Favourite Films

[SpaceCadet]

Call me a fanboy and/or a Rand Brat, but "Atlas Shrugged Part 1" just moved into my Top 10, though not at the top - I caught the premiere in Westwood on Friday night, with both Nathaniel and Barbara Branden in attendance, which was a little surreal but very cool. The film's got some annoying flaws, but given the difficulty having a 1200-page, intensely-detailed philosophical novel as source material, the fact that it's taken roughly 40 years for the book finally to make it to the silver screen, a cast of virtual unknowns, and the fact that fitness entrepreneur John Aglialoro financed the whole thing with his own cash against a wall of opposition from Hollyweird, it's astounding that the result is as good as it is, and as faithful to the novel.

My criticisms:

• The exposition of economic conditions in the opening sequence was muddled, choppy and likely confusing to anyone who hadn't read the novel;
• The Hank Rearden character was far too passive in his response to the attitudes of his wife and her cronies. In my reading of the novel, Rearden was far more "angsty" beneath the surface, like Harrison-Ford-angsty, at least during the period when he was mired in his home situation. Kudos to Ron Pisaturo's observations on this, though I strenuously disagree with his bizarre advice to skip the film altogether;
• The explanation of Francisco d'Anconia's investment ruse in the Mexican mining concern and its tie-in with Rearden and Taggert was rushed and confusing to me, and I *have* read the book, twice. 'Could've been much clearer, given its importance in understanding Rearden's and Dagny's hostility to him;
• The Francisco character, though well-acted by Jsu Garcia, veritably demands a Spanish accent;
• A larger budget would've allowed a period piece, obviating the need for the rather difficult suspension-of-disbelief on a resurgence of rail as the primary transportation mode in 2016 America.
• The whole thing seemed rushed, though that's inescapable given the complexity of the novel, even with a trilogy production.
  

Where they did well:

• The contrast between people who get things done and people who don't was palpable - the scene where Dagny walks in on her brother while he's playing with a toy train set and reads him the riot act was priceless;
• The occasional and appropriate touches of humor - to which Rand likely would never have agreed - were perfectly done and enhanced the narrative seamlessly;
• The potentially-awkward choice of a point at which to end the first part was dispatched handily with a scene of climactic tragedy that Taylor Schilling acted masterfully - she and Grant Bowler were spectacular throughout;
  

Lastly, something that just jumped out at me as I watched is how perfectly suited Atlas would be to a big-budget Frank Miller treatment. Every scene where Galt appears, all dark and mysterious in the trenchcoat and hat, virtually IS a Miller scene, minus the "Sin City"/"Spirit" graphic colorizing. Since Miller is also a hardcore Objectivist who's undoubtedly seen it too, I'm hoping he's got some wheels turning - so maybe after Part 3 has done its run and a couple of years have passed... "Dear Santa," hahahaa...
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