The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999)

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 | Psychologist | Sex | Female Nudity | Bloody Nose

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 set in the early 1950s, Frank says that he met Ayn Rand during the filming of The King of Kings (1927). He refers to that movie as "the silent version...the great one". The only version of King of Kings that existed in the early 1950s was the silent version; the remake of King of Kings did not appear until 1961.

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:

A Perfect Day / I Love You Truly

Entertaining, thought-provoking movie

This was an entertaining, thought-provoking movie. This film will be a valuable resource for the ingenue researching Ayn Rand's life and work for the first time. The film succeeds because it portrays Ayn Rand's character in all of its complexity without emphasizing any one single as- pect.

Some of Miss Rand's devotees may find this production oversexu- alized, but as someone familiar with her life and work, I find the account of her behavior and her thinking to be consistent with much of what I've read about her and heard in interviews. Considering Ayn Rand's passion for the consistency of principle and action, this film is in no way disparaging to her in character, even while it may not be as compli- mentary as some would like.

In fact, this movie may become an important historical resource for those who are unfamiliar with Miss Rand's life and work and want to research her. Like many outstanding biographies, this production provides a well-rounded view of her character and philosophy. It leaves the viewer, as the historian, to draw her or his own conclusions about the strength or weakness of Miss Rand's character, without in- doctrinating her point of view. This movie is an accurate and fair por- trayal of a woman who often incited controversy with her powerful commitment to the consistency of her actions with her ideals.