The documentary Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed, directed by Donald Brittain, lays bare the idiosyncrasies of bureaucracy, whether in Canada, Austria, Hungary, the Vatican, or the Virgin Islands. It also attempts to make the functioning of the public service more comprehensible.
The film is about “all those small-minded people who refuse to take risks, who cover their asses all the time, who make sure that whatever happens they won’t be blamed. You don’t want to be blamed for making mistakes, so you don’t make mistakes but then you don’t actually have any successes, either,” says National Film Board of Canada producer Adam Symansky.
Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed (excerpt), 1979, documentary film, 58 mins, directed by Donald Brittain, co-produced by the National Film Board of Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Nine film stills from Paperland: The Bureaucrat Observed, 1979, documentary film, 58 mins, directed by Donald Brittain, co-produced by the National Film Board of Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.