How seriously can we take the political message of this film? For that matter, what is its political message? Can the denunciation of corruption and the endorsement of decency and boyhood be stated in a political context at all?
How do we evaluate Jefferson Smith (James Stewart's character) in this film? Consider the wide range of moods and expressions he goes through in the course of the film. How does Capra use Stewart's iconic star presence to make his story compelling and convincing? What is the logic animating Smith's growth, from the total naivete of the beginning to his heroic filibuster, culminating in collapse?
What do you make, in particular, of Jefferson Smith being so ill-at-ease with sexuality? (Consider the scene where he plays with his hat in embarrassment when talking with Senator Payne's daughter). And what sort of relationship does he establish with Saunders (Jean Arthur's character)? How do Smith's sexuality (or lack thereof) and relation with his mother and with boys relate to his exemplary honesty, love of America, and so on?
How does Capra use American patriotic symbols (both imagery and music) in the course of the film? How does this relate to the sincerity of Stewart's character, who reveres these images, versus the cynicism of the other characters who take them for granted?
Consider Capra's use of sound, and his focus upon speech, in the course of the film. After all, the question of speech is important both on the Senate floor (where there are continued questions of who has the right to speak, and where the film culminates in Smith's filibuster) and in the film in general. "The whole film is a test of the hero's voice," writes one critic. How does Jefferson Smith's use of speech change in the course of the film?