View the Atlas Shrugged Movie Trailer Today!


Ed Hudgins

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I'm surprised there hasn't been more actual comment on the trailer, a very historic thing.

Maybe I'm just nostalgic for when this used to be an Objectivist site.

Edited by Philip Coates
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I agree, Peter.

Although the actor playing Wyatt doesn’t fit my image from the book, he’s going to be excellent. He was in Brokeback.

The voice pitch and the delivery of the line from the silhouetted Galt approaching Mulligan on the curb is not right—too high, at least in this trailer.

Still, I’m with Phil and Roger: the film looks promising from this peek. Anyway, as before,

Best wishes to those working on making the first film of Atlas Shrugged.

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Uh-oh, what's this? There's a site claiming to have the whole film, they want you to fill out a survey before letting you in, it gives me a bit of a creepy feeling so I'm not doing it, not yet anyway. This YouTube video has the link. Assuming this is something illegal (well, duh!), hopefully the producers can do something about it PDQ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlgV-vwkEPk

BTW there's three of these up on YouTube (as of now):

http://www.youtube.c...es=25%2C22%2C27

If you sign in to youtube you can flag this content as spam under the category of mass advertising.

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I agree, Peter.

Although the actor playing Wyatt doesn't fit my image from the book, he's going to be excellent. He was in Brokeback.

The voice pitch and the delivery of the line from the silhouetted Galt approaching Mulligan on the curb is not right—too high, at least in this trailer.

Still, I'm with Phil and Roger: the film looks promising from this peek. Anyway, as before,

Best wishes to those working on making the first film of Atlas Shrugged.

I would have cast James Cromwell as James Taggart

James_Cromwell_860393.jpg

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I'm surprised there hasn't been more actual comment on the trailer, a very historic thing.

Maybe I'm just nostalgic for when this used to be an Objectivist site.

Maybe you are watching the finger and not what the finger is pointing to. The preview website has 600+ comments -- have you weighed in there? The Youtube site has over a thousand comments, and over 100,000 views. Did you take part?

If you don't like this site, since it is no longer (in your eyes) has Objectivist value, you have choices, Phil. You can snipe, tut-tut, cross your arms across your chest and retreat to a place of superiority and righteousness. You can open your own gated community forum. You can fuck off entirely and try your chances at SOLO or RoR or OO.net or the Speicher forum or Noodlefood or some other place.

Do you ever wonder why some people (me, at least) associate you with a scolding, prissy, incorrigible rectitude?

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I'm surprised there hasn't been more actual comment on the trailer, a very historic thing.

Maybe I'm just nostalgic for when this used to be an Objectivist site.

Maybe you are watching the finger and not what the finger is pointing to. The preview website has 600+ comments -- have you weighed in there? The Youtube site has over a thousand comments, and over 100,000 views. Did you take part?

If you don't like this site, since it is no longer (in your eyes) has Objectivist value, you have choices, Phil. You can snipe, tut-tut, cross your arms across your chest and retreat to a place of superiority and righteousness. You can open your own gated community forum. You can fuck off entirely and try your chances at SOLO or RoR or OO.net or the Speicher forum or Noodlefood or some other place.

Do you ever wonder why some people (me, at least) associate you with a scolding, prissy, incorrigible rectitude?

Scolding and prissy? That's a laugh, Miss Thing. Do you yourself do anything other than priss and scold?

If Phil bothers you so much, William, you could start a thread in your own corner to spare the rest of us your posing on this thread about the Atlas Shrugged movie - which may end up doing more for Objectivism than three decades of the Ayn Rand Institute.

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Ted:

The age difference would have been too great between Cromwell and Dagny.

I was wondering what seemed a little bit "off" to me in the trailer and when I imagined Cromwell as Dagny's older brother as you suggested, it hit me.

The actors are much younger than I imagined the characters in Atlas Shrugged.

So, how old do you think Hank, Midas, Dagny etc. are supposed to be?

Adam

always curious

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I'm surprised there hasn't been more actual comment on the trailer, a very historic thing.

Maybe I'm just nostalgic for when this used to be an Objectivist site.

Maybe you are watching the finger and not what the finger is pointing to. The preview website has 600+ comments -- have you weighed in there? The Youtube site has over a thousand comments, and over 100,000 views. Did you take part?

If Phil bothers you so much, William, you could start a thread in your own corner to spare the rest of us your posing on this thread about the Atlas Shrugged movie - which may end up doing more for Objectivism than three decades of the Ayn Rand Institute.

You are right, Ted. Perhaps I should go back to my corner. Maybe Phil is right, too -- that this isn't an Objectivist site, and that the lack of positive comment on the trailer in this thread may mean something dire.

