Posted on 03/11/2012 7:26:06 PM PDT by DustyMoment
I just finished watching the DVD of "Atlas Shrugged - Part 1". I was prepared to dislike the film but was pleasantly surprised that the producers chose to portray the book relatively accurately. They made some upgrades, such as placing the story in late 2016 versus the mid-50s when the book was actually written.
Aside from contemporary items like diesel trains, cell phones and modern automobiles, though, the film held up. I was very surprised that the producers chose to portray the rot, decay and corruption of our present-day society as accurately as they did. The actor portraying politician Wesley Mouche was suitably sleazy and played a villain every bit as nasty as Snidely Whiplash (from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon show).
The main characters, Dagney Taggert and Hank Rearden are suitably played by attractive unknowns and the character of John Galt is played by a tall, dark man whose face, so far, has not been revealed.
Overall, in my opinion, the film holds up as far as it has gotten. The producers planned it as a trilogy and, so far, only part 1 is complete and on sale. Parts 2 and 3 are in jeopardy. The producers say that they plan to move forward with Part 2, even though funding is tight and they may not have the money to complete all of the planned trilogy.
We can all help out by either purchasing a copy of the DVD or donating money to help the production company be able to complete the trilogy.
However, as we have discussed here many times before, Atlas Shrugged goes beyond being just a story of corruption, decay and rot in America. I have always seen Atlas Shrugged as being not only a vehicle for Ayn Rand to expound upon her philosophy, but also a blueprint for what was happening to America, as seen from a mid-50s visionary.
With a few minor exceptions, most of wht Ms. Rand predicted has come to pass. We HAVE a corrupt, self-centered, ineffective government; We HAVE the mindless, anti-progress mobs of dumbed-down idiots (in our REAL society, they are called Occupy Wall Street); We HAVE the do-nothings interested in being cared for by the government at taxpayer's expense (represented by the likes of Sandra Fluke); and we HAVE the moral decay (also represented by Sandra Fluke) and socialist government that is willing to violate EVERY provision of the Constitution in order to implement Obama's radical agenda. What we DON'T have is John Galt and wealthy, innovative entrepreneurs willing to give everything up as a means of showing the "cling-ons" (those who cling to their government freebies while do nothing to contribute to society) how unncessary they are in a society of innovators and hard-workers who appreciate what they earn.
So, where does this leave us? We hear a lot of "sabre-rattling" on Free Republic; people talking about what they will do when . . . . . . . Well, my FRiends, "when" is here. We have an election coming up that is extremely unlikely to change the status quo. The majority of Congress will be returned to office to resume their incompetent, lackadaisical approach to America. We will likely elect as POTUS someone who differs little from the current WH occupant, if it is NOT the current WH occupant.
We have a media so liberal, so disingenuous and so biased that they will and have manufactured false stories about conservatives and Republicans for one purpose only - the goal of negative propaganda. We have a liberal social elite that does not hesitate to attempt to curtail the rights and free speech of conservatives while outright ignoring the outrageous slurs and pejoratives used against conservatives.
Atlas has shrugged. If we do not respond then, apparently, we have also shrugged - in abject indifference.
Saw and LOVED part one - I share many of your assessments of the film. I tried to be one of the first to buy the sountrack CD to get an autographed copy, but...didn’t make it I guess. LOVED the film, loved the music, the cast, the whole concept...America will be grateful for the efforts of all involved! EVERY step in the right direction takes us forward.
If you don’t put a comma after Didn’t, your sentence makes no sense at all.
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People get what they deserve. I cheer the lifeless, joyless fate that awaits the next generation of humanity. |
I saw the movie and came away thinking that I you not not read the book it was hard to follow. Kind of like trying to listen to a conversation at another table. You might get the jist of where they are going...but you miss a ton of nuance.
Some parts more than others.
I could have done without the few and far between missing JG interview segments. I felt it was a tv commercial sound bite device.
The trailers could and should have original and extra footage to develop the characters that went missing attributes. Just don't feel obligated to put it in the movie itself.
Can hardly wait till II is out!
Try it on audio.
If you set aside the time it is worth it. You will be adjusting your listening schedule to more, quite often.
I saw the movie 6 times while it was in the theaters. I would take friends or family members to go see it. Those who had never read the book said that they didn’t have any trouble following the story as depicted in the film. Some also got interested in reading the book after seeing the movie.
And on Netflix stream.
Atlas Shrugged Pt. 1 is on Netfix, also. I just watched it last week. I was impressed with the screenplay, acting, and the CGI of the train.
It’s a very good film. I think it should be shown in the government schools as part of business or social studies. (the female grade school teachers in our district show A Convenient Truth annually, like it’s some sort of tome)
bfl
Thanks for the tips.
Just added ASP1 and The Undefeated to my instant que. Yay.
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