Frank Capra was saddled with a reputation for sentimentality and idealism, but he was also willing to confront some very dark themes in his films – usually buoyed by his clean-cut heroes. Despite its reputation as a holiday classic, darkness permeates this tale of broken dreams and evil men, which makes its ending – where things really do turn out ok – even more emotional. Jimmy Stewart came of age in Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, and similarly here we see him slowly broken into pieces in a way that only Stewart can embody. Facing the closure of his
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