The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Christopher Menaul

Writers (WGA):

Barbara Branden (book)
Howard Korder (screenplay) ...

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The rather eccentric (especially in her thinking) author of "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" becomes involved with a much younger, and married man... to the dismay of those close to her.

Plot Keywords:

Author | Writer | Adultery | Female Nudity | 1940s

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Helen Mirren	...	Ayn Rand
Eric Stoltz	...	Nathaniel
Julie Delpy	...	Barbara
Peter Fonda	...	Frank
Sybil Temtchine	...	Caroline (as Sybil Temchen)
Tom McCamus	...	Richard
Don McKellar	...	Alfred
David Ferry	...	Interviewer
Donald Carrier	...	David
Hamish McEwan	...	Henry
Elyssa Livergant	...	Naomi
Christopher Marren	...	Aaron (as Chris Marren)
Jennifer Gould	...	Janet
Robert Thomas	...	Security Guard
John Lefebvre	...	Funeral Director

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Producers Entertainment Group

Trivia:

Based upon Barbara Branden's book with the same title.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In a scene from the 1950s it shows an old phone with a phone number and the words "area code". There were no area codes in the '50s.

Quotes:

Barbara: I didn't know you were an actor.
Frank: Neither did anyone else in Hollywood.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 57th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Blue Danube Waltz

Just a correction

I saw this film three times (but then, I see many films more than once), and if I were to rate it, I'd give it 7-8 (out of 10), for its artistic merits. I knew nothing about Ayn Rand before seeing this film, and it piqued my curiosity. (I then discovered that "The Fountainhead", a very good piece of cinematic work, was based on her book.) But I am basically writing this only to correct what a reviewer said (back in September 2001), quite emphatically and with considerable reasoning behind the statement: that Ayn Rand shouldn't have been portrayed by an "American actress". She wasn't. The role of Ayn Rand was played by Helen Mirren, a truly great British actress. Moreover, Ms. Mirren herself is of Russian extraction, just as Ayn Rand was.