Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Ok, I'm beginning to realize that the AFI really only has one criterion when it comes to selection.  It doesn't really matter whether the film is characterized by a brilliant script, visionary direction and riveting performances.  The only thing that really matters is the title.

To be more specific, what seems to matter is what the title evokes in people.  This is a combination of the film's reputation and the niche it fills in film history.  For example, The General, while not a great film on the whole, instantly brings to mind groundbreaking camerawork and silent film slapstick.  Important from both a technical and a historical viewpoint, onto the list it goes.

In the case of Mr. Smith, the title evokes, especially in people who may have never seen the movie, a sense of national pride, of belief in the political system, and especially the knowledge of what a filibuster is for.  In short, it has to some degree affected the political consciousness of the country, and so onto the list it goes.  It's too bad, though, because it is terrible.  From the blunt soundtrack to the flimsy script to the positively incompetent editing, this movie is from beginning to end a stinker.  The first five minutes are all you need to see what I mean, as the entire movie can be deduced from those painfully recited scenes. 

However, if I seem to resent AFI's choice of such terrible material to represent American film, I take solace in the fact that such prisms of unimpeachable quality as City Lights and Apocalypse Now remain on the list.  I'm still stunned by the quality of those films, so best to end on that note . . .