I liked the trailer, on balance. I hope the movie makes as big a splash as the Youtube video has made in one day and more. I hope the movie opens strong and that initial distribution expands based on positive audience reactions, and that discussion of Ayn Rand's ideas moves out of the O-bubble. I would love to see the movie replicate the success of Atlas Shrugged and build an audience, be well-distributed on DVD and other media, and offer an introduction to a whole new generation. I hope that the negative bitches like Diana Hsieh are forced to give an honest review of the production, not evade all mention of it. I hope ARI folks react in some way. I hope those who have fervent hopes for this movie's impact work very hard in social media to further extend the impact. I hope the various factions can be objective and give it a push, uniting behind the notion that the movie can make a large impression in the wider world.

I hope there is a mention of the trailer above the waterline of Objectivish forums, and I wish you every success in your own endeavors, Ted. I appreciate that you don't like me, consider me dishonest, loathe my interventions, don't read the threads I begin, and are generally a "Scherk is without value" partisan. It means nothing to me, frankly.

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The actors are much younger than I imagined the characters in Atlas Shrugged.

So, how old do you think Hank, Midas, Dagny etc. are supposed to be?

I think Dagny, Francisco, Galt, and Ragnar (and Ellis Wyatt) are supposed to be in their early to mid 30s. Rearden, I think, is supposed to be in his 40s, pushing 50. James Taggart should be in his late 30s, pushing 40. Most of the actors in the trailer look about right to me. James Taggart does look a bit young.

JR

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Un-made-up, Cromwell comes across as too old, (he's 70) but I think he could play a man of fifty, which would be fine. I can't think of any younger living actor who strikes me any where near as good.

Bob Balaban could also play the role.

bob_balaban.jpg

Rearden strikes me as a bit young and Ken Dollish.

I would have liked Angel Bassett as Dagny, and she's 53.

At this point I am more interested in seeing the movie than focusing on druthers.

Angela_Bassett%2C_Red_Dress_Collection_2007.jpg

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The actors are much younger than I imagined the characters in Atlas Shrugged.

So, how old do you think Hank, Midas, Dagny etc. are supposed to be?

I think Dagny, Francisco, Galt, and Ragnar (and Ellis Wyatt) are supposed to be in their early to mid 30s. Rearden, I think, is supposed to be in his 40s, pushing 50. James Taggart should be in his late 30s, pushing 40. Most of the actors in the trailer look about right to me. James Taggart does look a bit young.

JR

JR:

Agreed. Taggart is a bit too young, And Rearden also. Negligible issues. It just struck me when Ted posted Cromwell. Actually, most folks in their 30's look like kids to me now. Ahh, the "perspective" of age!

I am confident that we have a winner here as REB and others have stated. The train shots work really well. Dagny is edgy as hell and looks like she can carry the movie on her back,

Thanks.

"Adam"

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I enjoyed the trailer and anxiously await the movie's release. I hope the marketing & publicity efforts are first class. Didn't notice any mention on the ARI site. Anyone care to speculate why?

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The actors are much younger than I imagined the characters in Atlas Shrugged.

I went to the IMDB page and most of the actors were born in the mid 60's with the exception of the actress playing Dagney who is 20 years younger than them.

I would put most of the male characters in Atlas around 40-43 and Dagney around 30.

The movie looks very very good, I am happily surprised, I expected to be disappointed.

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I enjoyed the trailer and anxiously await the movie's release. I hope the marketing & publicity efforts are first class. Didn't notice any mention on the ARI site. Anyone care to speculate why?

Peikoff sold off the rights, and the movie is of course associated with The Atlas Society. ARI cannot possibly be seen to offer any support whatsoever to the evul Kelley-ites. In any case, this is just the trailer. More indicative will be the kind of reaction from the Kremlin in Irvine when the actual film opens. Will any Kremlin-associated folks even dare to review it? Will the Party members go see it in disguise?

Peikoff sold off the rights and the rights ended up with the enemy. What to do? I think head + sandbox are the only open options for ARI itself, but the enthusiasm for the movie is totally largely positive at OO.net, The FORUM and at RoR. Check the movie's Facebook page for more reaction.

I predict the whole Rand-inflected movement will do everything in its power to swamp the initial 100 screens . . . and that ARI itself will say nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing and then some crashing nothing.

Edited by william.scherk
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> and that ARI itself will say nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing and then some crashing nothing. [WSS]

I doubt it. I suspect if the movie is good in their view, they will praise it and publicize it. Far more important to them to spread Objectivism, than old issues with TAS.

A lot of people on Objectionistically Snarking are cynics. Just because they [and I] disagree with many of the positions of ARI people, they assume dishonor, dishonesty, lack of integrity.

...And they do so in a knee-jerk and reflexive fashion.

(But the beauty of this unlike some of the asinine debates here, is we'll know in three months.)

