Reason.tv: We The Living Trailer for 1942 Italian Film Version of Ayn Rand's Novel

"It was made illegally, suppressed by a hostile government, cheered and honored, then banned at the height of its success and forgotten for decades. But, today, the film version of Ayn Rand's WE THE LIVING is back on the screen. The story behind the making of WE THE LIVING, in Italy, in 1942, is almost as interesting as the movie itself…."

Go here for more information about the movie and buying the DVD, restored and released last year, and featuring a special documentary on the making of the movie.

And go here to hear Patrick Reasonover of Duncan Scott Productions discuss the story behind the story behind We The Living.

Comments

[Attorney]

I didn't think it was possible for Valli to look bad. But you guys succeeded with your poorly chosen freeze-frame.

[Pro Libertate]

I was thinking that was her. Good turn in The Third Man.

[BakedPenguin]

Great film, and she was good in it as well, despite her English being mediocre at the time. Of course, it's hard to go too far wrong with Orson Welles.

[Pro Libertate]

I love that movie. And Welles just kicked ass with a pretty short amount of film time.

[BakedPenguin]

Noi Vivoi is, for my money, a much better film than The Fountainhead.

Of course, I think Alida Valli >> >>Patricia Neal, and I also think King Vidor would have been better suited to directing travelogues. So take that with however much salt you choose.

[Mike G]

His latter-day work may support that notion, but check out Vidor's silent work (The Big Parade is going to be on TCM in a month or two). Vidor from the mid-20s to the early 30s was one of the giants. And The Fountainhead may have more to it if you look at it as an allegory for his own time in Hollywood as an MGM house director who occasionally went rogue.

[Isaac]

Great novel.
And I've heard nothing but good things about the movie.

[daveed]

http://reason.com/video/show/rand-event is a 404

[daveed]

Argh, stupid spam filter...

Check your second link: http://reason.com/video/show/rand-event

It's a 404.

[daveed]

Argh, damn spam filter!

Check your second link (.../rand-event). It's a 404.

[Isaac Bartram]

Saying it was made illegally is a bit of a stretch since nothing of that scope got made in Italy's state run movie system (which persisted until the 80s when bankrupt Cinecitt? was privatized) without some kind of government approval. One story has it that Alessandrini was a great crony of Vittorio Mussolini.

However it is true that what ever its status when it was made it certainly was suppressed by the government after it became plain that Italians were not seeing only the anti-communist message in the film.

It is quite probable that the Germans were involved in the suppression too. The Nazis had considered Il Duce insufficiently authoritarian for some time.

[Oh no not this again]

I think this is one of my all time favorite books. It's kind of like VC Andrews meets I heart Capitalism, anyways, looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this.

[Oh no not this again]

40 BUCKS, jesus christ people that better be some fancy fucking box. But damn, the preview looked good...Off to the internet payment form post haste.

[turtle]

Wow! A real anti-communist movie?
I'd tried to get a copy of The Chekist but cannot find it anywhere.