Topic: Atlas Shrugged Part I, the movie. Reactions favorable and unfavorable.
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Don't Let It Go 
Really? Not a single comment?
Now there’s one 🙂
I guess I have a different context from John, because my parents are movie fans and we watch up to three full-length movies per weekend, and I mean to tell you some of them are god-awful — they go nowhere and mean nothing. And after hearing about all the negative reviews of Atlas movie, my expectations where set very low, but it turned out better than I feared. I enjoyed it and thought there was a plot — the plot was that businessmen were trying to run their businesses and the government kept getting in the way, making it very difficult for them, and some of the better businessmen were disappearing. I went with my mom, who has never read the novel, and she was able to glean a lot out of it, and it held her interest, and it didn’t confuse her. The only thing she was confused about were why there were so many bums on the streets, so the movie didn’t convey that it was set in a time of economic downturn. It tried with quoting gas at $37 per gallon,but didn’t really convey that properly. She also sees the parallels between the story line and what is happening today. She, and my dad, are Conservatives and they know what will happen if Obama gets his way, and mom saw that in the movie, so I disagree that the movie did not present the story line of Atlas Shrugged, because it did.
Now, it was definitely not a great movie. There were all sorts of flaws that have been pointed out numerous times, but I think it was basically good, and I would rate it at a C+ to a B-. And it gets that low of a grade from me because it did not carry the theme of the meaning of man’s mind — no scenes showing that running a successful business or coming up with a new metal requires a lot of thinking, and no intellectual content (no shortened version of Francisco’s “money speech”) . So, it conveyed the proper action, but not the theme. I was very disappointed in some of the characterizations, like Hugh Akston was not rationally self-confident enough. It’s like I recognized the characters through a fog of not being the great men they were supposed to be.
Nonetheless, I don’t regret seeing it, though it was an aesthetic disappointment. I’ll probably see it again, and want to own a copy on DVD. Maybe they will do better in the next installment, but mom was able to follow it, and she wants to read the novel.
I need to add that my dad hates the story — not because he disagrees that a battle between the producers and the looters should take place — but he is a military man and thinks we need to have an outright rebellion to settle the issue if it comes to that. He thinks the so-called heroes were wimps for doing what they did instead of standing up for themselves. He didn’t see the movie because he was ill, but he read the novel 35 years ago when I dropped out of college and told him that if he wanted to know why he had to read Atlas Shrugged. He wants to see the movie when it comes out on DVD, and he is thinking that will be soon since it had such a limited release.
It was pointed out to me that Francisco’s Money Speech isn’t until Part II of Atlas Shrugged, so I have to amend my review of the movie, for criticizing it for not having that speech in it. Still, it didn’t convey the meaning of the mind in business as much as would have made it better. It’s been a while since I have re-read the novel, but Miss Rand does give a lot of background to Hank Rearden inventing Rearden Metal that clearly showed it took great effort and thought.
“but he is a military man and thinks we need to have an outright rebellion to settle the issue if it comes to that. ”
But a direct, armed rebellion would wipe out the whole point of the story. Atlas Shrugged is a dramatization of the role of the human mind in prosperity and happiness. It illustrates how the producers are needed even by the people who despise them. The book is not intended as a tactical manual for how to overthrow an oppressive government.
I agree with that assessment — that the theme of Atlas Shrugged was not about a war, but rather about the role of the human mind in production, which I don’t think the movie conveyed very well. Originally, Miss Rand was going to have a war scenario, but she decided that wouldn’t be necessary. Dad’s attitude about business and government started to change after he read Atlas, but he is not philosophical and never got the deeper meaning of the novel. Nonetheless, I am satisfied that he understands that businessmen need to be left free to operate if we are going to receive the benefits of a civilized society.
Wow lots of haterade in this one hehe. (Thanks for reposting this one as i would have missed it entirely had you not bumped it)
While i agree with pretty much every cinematic critique offered, it must be taken into account what the movie actually is. This was not a Hollywood movie, this is an independent film done on a small budget and very short time frame. That means that top dollar could not be spent on many aspects of the movie that would have been needed to put the movie through to the next aesthetic level. If Steven Spielberg and Disney released this movie and it looked the way it does i could understand the anger with it. The outrage associated with this movie almost comes across as though it was an attack on objectivism. The movie is not a replacement for atlas shrugged the book or educational vehicle for objectivism. Yes it sucks that it is not better, but i really don’t think anything will meet the demanding mental images i have of atlas shrugged.
I follow a lot of local independent musical acts and if i go to a concert expecting to see a show on the order of a large musical production i would be upset every time. That being said after a local music show i don’t take away any feeling that the small fries have diminished the fundamentals of music nor do i feel like i have some how been deprived of a musical experience. When i see phantom of the opera performed at a local community theater i don’t walk away feeling like they have done a disservice to the dramatic arts or the play. Sure i could belabor its shortcomings but i really don’t see the point in that past candid constructive criticism.
I think the big problem with this movie was that it was successfully distributed. If we all had to wait for the movie to come out to DVD and huddle around our TV’s to watch it i think our perspectives may have been different. Or maybe if we had to watch the movie be released on the USA channel it would be in a more proper setting for the kind of film it is. In reality this would be the course of a movie of this size and scope but due to technology and semi decent distribution channels we were able to enjoy it in a theater which probably did the movie a disservice in retrospect. i would wager that Its success in marketing is what brought thoroughness of the pointed criticism.
So when i compare the movie to a full blown Hollywood production yes the atlas shrugged movie leaves a lot to be desired. If i compare the the atlas shrugged movie to the novel yes it is garbage (as most of the Hollywood productions would be as well). If i properly compare the atlas shrugged movie to other small budget movies done on short order, i think it was a pretty damn good movie. I was entertained and went home happy after seeing it. Yes it could have been better and i think the critiques offered are spot on. Especially the ‘highlight real’ observation and the need for breathing room in the movie but the fervent lamenting overtones of these critiques are a bit much.
But the bottom line is when i heard they were making the movie i was super excited. When the movie came to a thereat in my city i could hardly contain myself. I went to the theater with bells on! When i heard they may not make the remaining movies i was totally bummed. When they later decided to actually make the movies i was super excited again to see it and i will remain that way up and until i get to see it. 10.12.2012 is sectioned off in my calender!…. just my two cents.