Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is one of the most influential books of all time, and has seen new life in the wake of our economic downturn. The birth of the Tea Party movement a couple years ago brought Rand’s work back into the public dialogue, and her philosophies continue to inspire debate regarding the role of government.
This movie could not have come at a more critical time, and it’s an important one for many reasons. It isn’t a matter of hoping your favorite book translates to film without the producer screwing it up. Atlas Shrugged shaped the way many of us view the world, and bringing those ideas to the big screen provides an opportunity to reach a new, uniquely receptive audience.
Anyone who has read Atlas understands that it’s a slog to get through. The dialogue is awkward. How do you stay true to such an iconic book and still keep it relevant and interesting? How do you make the movie that people have been looking forward to for decades and capitalize on the opportunity to reach millions with Rand’s philosophy at the same time?
Producers Harmon Kaslow and John Aglialoro were up to the challenge.
The movie is set in the near future – 2016. The opening sequence is terrifying in its realism – news footage that Americans could well be watching on our own televisions in 5 years. Middle Eastern conflict has cut off the US oil supply and the only affordable mode of transportation left is rail.
Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling) is the brains behind Taggart Transcontinental, the largest remaining railroad company in America. She’s intelligent and strong, with a deep appreciation for hard work and earned success – a stark foil to her slimy brother and partner, who spends most of his time dealing with his “friends in Washington.”
She soon crosses paths with Hank Rearden (Grant Bowler), one of the few “good men” left that share her courage, strength, and ability. Rearden has developed Rearden Metal, a new metal alloy that provides a super-strength alternative with which to rebuild Taggart Transcontinental’s crumbling rail line in Colorado.
They use the untested metal despite resistance from the State Science Institute and pushback from unions and public opinion. When completed, the track runs the fastest train in the country. The success wins them an alliance with powerful oil tycoon Ellis Wyatt (Graham Beckel), who has knowledge and access to resources that could lead to the new American Renaissance.
With the track complete, Rearden brings Dagny to an abandoned plant in Wisconsin to research an innovative motor that runs on static electricity – a motor that could revolutionize industry. They are unable to track down the inventor amidst the vanishing thinkers, producers, scientists, and innovators, and Part 1 ends with Dagny realizing that Ellis Wyatt is gone.
As long and treacherous as the text can be, the film moved quickly. Rand’s occasionally weighty dialogue was left in tact, but the awkwardness of the unconventional speech pattern was overshadowed by powerful characters and solid production value.
Taylor Schilling’s Dagny is true to Rand’s vision. She’s appropriately powerful and distant without sacrificing beauty or femininity. Dagny understands the power of personal responsibility and choice, and her actions illustrate the inherent logic of a free market society. In a scene that could have been written in response to today’s headlines, she exposes the crippling effects unions can have on the job market.
As Dagny and Rearden near completion of their controversial John Galt line, a railway union representative approaches Dagny to inform her that she will be unable to employ workers, due to the potential risk of operating on rails made from the untested Rearden Metal. She responds confidently by saying that unless there is proof that Rearden Metal was dangerous, workers should be able to assess the risk and be free to choose to accept employment.
The movie reads as current, the ideas are timeless, and the characters embody the values that America was built on. Taking ideological narrative and turning it into a three part cinematic event is no small undertaking, but I left the theater ready to watch the next two installments.
The movie opens nationwide on April 15th. For more info, visit the official site.
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