Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

I have been trying to get through the documentary by Michael Paxton, Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life. I had not seen it until now.

I am a bit ashamed to say that I fell asleep twice so far trying to watch the DVD. I pride myself on my power of concentration, but this film is getting the best of me.

I know, I know. There was an Oscar nomination and all. It's about Ayn Rand, for God's sake. And there are some very interesting images and historical facts.

But with all that soft background music by Jeff Britting, the funeral parlor narration of Sharon Gless (who is not like that as a popular TV actress), the interminable slow zooms on one photograph after another, stock footage of historical times, etc., and the wooden interview inserts with Peikoff, Binswanger, Berliner, etc., (with the exception of Cynthia Peikoff, who, so far, sounds like she at least cares about the material and finds it personally interesting), I am simply getting sucker punched by being hypnotized, and I fall off to sleep. Seriously. Even the sections of Rand's interviews aren't exciting enough to rouse me after all that lulling. There's two and a half hours of touchy-feely goodness. A New Age presentation could not have been more soothing.

I don't mean to offend. My reaction is sincere.

Am I the only one who finds this film to be boring?

Michael

[Victor Pross]

I have been trying to get through the documentary by Michael Paxton, Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life. I had not seen it until now.

I am a bit ashamed to say that I fell asleep twice so far trying to watch the DVD. I pride myself on my power of concentration, but this film is getting the best of me.

I know, I know. There was an Oscar nomination and all. It's about Ayn Rand, for God's sake. And there are some very interesting images and historical facts.

But with all that soft background music by Jeff Britting, the funeral parlor narration of Sharon Gless (who is not like that as a popular TV actress), the interminable slow zooms on one photograph after another, stock footage of historical times, etc., and the wooden interview inserts with Peikoff, Binswanger, Berliner, etc., (with the exception of Cynthia Peikoff, who, so far, sounds like she at least cares about the material and finds it personally interesting), I am simply getting sucker punched by being hypnotized, and I fall off to sleep. Seriously. Even the sections of Rand's interviews aren't exciting enough to rouse me after all that lulling. There's two and a half hours of touchy-feely goodness. A New Age presentation could not have been more soothing.

I don't mean to offend. My reaction is sincere.

Am I the only one who finds this film to be boring?

Michael

Michael,

Over all, I liked the doc, but I have my complaints. I agree Sharon Gless's sugary narration left me with a mouth full of cavities - and it occurred to me that she must be a really poor actress who was probably secured at a basement bargain price. Also, I could have done without so many talking heads and their often lame anecdotes. [immanuel Kant as a dinner companion conversationalist they weren’t!] Plus, those endless 1920 clips from Rand’s favorite movies just weighed the doc down, among other minutia that could have been left behind on the cutting room floor. But I perked up when Rand appeared in interview, I admit. The doc—perhaps despite itself—did showcase a very passionate woman and artist taking life by the neck, and seeing the young Rand arriving in America, so filled with hope and optimism, was touching. So I was torn between boredom and interest. I would have liked to have been the docs editor. ;]

-Victor

Edited January 24, 2007 by Victor Pross

[Chris Grieb]

It's been a while since I saw it and my memory is not as good as I thought. I'll agree about Binswanger and Peikoff. I thought the artist and Al Ramrus were most interesting of the commentators. The showing I went to was at the DC film festival when the movie came out. It was the most successful film in the festival. Following the showing Michael Paxton answered questions for a long time. Paxton may have done it for two hours. I'm sorry I can't be precise. He said the only restriction was he could not interview the Brandens but said he would not have done so. I have been told by someone who was a friend of his that he did not like Jeff Britting's appearance on the C-Span American Author's series. The last time I looked at Internet Movie Data Base I don't see much activity by Paxton.

Edited January 24, 2007 by Chris Grieb