Reason.tv: Who is John Galt? Behind the Scenes of Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged Part 1 see it in theaters April 15th!!!

"Who is John Galt?"

On the week Atlas Shrugged Part 1 hits the theaters, Reason.tv goes behind the scenes to speak with the people both on and off the silver screen to explore the mysterious question that haunts the world of Ayn Rand's epic, Atlas Shrugged.

Approximate length 3 minutes.  Produced by Hawk Jensen, Senior Producer Ted Balaker, Camera by Alex Manning, Zach Weissmueller, Austin Bragg.  Edited by Hawk Jensen.

Music by Jason Shaw @ Audionautics.com

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Comments

[ClubMedSux]

I was beginning to worry we'd only get one post about "Atlas Shrugged" today...

[Spencer]

Hey, I'm sure they do this every time a libertarian themed movie comes out... right? How many of those are there again?

[ClubMedSux]

Does "The Aristocrats" count?

[fishfry]

What is that graphic supposed to be?

And -- can somebody explain Atlas Shrugged to me? I read it in high school and it struck me as a very simplistic fable that had no relevance in the real world. Despite having acquired libertarian political sentiments over the years, the book still strikes me that way.

Why do people revere this book?

"Why do people revere this book?"

Because the heroine is a woman who inherited her wealth and position, and whose motivation is to make the trains run on time.

[IceTrey]

Simply, it's a novel about the destructive nature of altruism. It basically boils down to this: ""I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

[nekoxgirl]

I'm currently reading it for the first time and I feel like it's very relevant to what is happening right now. Granted, I do think the book could have used some editing...but its depiction of government and crony capitalism working together to destroy the free market is totally how our current system works.

Are successful business men not vilified today? Are we not still taught that our prosperity comes from redistribution of wealth, not wealth creation via capitalism? Isn't the industrialized world, to which we all enjoy such a high standard of living, viewed as inferior to the more natural world we "enjoyed" through most of man-kind's existence?

[Realist]

Ayn Rand was not a great novelist, but a great philosopher.

[Ventifact]

it struck me as a very simplistic fable

Yeah. It's just the parable of the prodigal son with a reversed ethos. Instead of throwing the rascal a party, the family shuns the son and enjoys watching him reap the fruits of his labor (i.e. starve). I know Ayn didn't care for religion, but she could have at least learned a lesson from Jesus on being concise.

[Tanya]

Fantastic video, best in a long while.

[KM8392]

I cannot wait to see this movie. It's been so long since the individual's worth has been positively featured in a film 🙂

http://www.intellectualtakeout.....arian-view

[Chaos Punk]

I cannot wait to see this movie. It's been so long since the individual's worth has been positively featured in a film 🙂

Unfortunately, "The individual" doesn't mean anything on the grand scheme of things. I agree, it's good to understand what self-worth means in society. It is dangerous when the government, society or mass cultural entities neglect or attempt to stamp out the individual. Even the socialists like George Orwell knew that.

[The Hamilton]

The individual IS the grand scheme of things, bro.

[Realist]

YES.

[Chaos Punk]

The individual IS the grand scheme of things, bro.

Yeah, well, it depends how you look at it philosophically. I can say that the government and society are merely a collection of individuals, and they are all that matter... which is actually true, but very seldom is the individual actually treated like this in reality.

It's almost always the case that society demands submission from the individual that he must sacrifice himself for the cause, the revolution, the "greater good", the party, the company, the nation, etc....

[plusaf]

True enough, Chaos Punk, and one answer/comment is, "and look at the world around you and see what that "philosophy" has brought us."

I first read Atlas around 1970, and have been waiting over forty years for the movie to be made. I watched it on opening night and loved it. it has a few flaws, but they pale next to the VERY good job everyone did in making the movie.

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[plusaf]

please go away, troll... spam some other site, like current.com, for example. they'll love you there!

[?????]

I do think the book could have used some editing...but its depiction of government and crony capitalism working together to destroy the free market is totally how our current system works.

[sbobet]

It's been so very long since the individual's was worth has been positively and featured in a film.

[RAN]

I do think the book could have used some editing It basically boils down to this.

[Phocion Timon]

I'm worried about this being a three-part movie. The liberals will probably tear this thing apart and the sheeple will heed their words. If there is no financial gain the money people will depart, leaving us with an incomplete story. Or, worse, the sheeple will not pay to see a movie they do not understand.

A question: how will the film careers of the actors in this movie fare given the bigotry of Hollywood liberals?

[Drax the Destroyer]

A question: how will the film careers of the actors in this movie fare given the bigotry of Hollywood liberals?

I don't know, but Tom Selleck still finds work in made for tv movies and the like despite his purported (NEO?)conservatism. Granted, he won't be starring in Three Men in their late 50s and a 28 year old slut any time soon, but other actors have had a more heart-breaking decline. If they can pay the bills, and go to bed at night, I don't think it's relevant what impact, if any, this movie will have on their careers. Ultimately, I couldn't give a shit.

[Ventifact]

the sheeple will not pay to see a movie they do not understand that doesn't feed them the illusion of understanding.

See, for example, Avatar.

If reports are true that the Atlas movie adheres closely to the source material, this movie should be on par with other Hollywood productions with regard to spoonfeeding superficial understanding to the audience.

And also, regarding the worry that "If there is no financial gain the money people will depart, leaving us with an incomplete story" -- wouldn't Rand disapprove of people sticking with this movie project if it wasn't making money?

[juicycouture]

how will the film careers of the actors in this movie fare given the bigotry of Hollywood liberals?

[juicys]

If there is no financial gain the money people will depart, leaving us with an incomplete story. Or, worse, the sheeple will not pay to see a movie they do not understand.

[juicys1234]

The liberals will probably tear this thing apart and the sheeple will heed their words. If there is no financial gain the money people will depart, leaving us with an incomplete story. Or, worse, the sheeple will not pay to see a movie they do not understand.

[resimler]

thanks for the video.

[r?ya tabirleri]

thanks for the video.

[Ventifact]

Who is John Galt?

The ultimate romantic realization of Ayn Rand's vision of the perfect man: perfectly rational, perfectly brilliant, perfectly productive.

-Brian Doherty

So, does it matter that the symbolic production Rand assigned to Galt -- his motor -- is in perfect defiance of the laws of nature?

I realize Doherty throws in the word "romantic" quite conscientiously, to tell us Rand's portrayal is not literal. But of course that's an odd conceit, since most people would (accurately, I think) summarize Atlas Shrugged as Rand's attempt to show as concretely as possible what her philosophy is about. And if the symbolic core of an "objective" philosophy -- one that prioritizes reason and action -- is nonsensical and not doable, where does that leave the novel and/or the philosophy?

[Tony Stark]

Didn't they already make Atlas Shrugged into a 2-part movie?

Oh right, it was Iron Man 1 and 2.

[Dan]

Went to see the movie Friday. Excellent! Bring on Part 2!

[???? ??????]

ThaNk U

[goallen]

ty rights, etc. seem like a more accurate measure of freedom than democracy.

[goallen]

ty rights, etc. seem like a more accurate measure of freedom than democracy.

[?????]

good man