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For more than 80 years, the Vinson Institute has worked with public officials throughout Georgia and around the world to improve governance and people's lives. From Georgia's early days as a largely agrarian state with a modest population to its modern-day status as a national and international force in business, industry, and politics with a population of almost 10 million, the Institute has helped government leaders navigate change and forge strong directions for a better Georgia.
In the Spotlight > Spotlight: Public Service: Reel-to-Reel

Spotlight: Public Service: Reel-to-Reel

Contact: Courtney Yarbrough, yarbrough@cviog.uga.edu; 706.542.6221

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government is hosting a film series, cosponsored by the Center for Humanities and the Arts, this fall as part of the Institute's 75th anniversary celebration. The films are being shown at the Seney-Stovall Chapel at the Institute's Lucy Cobb complex on Milledge Avenue. Admission is free and open to the public. A discussion led by a member of the community immediately follows the viewing. Each screening starts at 7:00 PM on the following Tuesdays:

Date Film / Discussion Leader Topic  
October 22 12 Angry Men
 Alex Scherr		 Civic Duty in Public Service Info
October 29 Four Days in September
 Charles Costello		 Social Justice/Political Change Info
November 5 The Milagro Beanfield War
Dr. Frederick Payton & Dr. Ted Gragson		 Community Empowerment Info
November 12 The Simpsons
Dr. Horace Newcomb		 Reflection of Public Service in the Media Info
November 19 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
George "Buddy" Darden		 political idealism Info

12 Angry Men (1957)
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
Directed by Sidney Lumet, and starring Henry Fonda. Academy Award Nominations--Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Director.
Discussion Leader: Alex Scherr, UGA School of Law
Topic: Civic Duty in Public Service
Tuesday, October 22, 7:00 PM

Four Days in September (1988)
A group of Brazilian students kidnap the American ambassador as an act of resistance against their right-wing military government, but the emotional tension soon wears a crack in their starry-eyed idealism. Thoughtful, even-handed direction examines the 1969 event from a variety of perspectives.
Based on the memoirs of Green Party member Fernando Gabeira. Academy Award Nominations--Best Foreign Film.
Discussion Leader: Charles Costello, Director, Democracy Program, The Carter Center
Topic: Social Justice/Political Change
 Tuesday, October 29, 7:00 PM

The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
Nothing has changed in Milagro, New Mexico, for 300 years. Then, one day, Joe Mondragon kicks the off-limits community water pipe and begins to irrigate the cracked, dry ground that was once his father's beanfield. The developers of a new luxury recreation area--which is sure to force the natives away--are none too pleased by Joe's actions, and a culture clash ensues between Milagro’s colorful, quirky residents and the authorities.
Adapted by John Nichols and David Ward from Nichols' own novel, this may be the most likeable "liberal-tract" film of the 1980s. Robert Redford's appropriately Capraesque direction is matched by Dave Grusin's vibrant Oscar-winning musical score.
Discussion Leaders: Dr. Frederick Payton, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, and Dr. Ted Gragson, UGA Anthropology Department
Topic: Community Empowerment
Tuesday, November 5, 7:00 PM

The Simpsons (Three Episodes)
"Sideshow Bob Roberts"
After getting released from prison yet again, Sideshow Bob attempts to land the only job suited for a two-time felon: Mayor of Springfield. Backed by a cabal of Republicans led by Mr. Burns and the corpulent talk radio blow-hard Birch Barlow, Bob takes on Mayor Quimby in a dirty fight for the job.
Guest stars: Kelsey Grammar and Larry King.
Other Two Episodes To Be Determined
Discussion Leader: Dr. Horace Newcomb, Director, Peabody Awards, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Topic: Reflection of Public Service in the Media
Tuesday, November 12, 7:00 PM

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Two slimy fat-cat legislators recruit Jefferson Smith, an innocent and staunchly principled Montana scout leader, as the state's new Senator, hoping to exploit his naviete and community pride to bring home pork-barrel funds. Once he ascends to Capitol Hill, however, Mr. Smith finds nothing but deep-rooted corruption in Washington, D.C., and, absolutely refusing to submit to cynicism, he tirelessly takes the message of the American people right to their out-of-touch representatives.
Based on Lewis R. Foster's novel The Gentlemen from Montana. Academy Award Nominations: 11, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (James Stewart), Best Supporting Actor (Harry Carey). Academy Awards: Best Original Story (Lewis R. Foster).
Discussion Leader: The Honorable George W. "Buddy" Darden, of McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP; and former Congressman, Georgia's Seventh Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives
Topic: Political Idealism
Tuesday, November 19, 7:00 PM
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