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"Atlas Shrugged" Movie

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  • 11 months later...
Well I would consider it, but I wouldn't go with the idea.  :D

You should be confused. This is my own personal opinion. I would love to see Anthem real time. AS just seems more like a very long animated movie to me then Anthem. Yes, philosophically, the AS would be more effective in Real time. But I thinking of mere aesthetic use.

I think Anthem would work as a CGI film though.

Ohhhh, what about a Pixar Production of Anthem? !

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I really can't see this movie turning out well. AS just doesn't seem like a book that lends itself to being made into a movie. Its just too long, which inevitably means things have to be cut out. And I think that the scenes that make it so meaningful would be the ones that ended up on the cutting room floor.

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I really can't see this movie turning out well. AS just doesn't seem like a book that lends itself to being made into a movie. Its just too long, which inevitably means things have to be cut out. And I think that the scenes that make it so meaningful would be the ones that ended up on the cutting room floor.

I agree completely. I would rather see no movie version of Atlas than a terrible movie version. And I fear a terrible version is more likely than not.

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The reason I want it to be made into a movie is not because I want to see AS made into a great movie. It's because it would be free advertising for Objectivism. First of all, the movie, no matter how bad it might suck, would still keep the central message of individualism, and there would be hordes of people who would go out and read Rand's novels and maybe even her nonfiction.

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The reason I want it to be made into a movie is not because I want to see AS made into a great movie.  It's because it would be free advertising for Objectivism.  First of all, the movie, no matter how bad it might suck, would still keep the central message of individualism, and there would be hordes of people who would go out and read Rand's novels and maybe even her nonfiction.

A movie that sucks is the worst form of advertisment. If you ever saw the 1941 film version of Night of January 16th, you'd know exactly what I mean.

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The point is that it would get people to read the novels.

Objectivsm is already misinterpreted, frequently. If such a movie is done poorly, it will not lead people to read the books, it will instead cause people to dislike objectivsm even more. I would say such a movie would have to be a series, 3 to 5 films and Leonard Peikoff would have to approve the script. I agree with the person that said they would rather not see a movie at all, than a bad movie.

Tettra

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Objectivsm is already misinterpreted, frequently. If such a movie is done poorly, it will not lead people to read the books, it will instead cause people to dislike objectivsm even more. I would say such a movie would have to be a series, 3 to 5 films and Leonard Peikoff would have to approve the script. I agree with the person that said they would rather not see a movie at all, than a bad movie.

Tettra

Two recent examples show two possibilities for converting large books to movie or TV: Lord of the Rings and the sci-fi show Babylon 5. In Lord of the Rings there was in the end about 11-12 hours of story. In Babylon 5 a story was told slowly over 5 seasons with 22 chapters each, around 80 hours total. I don't think it is impossible to do justice to Atlas Shrugged but it will be quite a challenge, both artistically and philosophically.
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I agree with the last 2 posts. The other problem is that the actual story in Atlas Shrugged is...well...somewhat boring. I loved the book, but I loved it for the philosophy. It'd be hard to make into a movie that will attract audiences.

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I agree with the last 2 posts.  The other problem is that the actual story in Atlas Shrugged is...well...somewhat boring.  I loved the book, but I loved it for the philosophy.  It'd be hard to make into a movie that will attract audiences.

I can't say that at all. I loved the story, the characters, and the philosophy. The characters are what make a story intriguing, not so much the actual plot. Obviously the plot has to be somewhat good, but I thought Atlas Shrugged's plot was awesome. If you want to make a movie that appeals to the public, do not do it with Atlas Shrugged. If the movie is good half as good as the book, the same people who would love the book will love the movie.

Zak

Edit for spelling

Edited by realitycheck44
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I agree with the last 2 posts.  The other problem is that the actual story in Atlas Shrugged is...well...somewhat boring.  I loved the book, but I loved it for the philosophy.  It'd be hard to make into a movie that will attract audiences.

I disagree that the story is boring, it has the potential to be made into a good movie. The problem is that any movie adapted from a novel never measures up to the original story told in the novel.

A perfect example of this is the new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie, which was actually one of the better novel adaptations I've seen. The movie was enjoyable, but was nothing compared to the book.

I feel that an Atlas Shrugged would suffer the same fate. Regardless of how good it is, it will be a disappointment. How can you possibly cast John Galt?

