When you hear of World War II propaganda, you probably think of Joseph Goebbels or Leni Riefenstahl. Certainly, their influence on the creation and distribution of propaganda can hardly be overstated, but I’m surprised that more people don’t think of Frank Capra.

An Italian native, Capra was made a naturalized U.S. citizen for his service to the States in WWI. He’d later go on to direct the highly influential Why We Fight. This seven-part film series was made a tremendous part of recruiting and training for the U.S. Armed Forces. Perhaps most notably, it pioneered the concept of using the enemy’s propaganda — which made the Nazi armies look strong and imposing — against them, to portray a monolithic evil that must be stopped. So the next time you see a TV pundit use footage of Nazis in regard to some politician, take a moment to think of who made that possible: The guy who directed It’s a Wonderful Life.

But before all that, Capra made Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The film was made in 1939 — well before America’s entry into WWII — but the movie is unmistakably a love letter to the U.S.A. Long stretches of the film are made of speeches that are American propaganda through and through. There’s an entire montage half an hour in that’s nothing more than so many dozens of jingoistic images shown all at once. Still, the whole film has that sincere old-school charm that Capra is so damn good at putting on celluloid.

The movie opens when a senator from some anonymous state suddenly dies. The governor of that state is now responsible for filling the senator’s seat, but he’s quickly shown to be totally inept. So, the gov turns to the man who put him in elected office to begin with: Jim Taylor, a multi-millionaire power broker with connections pretty much everywhere. What Taylor wants is a yes-man who will keep his head down and take orders. What he gets is the eponymous Jefferson Smith.

Jeff Smith is beloved in his home state as a respected leader of the local Boy Scouts Boy Rangers. He also runs an amateur newspaper and was declared a hero for single-handedly putting out a recent forest fire. He’s an All-American boy with an encyclopedic knowledge of American history, a starry-eyed infatuation with the monuments of D.C. and a religious devotion to Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln.

Trouble is, he doesn’t know that we don’t have demigods for politicians anymore.

Smith’s knowledge of America begins with the Declaration and ends with its forests. He’s got no knowledge of city life and our nation’s laws could be handed down from on high for all he knows. Smith has a ton of heart, but not much in the way of brains. He wants to help continue America’s greatness, but has no idea how. He’s got honesty and earnestness in abundance, but he doesn’t have the wisdom to know when he’s being had. Jefferson Smith loves the Capitol Dome and its majesty so much that he can’t comprehend the idea of corruption inside it.

Naturally, the city has its way with him very quickly. The press plays him like a violin. The other senators treat him as a laughingstock. The other senator from his state — Joseph Paine, played by the great Claude Rains — is part of the Taylor machine that tirelessly works to break Smith in two.

With such a premise, it should come as no surprise that all of the characters — with a couple of exceptions — are two-dimensional. There is precious little subtlety to be found here. And yet, for all of Smith’s faults as a character, you can’t help but root for the guy. His energy is simply infectious and he’s got a pure-hearted, unconditional love for America and its people that goes far beyond any political agenda. We could use more of that in this day and age. Sure, he’s completely divorced from reality, but who can blame him when reality stinks?

Still, as amazing as Jimmy Stewart is in this iconic role, he’s not my favorite character in the film. That distinction goes to his love interest, Clarissa Saunders, played by Jean Arthur. Saunders starts out as a very jaded woman, fed up with the workings of Washington and repeatedly threatening to quit. Eventually — predictably — she’s changed by Smith’s tireless energy and comes to help him win the day.

To me, Saunders represents the ideal of this movie: She’s the status quo, tempered and enlightened with the reminder of the greatness this country once had and can one day achieve again. She becomes the backbone of Smith’s work. Her political savvy and knowledge of the status quo become the driving force for his patriotism in action. Smith may have had the energy and the will to serve his country, but he would never have succeeded if it wasn’t for Saunders’ mind. They need each other, and I like to think that’s the ultimate message of the film.

Claude Rains is amazing as always, playing one of the few nuanced characters in this film. Joseph Paine is a man that Smith spent his entire life worshiping (he was a good friend of Smith’s father, you see), so of course Smith is thrilled to finally work with him. Alas, Paine is on Taylor’s payroll and is thus forced to help ruin Smith when the naive junior senator first steps out of line. Paine is visibly conflicted by his relationship with the power broker and it clearly breaks his heart to frame such an idealist as Smith, but he’s done all manner of mental gymnastics to justify it. What’s more, words can’t express how Smith feels to have his hero turn out to be a corrupt politician who’ll work against his nation’s better interests in the name of filthy lucre.

So basically, Paine represents the entire establishment of Washington, D.C.

Of course, it should come as no surprise that Paine eventually comes around to help Smith in an eleventh-hour happy ending that would make Gilbert and Sullivan proud. The film is woefully cut short, with absolutely no word about the aftermath of Smith’s famous filibuster. Still, I can only assume that it would involve Jim Taylor’s arrest for graft and bribery, not to mention breaking and entering, theft, violence against children, turning a fire hose onto a peaceful rally and all manner of other crimes we see from him and his goons. This guy commits so many felonies against so many victims and with so many witnesses that I’m amazed he hasn’t been put away sooner, no matter how rich and powerful he is.

Yes, the divide between good and evil in this movie is so wide that it’s really quite laughable at times. It makes for a storyline that’s totally and completely predictable. Additionally, the movie’s editing is quite bad. I could swear that there are some frames missing and the film’s momentum often grinds to an audibly screeching halt while some character gives a speech. Also, some of the camera work leaves a lot to be desired — the scene where Smith fumbles with his hat comes to mind.

Still, there’s a lot of charm in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The story of good unambiguously triumphing over evil may not be new or complex, but it can still be heartwarming in a manipulative kind of way. Moreover, this is a film that completely acknowledges what America’s become, while maintaining a great love of its Constitution and tremendous optimism for its future. Simply put, this film is old-school, feel-good Americana as only Frank Capra can deliver.

I heartily recommend that my fellow Americans give the film a look this Election Day. In a nation that’s become increasingly polarized, when no politician can try making this country better without being demonized for it by someone, it’s good to be reminded of those things we all love about our country. We may be divided by race, religion and so many other factors, but as long as we try to do well by each other and by all the patriots who lived and died to make this country great before us, we’ll be fine.