Michael Paxton's documentary, nominated for an Academy Award, tells the story of one of the more controversial and original thinkers of the 20th century. Ayn Rand, the novelist responsible for such influential classics as "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead", was also a philosopher who developed the theory she dubbed "objectivism," which espoused the idea of self-determination and self-interest as principles which were morally superior to self-sacrifice. "Ayn Rand -- A Sense of Life" is a traditional mixture of archival footage, film clips and talking heads, but it details a fascinating life, and it does so with skill and intelligence. The limited theatrical prospects will be helped by the Oscar nod, but the film's real life will be on video and public television.
Rand was born in Russia, which no doubt helped form her attitudes about the evils of collectivism. She fled to America in 1926, leaving the rest of her family behind. A movie buff since childhood, she tried to get a job in the film industry. Through a lucky break, she met Cecil B. DeMille and, after a short stint as an extra (there is fascinating footage of her in a crowd scene from "King of Kings"), she went to work for him as a screenwriter. Her real success didn't come until her first Broadway play, "Night of January 16th", a legal drama which foreshadowed today's interactive shows in its use of audience members as an onstage jury.
Her famous novels and her later philosophical treatises popularized her social and political theories, an extreme brand of libertarianism that played particularly well in an era dominated by the fear of communism. Rand, a patriot and ardent lover of her adopted homeland, was particularly successful in communicating her ideas to the masses via her compelling fictional creations.
Filmmaker Michael Paxton succumbs to excess, letting his film ramble on and telling the story in a repetitive and overly detailed fashion. He also makes some questionable choices, including several animated segments illustrating Rand's stories. The film uses a fairly limited stock of commentators, and the excerpts of the author's interviews with such talk show hosts as Phil Donahue, Mike Wallace and Tom Snyder, although fascinating, are allotted far too much time. The film also tends to concentrate too much on biographical details at the expense of more deeply analyzing Rand's philosophies and cultural impact. But the subject herself, with her heavy accent and incredibly piercing eyes, is never less than fascinating, and the documentary does an admirable job of humanizing a previously forbidding figure.
AYN RAND
Strand Releasing
Writer-director-producer: Michael Paxton
Director of photography: Alik Sakharov
Editors: Lauren Schaffer, Christopher Earl
Original Score: Jeff Britting
Narrator: Sharon Gless
Color/stereo
Running time -- 145 min.
Rand was born in Russia, which no doubt helped form her attitudes about the evils of collectivism. She fled to America in 1926, leaving the rest of her family behind. A movie buff since childhood, she tried to get a job in the film industry. Through a lucky break, she met Cecil B. DeMille and, after a short stint as an extra (there is fascinating footage of her in a crowd scene from "King of Kings"), she went to work for him as a screenwriter. Her real success didn't come until her first Broadway play, "Night of January 16th", a legal drama which foreshadowed today's interactive shows in its use of audience members as an onstage jury.
Her famous novels and her later philosophical treatises popularized her social and political theories, an extreme brand of libertarianism that played particularly well in an era dominated by the fear of communism. Rand, a patriot and ardent lover of her adopted homeland, was particularly successful in communicating her ideas to the masses via her compelling fictional creations.
Filmmaker Michael Paxton succumbs to excess, letting his film ramble on and telling the story in a repetitive and overly detailed fashion. He also makes some questionable choices, including several animated segments illustrating Rand's stories. The film uses a fairly limited stock of commentators, and the excerpts of the author's interviews with such talk show hosts as Phil Donahue, Mike Wallace and Tom Snyder, although fascinating, are allotted far too much time. The film also tends to concentrate too much on biographical details at the expense of more deeply analyzing Rand's philosophies and cultural impact. But the subject herself, with her heavy accent and incredibly piercing eyes, is never less than fascinating, and the documentary does an admirable job of humanizing a previously forbidding figure.
AYN RAND
Strand Releasing
Writer-director-producer: Michael Paxton
Director of photography: Alik Sakharov
Editors: Lauren Schaffer, Christopher Earl
Original Score: Jeff Britting
Narrator: Sharon Gless
Color/stereo
Running time -- 145 min.
- 2/13/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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