and stand up to the brutal mine owners. The young narrator, who had so much potential, ended up working in the mines, and it seems stayed in Matewan his entire life, because there was simply no way out for these people. The mine owners held them in a tight grip, and would not let go. The mine owners did what they did for profit and personal gain, while the coal miners who worked until they died, only wanted a measure of respect and value. Their fight was justified, and they used legal means to attempt to get what they wanted, while the brutal owners used brutality, violence, and finally murder to keep the protesters in check.

The difference in these two films is the ways the characters choose to overthrow the system. The coal miners go on strike and attempt to form a union, while Smith attempts to follow the rules honestly and with his own patriotism and enthusiasm. In addition, Smith uses the own rules of the Senate against them, filibustering for over 23 hours to get his point across and try to convince others he should not be expelled for corruption. In the end, he wins, because he has made Senator Paine's conscious finally kick in, and the Senator can no longer support the political corruption that has made his career. Smith wins by his virtue and honesty. However, the miners are just as honest and sincere, but they do not win. Their story is real, not one made up in Hollywood. Their cause was as just - survival and decent working conditions, but they could not fight the corruption of the powerful, while Smith took the power and used it to fight corruption. Both groups fought good and decent fights, but that does not ensure that the right and just always win, and that is the sad message about politics that comes out after viewing these two films. What is right does not always occur when the weak go up against the powerful. The powerful want to hold on to their power at any costs, and they will do anything to ensure they do not fall from power. Sometimes, an honest person comes along to topple them, but often, they have so much power and control that they can ensure they will never fall from power. Mr. Smith fought effectively, and so did the miners. They both used the resources available to them. However, the miners simply did not have enough power with the union, and they could not overcome the corruption of the mine owners.