Atlas Shrugged Filming Wraps Up

The Atlas Society - The Center for Objectivism ^ | July 26, 2010 | David Kelley

[Ed Hudgins]

I spoke with Dagny Taggart the other night. “It’s a huge honor to be part of this film,” said Taylor Schilling, who plays the heroine in John Aglialoro’s independent production of Atlas Shrugged. Tuesday evening, July 20, marked the completion of filming. We caught up with Aglialoro and his team in a weary but ebullient mood as shooting wrapped after an intense five-week schedule.

The movie covers Part I of Ayn Rand’s novel, with two more films in the planning stage to tell the rest of the story. With six months of editing still to go on “Atlas Shrugged, Part I,” Aglialoro expects it to be ready for release by next March—unless it is accepted for Cannes or other major festivals, which would probably mean a June release.

In entrepreneurial courage and talent, the film project to date is fully the equal of the story it tells, Dagny’s heroic struggle to build the John Galt rail line.

Having optioned the film rights to Atlas in 1992, Aglialoro (pictured above with producers Harmon Kaslow and John director Paul Johansson) has worked with a number of studios and independent producers, with one project after another coming to grief. In the ten years I have been advising him about scripts, I have read at least six distinct scripts for everything from TV miniseries to feature films. Hopes ran high for a deal with Lionsgate Films and Baldwin Entertainment for a single feature-length film, with a good script by Randall Wallace and Angelina Jolie as the lead. After that effort fizzled, Lionsgate undertook a lower-budget miniseries last fall. But the script…

[For the rest of the story plus a video interview with Aglialoro, visit The Atlas Society website!]

[21twelve]

Funny! They obviously didn’t read the book, and obvious commies, but still funny!

[N. Theknow]

I also hope they give him an adorable animal sidekick, like a baby panda or something.

You mean Jar Jar Danneskjöld?

[allmendream]

“I personally believe it comes from her childhood where the Church in Russia was a willing co-conspirator along with the Romanovs in the oppression of the people.” OTH

What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; in many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient allies.
— James Madison, June 20, 1785

[Publius]

Billthedrill wrote a ten-years-after chapter where Eddie Willers pops up. It's a masterpiece.

Coda: Ten Years After

[Publius]

Thank you for posting those links. I can’t be here 24/7, and someone needs to keep an eye on threads about Rand and Atlas, and lead people to our FReeper Book Club. I appreciate your jumping into the breach like that.

[B-Chan]

Or Ragnar-D2.

[Billthedrill]

Same here. I think it's a mistake to place somebody on a pedestal, because when they fall off you tend to forget why you placed them there in the first place. Huge novel, lots of ideas, great stuff, far from perfect. I'm much better off for having read it.

The real difficulty with Eddie Willers is that he simply was far too competent to end up as he did, as Nathaniel Branden pointed out. He did, after all, hold Taggart Transcontinental together while Dagny was off building the John Galt Line, chasing her bedmate of the moment, or wallowing in self-pity in her cabin exile. Toward her other secondary characters I picked up a feeling of contempt - I'm speaking specifically of Rearden's Wet Nurse and Cherryl Taggart here, both of whom ended up enlightened and then dead. Eddie doesn't fall into that category, though. In a lot of ways he's the most interesting character in the novel, and I have to wonder if even Rand knew what to make of him.

[MarineBrat]

Publius, I hope you don’t mind me posting the links to your epic work on the Freeper Book Club: Atlas Shrugged series. I love your analysis of the book, and enjoyed it nearly as much as Atlas Shrugged itself.

[NellieMae]

This actress has a look similar to what I imagined Dagny to have.

[Publius]

Happy to have you do it. With all the work I’m doing on our current FReeper Book Club on the Federalist Papers (and 25 anti-Federalist Papers), I don’t spend as much time here as I normally would. Sometimes I’m gone for days at a time. Thanks for minding the store.

[GeronL]

good news?