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I remain skeptical. It is a lot easier to make an impressive two and a half minute trailer than to make a decent two hour movie. I thought the acting was okay but the choice of the actor to play Rearden was terrible. Dagny, on the other hand, looks really, really hot.

The animation was mediocre. It is difficult to tell how realistic it is on a computer screen. Here’s a shot of the John Galt Line. Does that look like a train—or a cartoonish drawing of a train? Is this the best they could do? For the damn promotional trailer??!!

John%2BGalt%2Bline.jpg

BTW, someone said the enthusiasm for the movie on other Objectivist sites was totally positive. I checked out OO.net. Of the ten comments so far, three are positive, three are neutral and five are negative.

As I have said all along, I hope I’m wrong. I hope the movie is the greatest thing since GWTW. But at this point we just don’t know.

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I remain skeptical. It is a lot easier to make an impressive two and a half minute trailer than to make a decent two hour movie. I thought the acting was okay but the choice of the actor to play Rearden was terrible. Dagny, on the other hand, looks really, really hot.

The animation was mediocre. It is difficult to tell how realistic it is on a computer screen. Here’s a shot of the John Galt Line. Does that look like a train—or a cartoonish drawing of a train? Is this the best they could do? For the damn promotional trailer??!!

John%2BGalt%2Bline.jpg

BTW, someone said the enthusiasm for the movie on other Objectivist sites was totally positive. I checked out OO.net. Of the ten comments so far, three are positive, three are neutral and five are negative.

As I have said all along, I hope I’m wrong. I hope the movie is the greatest thing since GWTW. But at this point we just don’t know.

Dennis,

Something like that will pass by most people. I actually like the Rearden character, as long as the physical appearance is in the ballpark, I think it's the voice that matters in an Ayn Rand portrayal. It must be intelligent, articulate and full of passion.

Jim

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> and that ARI itself will say nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing and then some crashing nothing. [WSS]

I doubt it. I suspect if the movie is good in their view, they will praise it and publicize it. Far more important to them to spread Objectivism, than old issues with TAS.

Why would it be good in their view if Leonard Peikoff denounces it?

--Brant

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> and that ARI itself will say nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing and then some crashing nothing. [WSS]

I doubt it. I suspect if the movie is good in their view, they will praise it and publicize it. Far more important to them to spread Objectivism, than old issues with TAS.

Why would it be good in their view if Leonard Peikoff denounces it?

--Brant

I don't see how ARI can remain silent. They have thousands who visit their site and they will be flooded with emails once the movie is out.

Additionally, I expect Stossel & Beck will promote the film on their shows.

O'Reilly & Hannity will probably say nothing.

Edited by Las Vegas
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> and that ARI itself will say nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing and then some crashing nothing. [WSS]

I doubt it. I suspect if the movie is good in their view, they will praise it and publicize it. Far more important to them to spread Objectivism, than old issues with TAS.

Why would it be good in their view if Leonard Peikoff denounces it?

--Brant

Will there be a prize for best prediction? My guess is that there won’t be a monolithic response. Harry Binswanger will be first at bat, denouncing it for some flavor of ideological corruption. That knucklehead (Cline) who denounced Amadeus might beat him to it, but is anyone sure they’re not the same person? Anyway, Peikoff will refuse to see it, and will come out with a real howler of an explanation why. Ultimately it’ll be because of something Yaron Brook tells him. The actual ARI reply will be silence if possible. If the movie’s a moderate success, or less, there’ll be no statement. If it’s a huge hit, they’ll spin it so they take credit, without ever mentioning who was behind the film, so watch for glaring lacunae. Among the buck privates, the Besty's, and the Comrade Sonia’s, the reaction be all over the place no matter what. Valliant will denounce TheBrandens, and Perigo will say something asinine, as the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. That’s about it, there's my prediction.

194K views so far on YouTube, wow. I don't know enough about YouTube statistics to say, but that sounds amazing.

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... as the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. That's about it, there's my prediction.

You were doing pretty good until this. The sun does NOT rise and set. It's As the World Turns!

--Brant

live with it

sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, slowly comes the dawn--on your lawn, yawn

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> Peikoff will refuse to see it [ND]

Why? Just because TAS people had a peripheral role?

By the way, lot of people on this site and other Oist sites have been making the mistake of giving their gut reactions to something they don't like about one of the actors (appearance, age, emotional affect) based on the trailer and therefore being pessimistic about the movie.

The reason this is short-sighted is for the same reason you should be cautious about judging a person "knee-jerk" style just on a first impression or a very brief first look.

Many times your impression changes after you've seen them in action for a slightly longer period. What seems like a shifty face begins to look like an intelligent face. What seems like someone who is 'too young' or 'too old' begins to appear as just the right balance of energy and wisdom.

Edited by Philip Coates
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