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The problem is that any movie adapted from a novel never measures up to the original story told in the novel ...
I feel that an Atlas Shrugged would suffer the same fate.  Regardless of how good it is, it will be a disappointment.

I disagree with your conclusion ..

I agree that a film cannot completely purvey the depth of any novel "adequately", but I don't think that's the film's fault. I think a lot of it is that each one of us perceives the novel we read in a different way.

A tiny example of what I'm talking about: I, too, saw Hitchhiker's Guide. I've read the books many times and love them thoroughly. I always saw - in my mind's eye - Ford Prefect played by Tom Baker of Dr. Who fame, even the hat, overcoat and scarf. I saw Mos Def in the role, and it threw me for a minute, but after seeing the film, I actually thought he was an alright Ford.

We all "see" the events, actions, and even settings of a novel with a bit of our own experiences and tastes - just look at all the casting wishes for AS above! (Leonard Nimoy has to be Hugh Akston ... :D )

I think the goal of any film made from a novel should be to present the essence of the story - it's theme - in a way that can stand alone, but ultimately draw people into reading the novel.

It can be done - it happened to me. After seeing Dune I immediately bough the novel, and have read the whole series several times. After nearly memorizing Frank's books in the series, the Sci-Fi channel produced mini-series based on the first 3 books. They were excellent! Sure, they left out a lot, but it was the same story, done better than the 1984 Lynch version, and they totally embraced the whole "Cassandra" theme of the Dune novels eloquently and stood alone as great films.

I think - with the right director, the right actors (even "unknowns", which I'd prefer), a great budget, and a tight screenplay - an AS movie would not only be a successful film, but lead many people into bookstores - and possibly onto this forum!

And I'll be there at the theater with complementary copies of the novel for people to take home and read. Not altruistically, mind you - but a genuine selfish desire to see some more minds awakened by Objectivism! :)

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A perfect example of this is the new Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie, which was actually one of the better novel adaptations I've seen.  The movie was enjoyable, but was nothing compared to the book.

Still, the tv series was MUCH better since they coule really flesh out the characters and work in the internal dialouge of characters. It is that very internal dialouge that almost always causes books to "loose something" when they get translated to the big screen.

The serialized adaptions of Martian Chronicles weren't all that bad but then it was Brandon Tartikof's 1st action as head of NBC to kill off the mini-series of Atlas Shrugged because he hated serialized books like the Martian Chronicle series. He wanted tv as digestible as possible for those with short attention spans as possible.

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  • 1 month later...
Hmm... I love Johnny Depp, but you're right, I don't think he'd be right to play Ragnar.  Much as he likes gold, I can't see Ragnar replacing his teeth with it. ;-)

Kevin Spacy as Taggart -- now THAT'S a good call!

I have trouble seeing any of the actors above (or any actor at all for that matter) doing A.S. justice. I belive you would be able to see their true disdain for Ayn's work and our beliefs. Hollywood WILL take its wrath out on her somehow, my fear is this will be there chance. The Aviator was thir shot at HH; same time frame, dead 25 years ago; the clouds roll in the memory as time goes by. The passion of Ayn Rand was a light weight hit on her already.

[Corrected spelling and grammar. -Felipe]

Edited by Felipe
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I watched "What Women Want" on TBS the other night, and Helen Hunt did a good job of portraying a beautiful business woman, in my opinion. I remember her looking so good in all of her suits, but acting so natural on a scene when she was in her office late at night working, listening to Frank Sinatra with her legs propped up on the end of her desk with a pen in her mouth. She played a woman who was smart, good at her job, and beautiful.

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  • 2 weeks later...
I would love Jodie Foster as Dagny

and for Francisco - in appearance and presence ONLY mind you! Keanu Reeves

Yeah, I can see the script now

Galt: I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man nor ask another man to live for mine.

Francisco: Whoa.

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Yeah, I can see the script now

Galt: I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man nor ask another man to live for mine.

Francisco: Whoa.

:D Thanks, I needed a laugh. :lol:

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Not sure how accurate this is (link), when it says...

Scribe James V. Hart will pen the adaptation along with his son. Hart recently adapted Clive Cussler's bestseller "Sahara" and is working on Ayn Rand's literary classic "Atlas Shrugged" for Baldwin Entertainment.
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I'm highly opposed to the animation idea. AS was far and away the greatest book I ever read. Part of the reason is that it is serious and realistic in a certain sense. It just wouldn't be right to make it into a cartoon. It would be like an insult to Objectivism and Ayn Rand.

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