Posted on 05/04/2011 9:42:04 PM PDT by Making_Sense [Rob W. Case]
It is a movie that Hollywood refused to produce and distribute. It is a movie that many pundits within the media have been advising people not to bother with. This movie is the film portrayal of Ayn Rand’s bestselling novel Atlas Shrugged.
This film is the first of a three part story that revolves around three main characters representing three main bodies of ideas. Henry Rearden, who owns a major steel company, Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive who believes in Rearden’s product so much, that she decides to use it to build her mainline railroad, and Paul Wyatt, an innovative entrepreneur of the oil industry whose business interests rest on the success of the other two.
Amidst their strides to innovate, and unite their resources and know-how to bring about innovative progress to the community, they all become saddled with intimidating pressure from political groups, government officials, and big labor groups, who are more concerned about getting their own cut of the profits at the expense of the innovators and workers that produce the services of that society possible. Meanwhile, a man wearing black hat and trench coat goes around and offers many of the most influential contributors to society a way out of the society they are subjected to. And as such, producers that truly make that society flourish begin “missing,” leaving everything behind to crumble and fall without them.
Who is John Galt?
Throughout the story, a question penetrates through the minds of many. Who is John Galt? To some, he is a mystery. To others, he is their ticket out. And to those who went missing, he is of significant importance.
I really enjoyed this film. And one of the main reasons why I enjoyed it is because it makes you think, while at the same time, it chronicles the overall true nature of business and government from an inside perspective. What makes the whole “Atlas Shrugged” phenomenon so significant is that it was written in 1957, by a woman who lived in a Communist society, and came to America, only to see the very things she left behind in their early stages of development here. And while her book was written back in 1957, the very elements that her story addresses are very alive, and current, as we speak, even some 29 years after her death.
Out of 4 starts, I would have to give this movie 3. The film is rated PG-13 and runs 1 hour and 37 minutes.
I’m going to see the movie tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what I think of it.......
I can understand the poor reviews. From a technical point of view, the movie was poorly made and very poorly acted. Libertarians are drawn to the political and economic points but they will go over the head of most movie viewers.
I am going to see it for the second time this Saturday...this time with my students.
I think it was quite good. It really has its moments. Yes, I’d see it again. Bob
I can’t find it where I live. All the cinemas are owned by Regal.
Lots of dumb, kiddy movies. No Atlas Shrugged.
If anyone knows of an online site advertising where Atlas Shrugged is playing, please provide a link. I haven’t been able to find one.
I see your point on the technical elements of this film, yet I think that many of the reviews have been written more on ideological grounds, than on technical grounds.
It’s interesting to see that a lot of people on the left do not actually think for themselves. They go to whatever website, or place their faith and loyalty to a figurehead that attracts them on emotional grounds to get ideologically “rejuvinated”, and thus steered as a collective community to serve in the interests of those figureheads. Now many of the leaders of left-wing publications (i.e. The Huffington Post, Think Progress, etc.) worked adamantly to deter attention away from this film.
It is amazing how they incite and exploit the prejudices they’ve instilled in their most loyal followers by deterring them away from anything and everything that will cause them to think for themselves. And thus we see how those who use ignorance as a tool of security to their power and interests to do so.
I saw that movie at a Regal cinema, but that was a couple weeks ago. Maybe they dropped it due to poor sales.
It came in for ridicule on tonight’s Colbert Report.
If you’re taking flak, you’re over the target.
It stared showing in Cape Girardeau this past week-end but because of the rains & flooded roads we weren’t able to go. I’m hoping it will still be playing this week-end. I’m sure it will be worth the drive!
My husband and I just returned home from seeing Atlas Shrugged. Near the end, an announcement is made that forbids companies from moving from one state to another. I turned to my husband and said, “NRLB and Boeing”. Life imitating fiction that was written 50 years ago!
Ripped from the headlines? More like the headlines torn from the pages of Atlas Shrugged!!! It’s hard to tell if you are reading the book, or the daily newspaper.
Very SCARY indeed.
“More like the headlines torn from the pages of Atlas Shrugged!!!”
I love the way you put that!!!
BTW, I’ve seen the movie once and liked it very much. I’ll be going back for seconds (perhaps more) next week.
Thank you!
“It’s hard to tell if you are reading the book, or the daily newspaper.”
Sorry, I have to disagree. The US government is not nearly as toothless as portrayed in Atlas Shrugged. When the real US government decides to go after a business, it moves in with a SWAT team, arrest warrants, subpoenas; it arrests the principals, seizes their computers, shuts down Internet access; it seizes property without due process via asset forfeiture; it threatens felony indictment of the firm to force it to fire its management; etc., etc.
Look at what happened to the online poker industry. The condemned business enterprise does not even have to be domiciled in the USA for the USG use heavy-handed means to force its destruction.
Or look at what happen to Bernard von NotHaus. Federal agents described NotHaus as a “terrorist” for facilitating the use of NotHaus Metal as a means of exchange and a store of value. For the terroristic act of offering privately struck silver coins of authentic weight and fineness, this guy had his inventory of precious metal seized in an asset forfeiture and faces life in prison.
Or look at what Kathleen Sebelius is doing to force the CEO of Forest Labs out of his job. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/another-abuse-power-sebelius_558625.html
The government goons in Atlas Shrugged are helpful, intelligent, and considerate public servants in comparison to the real thing.
If you want to see it, see is soon. Movies that bomb commercially this badly don’t stay in theaters long. I’m surprised it can still be found at all.
Atlas Shrugged:
Part I
Domestic Total as of May. 3, 2011: $4,042,061
Production Budget: $20 million
Opening Weekend: $1,686,347
(#14 rank, 299 theaters, $5,640 average)
% of Total Gross: 41.7%
Widest Release: 465 theaters
In Release: 19 days / 2.7 weeks
Top Movies in the Past 365 Days Rank: 158
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