Public Administration in the Movies WORD

Public Administration in the Movies On the surface, it would seem that a film focusing on the rise and fall of a naive and idealistic Senator would have very little in common with a film that deals with 1940s mobsters and the creation of Las Vegas. Indeed, most would say that the 1939 classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, holds no commonality whatsoever with the semi-accurate, 1992 biographical film, Bugsy. Yet, that would be a very surface level assumption; under this exterior, the two films showcase organizations that are similar in many ways and the two main characters also share a similar leadership style. Through a closer examination of these two films’ main characters’ leadership style and their organizations in terms of culture, hierarchy, and leadership, it is hoped that the similarities between the two will be illuminated. Firstly, it must be admitted that the main characters of these two films are quite different in moral character and personality, yet in attitude and perseverance, Jefferson Smith of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel of Bugsy are very similar. Both face multiple challenges that would detract a more normal man, but not either of these characters. Jefferson Smith is, as mentioned before, very idealistic and rather naive when he first is appointed by a corrupt governor to become a member of the Senate. He is hand-picked for these exact qualities, as the current political machine- run by the powerful Jim Taylor- wants a puppet that it can control for its own profit. This, as the machine comes to quickly realize, is not Jefferson Smith. Smith’s idealism is not strictly a result of his naiveté but rather from a strong moral backbone and a great belief in the ideals of justice and liberty. Smith is revered by the young boys he mentors as a Boy Ranger leader because he is truly a good man who is focused more on others and the common good than himself. It is this strong and ethical backbone that makes him the antithesis