B. Getting the message of Atlas Shrugged right

B. You guys are doing a great job. This message needs to be delivered to the masses. Make sure to tell all of part three.

Thanks

B is the priority in my book. Problem is, in order to have the message understood by the socialist masses, you have to add A,C,D,E....and a memorable musical score....a real tough nut to crack on a limited budget. It's too bad you cant get one of the few Conservative, "big ticket", well known actors a part in the movie. Bruce Willis is known to favor a less intrusive government....and there are others you may be able to reach out to. A big name like that in ANY role in the movie would really get the "low information" crowd to take notice. All the Best!

I saw AS1 5 times at the theatre and bought multiple copies of the Blu-Ray. I saw AS2 only once.

Though it appears like B is the winner based on comment count, a few folks pointed out the obvious: what good is a perfect message poorly executed?

The original cast was superior to the 2nd in every way. Samantha Mathis moped and looked dour while Taylor Shilling gave me goose bumps when she told Francisco that she was going to win. The score for AS1 was gorgeous and sounded like Goldsmith at times. I bought that CD too and listen to it often.

Number one priority B. Second, A, casting: the casting for AS Part I was perfect except for Franciso D'Anconia. D'Anconia in Part II was not quite right either. Finally, E, the right director, will tie it all together properly.

Though getting the message of Atlas Shrugged right is the ultimate goal, I believe that casting is the most important part of being able to communicate that message. The right actors will be able to make the characters believable. It is disappointing that actors did not sign on to complete the project from beginning to end and it affects consistency of the story.

I agree about the "moocher" comment. Honestly, call me what you will; there are those of us who cannot afford much but make up for it with "message" on our own activist time and dime.

Also, yes, I agree the task of an Atlas Shrugged movie is overwhelming. However, it has been done as best as anyone could have done in a movie format. I always thought a full season mini series would best suit AS. Having said that, thank you AS movie makers for bringing it to the masses!

I think casting is important - it doesn't look good when actors do not complete the project and major characters are portrayed by different people. Beyond that, I think the message.

Don't hold back. The first two seemed to try and walk the line without being too confrontational, trying to play in the middle too much. You aren't going to attract those from the left or the media no matter what you do... except, get more brutally honest.. hammer the point home and be more confrontational and blunt about it.. then you stir them up, thus then they want to slam you because they become emotional, and then you get coverage. Remember who listened to Howard Stern show the longest each day - those that were most offended by him because they wanted to hear what he would say next that would offend them. Same mentality here, you need to be shocking, you need to go for the jugular and hit the points home hard. John Galt's speech needs to move the needle big time emotionally, on both sides. The hell yes side, and the haters - you need to stir up both sides to create the buzz.

One of the biggest problems in this country right now is that our politics, our government, our media is trying to fit squares into round holes. they are stripping our uniqueness and trying to get everyone to be the same. problem is everyone hates this, on both sides, and no one is happy, but the side with their team in power just masks their feelings about this. You need to stir up these emotions.. play on the "are you really happy this way?"

Bottom line.. stop holding back in the movie trying to play it on the safe side and be more mainstream. You need to make this movie with the same passion and message that went into the writing of the novel, and don't hold back! Be brutally honest now.

No, no, no, no, NO!!!!!

Galt's radio address is needlessly tedious and repetitive. Anyone still reading the novel at that point GETS IT ALREADY! And it'll be even worse translated to a visual medium where ALL successful adaptations from print works radically truncate original dialog in favor of telling more of The Real Story in pictures.

I made sci/tech video for a living for 35 years. The trick to making something "dry" and intellectual WORK is to give it some sizzle to go along with the steak. Bt all means do not compromise the message...but please be realistic and use the strengths of the new medium to work FOR you, not against you.

E. the right director is critical.
B. message is next
A. believable performances are also important
C and D are icing and will come together naturally

@INOV8TN: (BTW, LOVE your screen name!)
Speak only for yourself, please! Somehow I doubt that ANYONE here has EVER forgotten the book :)

Where to start. The second was disappointing at best. Reminded me of the first batman trilogy. The first was good. Then you got a little weird and new batman and the third. With all the neon and mr freeze. Ridiculous. I love this book. Don't ruin it. Please get the original cast and possibly the director. Save yourself from yourself

@nomark: "Think back about the things you 'know' to be true. You will find almost all of them at attached to an emotional memory."

Speak only for yourself, dude. Emotions come and go; that's one of the downsides of being Human. However, things you grab onto with your REASON are forever, unless new and contradictory HARD INFORMATION comes down the pike.

B. This was the most important thing for Ayn Rand in the making of The Fountainhead. I have a feeling it would be no different, now. NO editing of speeches!

As a side note, I would really love to see you all bring in the history of Dagny's and Frisco's relationship. It is so integral to understanding the impact of Frisco on Dagny, James and the whole underlying point of the book. Please do not leave this out. I was very surprised & disappointed that no time at all was devoted to this element of the story. Otherwise, however, good job!

I LOVED the speech! Sure, by then I already "got it", but it just hammered it all home even more. Irrefutable logic...but it will have to be shortened in the movie for obvious reasons. We're pushing for bonus edition of the speech with a virtual tour of the U.S. and all of it's current and relevant glory though.
I DO like the idea of expanding on Starnesville/Century Motors however. :)

B

First, I have purchased more than 1000 Atlas
Shrugged books and have given them all to people I considered worthy.

2nd while I am an ardent capitalist I do not appreciate ur Bull Feces method of trying to play on the conscience of Ayn Randians by calling them moochers. I corresponded with Ayn and tho she was intolerant of others views, she was proud enuff not to beg for money, or try to extort it by looter type means.

3rd As I said, I believe in making money, but in my own Ayn Randian way I am a selfish altruist who does not respond well to Bull Feces.

Lastly, ur job, which is admittedly a difficult one, is to keep the movie interesting to those who have not read the book and yet stick to the ideals of the book. And that is what U stated as ur goal, and so far I give U an A for effort, but not an A plus. Ur job is so overwhelming that that is one of the reasons Ayn Rand never wanted to C such a movie, unless she could do the whole thing, which of course she could not. Be careful whom U call a moocher lest U be considered an extorting moocher.

SPOT ON.

I must vehemently disagree.

The top priority, IMNSHO, is NOT to give in to the temptation to reproduce Galt's radio address in anything even close to its tedious, needlessly repetitive entirety!

This irked me even in the novel, so I've skipped over it every time I've re-read the novel over the past 30-some years. Anyone still reading at that point GETS IT ALREADY!!!!

OTOH, in the Part II film, the story of the disintegration of the 20th Century Motor Company was given ridiculously short shrift. A concrete example like that one will convince many more fence-sitters than a faithful rendition of Galt's so-bored-they-snored radio speech. After all, we are now seeing the 20th Century Motor Company all around us, every day.

B. Getting the message of Atlas Shrugged right

This is Atlas, after all, not just another film.

IMHO, the top priority is NOT to give in to the temptation of doing Galt's radio address in anything even remotely like its entirety!

B. Message

I am glad that so many of us want the Dagny and Rearden from AS Part 1 to come back in Part III. Although in my opinion, the Part II Dagny and Henry Rearden were actually much closer to the characters in the book than the Part 1 characters, I really liked the Part 1 Dagny and Hank and didn't care for their replacements in Part II. The Part II Rearden acted and sounded like a gangster. After getting to know and like the Part I Rearden, I really missed him in Part II. To be fair, some of the acting in Part I was lacking (e.g. Rearden's brother, and James Taggart), but the main characters were great!