Posted on 02/11/2007 2:15:16 PM PST by saganite
Ayn Rand is one of the most controversial writers in modern American literature, known for her tireless advocacy of the right to selfishness and her hatred of big government. She has been derided and loved in equal measure and her books have sold millions of copies, attracting followers as diverse as banker Alan Greenspan, President Ronald Reagan and architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Her most famous book, Atlas Shrugged, has long been a target of Hollywood producers and attracted such big names as Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch and Sharon Stone. But each project collapsed in the face of turning a 1,200-page philosophical novel into a watchable movie. Now that is to change. The latest attempt to film Atlas Shrugged is set to star Angelina Jolie in the role of Rand's railroad heiress heroine Dagny Taggart. Unlike past efforts, this one seems likely to succeed. A two-hour screenplay is almost complete and filming is to start this year with release in 2008. It is being written by Randall Wallace, who wrote the Mel Gibson epic Braveheart, and is backed by Lion's Gate Entertainment.
Atlas Shrugged is one of the most controversial books in modern literature. It is a passionate defence of Rand's belief that the world is best served when individuals act entirely in their own rational self-interest. Or, to put it more bluntly, they act selfishly. Rand, who died in 1982, founded the objectivist school of philosophy and still has millions of followers. Atlas Shrugged and another novel The Fountainhead promote her views. In financial circles Atlas Shrugged has been dubbed 'the bible of selfishness'.
(Excerpt) Read more at observer.guardian.co.uk ...
I drive my wife crazy by asking "Who is Brad Pitt?"
OK, but who is John Galt?
I liked that movie.
Actually, Galt had dinner with Eddie Willers quite often in the Taggart Transcontinental cafeteria.
I'm a "cult follower" of STREETS OF FIRE especially the score of Ry Cooder. Great action. Great CARS. Great music.
That's it. You're banned. Take a 3 day suspension.
If I were casting, I would select Johnny Depp. Depp and Jolie...I can see it.
"America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to 'the common good,' but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance -- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way."
[Ayn Rand]
How about a "Back to the Future" scenario? That way, they could use Michael J. Fox (and he could "shrug" all he wants to)
Bird-brains Jolie and Brad will turn this into a farce.
I stopped reading right there.
\ To the author, Howard Zinn is probably pretty right of center.
Atlas Dined: An Ayn Rand Spoof
Excerpt:
When their dinner arrived, neither dared look at one another. They had both ordered rib eye steak with asparagus and baked potato. He had requested his own basket of rolls, and she knew he had done it to mock her. He could eat more rolls than she, and she hated herself for letting him, for caring, for not being able to hide her shame, in the pleasure it gave her to submit, to eat only one roll while he ate four.
That mixture of 1950's and 1990's cars made the whole design work. It's timeless and outside of time.
For a taste of the absurd, also check out Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" from 1985. Take a look at the 1930's computer terminals with magnifying glasses and the ubiquitous ductwork.
Yes, and it will be interesting to see how Hollywood socialists infer that the Democrats' idea of going into the polling place and voting for big government to confiscate more of their neighbors' money - - the ultimate in selfishness - - is somehow more moral than Rand's philosophy.
That seems unlikely, given Jolie's one-time "U.N. Goodwill Ambassador" status, which conflicts with Randian philosophy on a number of levels.
Steve Buscemi as Wesley Mouch ...
John Malcovich as Dagney's worthless brother ...
Other choices for Dagney? Clare Danes, Linda Hamilton ... looking for a brunette who's feminine but with some muscle ...
Sounds like a cult classic in the making
That's a good point. Controversial? I dunno. Was she once upon a time and I'm too young to remember? Like back when Elvis thumpin' around scared the neighbors? Or is the writer a nimrod?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.