Why the Atlas Shrugged Film Adaptation has Failed
I'm in the middle of watching this video (it's two and a half hours long), and it's pretty interesting. Basically it talks about how the movies fail to accurately depict the characters and philosophies of the book, at least in the opinion of the guy who made the video. On some of the points I think he's just complaining a little too much about the inevitable loss of detail that always happens when you translate a novel to the big screen, but he makes a lot of good points as well. Anyway, it's pretty interesting regardless.
SOURCE URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3pqMDIqwIo
0:09:53 -- Narrator talks about how The Fountainhead flies in the face of traditional Conservative values.
0:13:48 -- Archival footage of Ayn Rand herself criticizing Conservatives.
1:15:10 -- Narrator complains about how the Conservative Christian producers of the movies are mangling Ayn Rand's message and ideas.
1:23:02 -- Narrator talks about how the Tea Party is nothing but a bunch of pretentious, unfocused, delusional, violent, hateful, condescending, belligerent, right-wing conspiracy theorists and nut jobs who don't actually understand the philosophy of Ayn Rand. This is followed by footage of Tea Party members being violent and hateful.
1:36:20 -- Narrator complains about this forum (Galt's Gulch Online).
1:56:10 -- Narrator talks about how he would have made the films (animated, four hours long each, cut absolutely nothing).
2:12:27 -- Narrator goes on a long rant complaining about how the producers of the film are ignoring and undermining Ayn Rand's atheism, and how Atlas Shrugged is supposed to be an anti-religious novel.
The producer of this video clearly has a problem with religion and conservatives and the Tea Party, and the parts you found interesting were these. I'm guessing it bothers you (and clearly bothers him) that Ayn Rand's message attracts these types of people, and would have preferred the movies spit in their general direction. I'm certain Atlas Shrugged has not attracted these people because of some misrepresentation on the part of the movie producers. There are plenty of examples one can to point to from these camps that were attracted by the book alone, before the movies were ever made, and we've got people in the forum here from all these camps.
The reason for the attraction has to with the fight in America between Liberty and Socialism. There are people from all walks of life that are waking up to this and they are in agreement with Ayn Rand's writings in these matters. This guy calls Obama a CENTRIST around 13:30. In your 1:23:02 area of interest, he shows a news clip of a guy that got into a traffic altercation with another guy over his Obama bumper sticker and uses it as evidence of "Tea Party hate", even though there is nothing connecting this guy to the Tea Party. Is it any wonder he shows a John Galt speech he likes at 2:01, and Head of State Thompson is represented as a Republican? At 2:13, he is clearly pissed off that the Atlas Shrugged presentation is attracting Christians and the GOP and the Tea Party. "Damn it, these people are the enemy", he seems to suggest.
So, going back to the title of his video, this apparently is why the film adaptation has failed. Ayn Rand was an athiest - the movie needs to convey pro-athiesm themes. Ayn Rand wasn't a fan of the GOP or conservatism - the movie ought to spew a little venom their way. Is there anything that can be done to dis the Christians? There's nothing in this movie that does that! Argh! You people ruined Atlas Shrugged! Subscribe to my vision. I'll do it right - with cartoon characters and sticking (R) after every politician's name on the TV, and maybe have Hank Reardon flip off a priest or something. Because THAT'S what Atlas Shrugged means to me.
And while I think the idea of an animated version of Atlas Shrugged sounds intriguing, I had to laugh when he said he would make each movie four hours long and not cut any scenes or dialogue from the book. Obviously the guy knows absolutely nothing about book to film adaptations if he thinks cutting absolutely nothing is even possible, let alone a good idea. Movies based on books (especially long books like Atlas Shrugged) can never give anything more than a brief overview of the story, and cutting content is absolutely necessary to fit the story within the time constraints of a film. Seriously, who wants to watch a freaking four hour long movie, or three of them for that matter? The guy does make some good points in his critique, but overall his argument is fundamentally flawed.
My guess is that he boarded an empty train, going nowhere, by accident...and didn't figure that out until three books later.
But: Since all humor has a kernel of truth, my guess is that he has found himself sitting in an empty train, on more than one occasion!
http://www.troll.me/images/y-u-no/sarcas...