Do you really think that Hollyweird won’t distort this story for the benefit of leftism?

[Publius]

If you read the article, you'll see that the producers are keeping Rand's "sacred fire" going. Even the people working on the film are willing to accept less for the sake of the project.

Until I hear otherwise from someone on the project, I accept it as good news.

[MarineBrat]

Thank you for posting those links. I can’t be here 24/7, and someone needs to keep an eye on threads about Rand and Atlas, and lead people to our FReeper Book Club. I appreciate your jumping into the breach like that.

Hehehehe! I hadn't seen your post before I posted my last note asking for retroactive permission to post the links. :)

Will continue to do so when the opportunity arrives.

[Hepsabeth]

I thought Eddie Willers had a few conversations with Galt early on in the book although Willers and the reader didn’t find out that it was Galt until late in the book.

***********

I don’t think we’re ever told for sure in the book that Eddie’s friend was Galt, but I always believed it was.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient allies."

Which is the wall that Jefferson talked about concerning the state and religion. We should all be afraid of any church hierchy becoming intertwined with the government. Such as was common among the European empires of the 12th century through WWI. Tyranny follows with the government having a willing allay. It's amazing how that idea has become twisted into meaning that we can't utter the word God or pray in public...

[allmendream]

People pray in public, and in government ‘public’ places, all the time.

My High School had a prayer at the flagpole every morning.

What you cannot have, and what I agree is undesirable and Unconstitutional, is a government agent or policy (such as a school teacher) leading the little children to what they consider the ‘right’ or ‘proper’ religions or prayers.

[Future Snake Eater]

Good for them. Can’t wait to see it. I’m a little unsure about the whole idea of updating for current times, but it could still work.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"People pray in public, and in government ‘public’ places, all the time."

Valevictorians have been denied the ability to 'Thank God' or say a prayer at commencement ceremonies. Communities that have had displays of the manger at Christmastime for many years have had to take them down due to one athiest taking them to court. The founders did not intend that 1% of the community can thwart 99% of a community over a public display of their faith. Schools have taken the pledge of allegiance out of the school because of the word 'Under God' in the pledge. Even though it does not specify what God, just says "One nation, under God". And no one forces kids to say the pledge. Even when I was little, there were some kids who did not say the pledge in the morning (Jehova's Witness).

[allmendream]

The phrase “Under God” was added to the pledge after lobbying by the Knights of Columbus.

Valedictorians being denied free speech is abhorrent, they have the right to worship freely and that is abridged when a government agent decides that their speech is “too religious” or whatever.

Should taxpayer monies be spent to create public religious displays to be displayed by public servants on public land? Is that OK if the religious makeup of the community is 99% in support and 1% opposed, and less OK if it is 95% to 5%?

Should Deerborne Michigan put up a green crescent during Ramadan on public land?

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"The phrase “Under God” was added to the pledge after lobbying by the Knights of Columbus."

And your point? It's not as if the pledge was created by our founding fathers and unchangeable. It was actually written by Francis Bellamy who was an avowed socialist. So what. It's important for our kids to pledge their allegiance to their country (if they are willing to).

"Should taxpayer monies be spent to create public religious displays to be displayed by public servants on public land?"

Uh, most of those public religious displays are often donated. Also, if the vast, vast majority of the community is okay with it, then yes it's okay to do. It does not hurt anyone. The reason most of these communities pull their displays is not because they would lose in court (they have had a lot of victories in court), but because the deep pockets of the ACLU could bankrupt them and it's not worth going broke over.

"Should Deerborne Michigan put up a green crescent during Ramadan on public land?"

If the concensus of the community is okay with it, I'm fine wiht it. It's called freedom. Someone being offended by this is ridiculous. You can be offended by anything, does that mean I have to acquise because someone is offended. I'm offended by welfare mothers with 8 kids to 6 different fathers on the public dole. Who do I get to sue for that? These athiests aren't really offended, they just want to project their "godless" religion on the rest of us.