Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Blu-ray Press Release

CULVER CITY, Calif. (Sept. 4, 2014) – MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, one of the crown jewels in the Columbia Pictures catalog,

celebrates its 75th anniversary by debuting on Blu-ray™ Dec. 2 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray, digitally restored & mastered in 4K, will be presented in collectible Digibook packaging, featuring rare photos and an all-new essay by celebrated film historian Jeremy Arnold. Originally released during Hollywood’s golden year, 1939, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON was nominated for 11 Academy Awards®[1] and follows a naive man (James Stewart) appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. Although his plans promptly collide with political corruption, he doesn't back down.

Bonus content includes commentary by Frank Capra Jr., the original theatrical trailer, a rare international trailer that includes footage deleted from the final film, and the feature-length documentary Frank Capra’s American Dream, narrated by Ron Howard and incorporating interviews with the director's friends, colleagues and admirers. The featurettes include “Frank Capra Jr. Remembers ... Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,” in which the son of the famous director offers insight on his father’s technique, the motivation of the actors and the production of the film. Also included are four additional featurettes offering a behind-the-scenes look at one of Hollywood’s greatest and most influential directors.

SYNOPSIS:
An idealistic, newly-appointed senator (James Stewart) heads to Washington, where he single-handedly battles ruthless politicians out to destroy him. Winner of the 1939 Academy Award® for Best Writing (Original Story), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a timeless and stirring ode to the power of democracy.

Blu-ray Bonus Features Include:
§ Commentary by Frank Capra Jr.
§ Frank Capra’s American Dream feature-length documentary
§ Featurettes:
     o “Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... Mr. Smith Goes To Washington”
     o “Conversations with Frank Capra Jr.: A Family History”
     o “Conversations with Frank Capra Jr.: The Golden Years”
     o “Frank Capra: Collaboration”
     o “The Frank Capra I Knew”
§ Original Theatrical Trailer
§ Rare International Trailer

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON has a running time of 129 minutes and is not rated.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Blu-ray cover art
Preorder Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: 75th Anniversary Blu-ray at Amazon.com

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“Academy Award®” and “Oscar®” are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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[1] Academy Award® nominations include Best Picture, Best Actor (James Stewart), Best Supporting Actor (Harry Carey), Best Supporting Actor (Claude Raines), Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Writing, Screenplay (Sidney Buchman), Best Art Direction (Lionel Banks), Best Sound, Recording (John P. Livadary), Best Film Editing (Gene Havlick, Al Clark) and Best Music, Scoring (Dimitri Tiomkin). Lewis R. Foster won the Oscar® for Best Writing, Original Story.