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:

Brian Patrick O'Toole (screenplay by), John Aglialoro (screenplay by)

Stars:

Taylor Schilling, Grant Bowler, Matthew Marsden

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Taylor Schilling	...	Dagny Taggart
Grant Bowler	...	Henry 'Hank' Rearden
Matthew Marsden	...	James Taggart
Edi Gathegi	...	Eddie Willers
Jsu Garcia	...	Francisco D'Anconia
Graham Beckel	...	Ellis Wyatt
Jon Polito	...	Orren Boyle
Patrick Fischler	...	Paul Larkin
Rebecca Wisocky	...	Lillian Rearden
Michael Lerner	...	Wesley Mouch
Neill Barry	...	Phillip Rearden
Christina Pickles	...	Mother Rearden
Paul Johansson	...	John Galt
Joel McKinnon Miller	...	Herbert Mowen
Steven Chester Prince	...	Engineer

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:

life support | static electricity | low budget film | egoism | self made man | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This production reportedly had a budget of approximately $20,000,000. The budget was reportedly cut in half ($10,000,000) for Part 2 and cut in half again to only $5,000,000 to produce Part 3.

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Goofs

About 10 minutes into the film, planes can be seen flying over the train. Trains, and not planes are the affordable form of transportation, as planes require oil based fuel, a commodity too expensive for the times. Very wealth people could probably afford plane travel.

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Quotes

James Taggart: Well that was quick!
Dagny Taggart: You'd be surprised how quickly things get done when you do some actual work and don't rely on political favors.

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Connections

Referenced in Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged (2011)

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Soundtracks

Apertif for Violin and Piano
Written by Steve Weisberg (Stove Proeber Music-BMI)
Performed by Miriam Mayer and Steve Weisberg
Produced by Lee Curreri and Steve Weisberg

User Reviews

Better Than I Expected

I was prepared to cringe at this Atlas Shrugged, universally panned by the critics for its low budget and no-name cast. Instead, I was pretty impressed. The story was faithful to the book, and the message and narrative clear, with the producers wisely sidestepping most of Rand's stilted polemics.

Yes, the budget did confine most shooting to interiors, but there was enough "big sky" material, railroad operations, and steel mill shots to give the film some scope. And the SFX and CG used in the supertrain shots, which probably absorbed half the budget, were worth every penny.

The cast, and especially Taylor Shilling, who played Dagny, and Grant Bowler (Rearden) did a great job.

Overall, I liked AS, and look forward to the sequels. I just hope the producers can raise the financing to make them.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atlas Shrugged: Part I

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,677,000, 17 April 2011

Gross USA:

$4,627,375

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,627,375

Company Credits

Production Co:

Atlas Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1