Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011)

Railroad executive Dagny Taggart and steel mogul Henry Rearden form an alliance to fight the increasingly authoritarian government of the United States.

Director:

Paul Johansson

Writers:

Ayn Rand (novel), John Aglialoro (screenplay),

Stars:

Grant Bowler, Taylor Schilling, Michael O'Keefe

Cast

Credited cast:
Grant Bowler	...	Henry Rearden
Taylor Schilling	...	Dagny Taggart
Michael O'Keefe	...	Hugh Akston
Edi Gathegi	...	Eddie Willers
Armin Shimerman	...	Dr. Potter
Patrick Fischler	...	Paul Larkin
Paul Johansson	...	John Galt
Christina Pickles	...	Mother Rearden
Geoff Pierson	...	Midas Mulligan
Matthew Marsden	...	James Taggart
Navid Negahban	...	Dr. Robert Stadler
Jon Polito	...	Orren Boyle
Michael Lerner	...	Wesley Mouch
Rebecca Wisocky	...	Lillian Rearden
Jsu Garcia	...	Francisco D'Anconia

Storyline

It was great to be alive, once, but the world was perishing. Factories were shutting down, transportation was grinding to a halt, granaries were empty--and key people who had once kept it running were disappearing all over the country. As the lights winked out and the cities went cold, nothing was left to anyone but misery. No one knew how to stop it, no one understood why it was happening - except one woman, the operating executive of a once mighty transcontinental railroad, who suspects the answer may rest with a remarkable invention and the man who created it - a man who once said he would stop the motor of the world. Everything now depends on finding him and discovering the answer to the question on the lips of everyone as they whisper it in fear: Who *is* John Galt?

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Plot Keywords:

railroad | motor | business | railroad company | selfishness | 

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Taglines:

Who is John Galt?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Atlas Trilogie: Wer ist John Galt?

Filming Locations:

Piru Mansion - 829 & 837 Park Road, Piru, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,686,347 (USA) (15 April 2011)

Gross:

$4,563,873 (USA) (13 May 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Strike Productions, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Variety, The Godfather producer Albert S. Ruddy spent years trying to bring the novel to the big screen, attracting the interest of Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway along the way.

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Goofs

The change of seasons in the Colorado scenes clearly do not match the dates shown in the film. The aspen trees are always shown at the beginning of their seasonal change, which would take place in late September and into October and would not be seen at other times.

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Quotes

Henry Rearden: What are you doing with yourself these days?
Phillip Rearden: I'm working for Friends of Global Awareness.
Henry Rearden: I know them. What do you want?
Phillip Rearden: Money.
Henry Rearden: Doesn't everyone? Call my office first thing in the morning. I'll authorize a hundred grand for you.
Phillip Rearden: You really don't care about helping the underprivileged, do you?
Henry Rearden: No Phillip, I don't, but it'll make you happy.
Phillip Rearden: Oh, it's not for me Hank. It's for the benefit of the less privileged. You think I can have the money wired to my account?
Henry Rearden: A wire? Why?
Phillip Rearden: Well, the thing is, ...

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Connections

Featured in Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream (2012)

User Reviews

From someone who had not read the book

Many of the reviews have said they are not sure how it would play to someone who is not a fan or have hinted that the only way to like it is to overlook things.

I had not read the book before seeing the movie. That being said, I still like it. As an independent film it really rates up there as one of the best. The photography was great as was most of the music. My biggest complaints were the editing. There were a couple of bad transitions, a bad splice, and at one point the music was off. As someone who watches a lot of independent films however, I can tell you it was not as bad as most other low budget films.

As to the story line itself, that has been driven in to the ground by those before me. I will say that by not having read the book it does play out as more of an intellectual adventure. If you are not reading too much in to the characters, they are just as fleshed out as any movie. I guess that is one of the problems of bringing any popular book to the screen, people will tend to use the enhanced knowledge when viewing the work.