Ayn Rands murstensroman “Atlas Shrugged” er på vej til det store lærred – igen. Bogen fra 1957 har igennem årene flere gange været forsøgt filmatiseret, men uden held.
Første gang var i 1972, hvor produceren Albert S. Ruddy (“The Godfather”) forsøgte at overtale Rand til lade ham lave filmen, men planerne faldt igennem, da Rand ville have mulighed for at godkende det endelige manuskript. Rand var tidligere blevet yderst skuffet over filmatiseringen af sin roman “The Fountainhead”, som havde Gary Cooper og Patricia Neal i hovedrollerne, og var yderst skeptisk overfor Hollywood.
Forsøget på at lave en tv-serie for NBC i 1978 slog også fejl. Rand var utilfreds med manuskriptet af Sterling Silliphant (“I nattens hede”), men i sidste ende var det NBC, der hev stikket ud på projektet, som man følte var for filosofisk og unanceret.
Planer om at give projektet vinger i 90’erne slog også fejl, men nu gøres et nyt forsøg. Randall Wallace (“Braveheart”) er ved at udarbejde et manuskript til en spillefilm, og der har tidligere været forlydender om at Angelina Jolie ville være involveret i projektet. Bag den (måske) kommende film står Lionsgate og producerne Howard og Karen Baldwin (“Ray”).
“Atlas Shrugged” handler om et moderne samfund, som kollapser, og hvor politiske magter vokser frem og knuser forretningsmænd og økonomiske fornyere under sig. Bogen giver et eksempel på Rands filosofi Objektivisme, der argumenterer for en laissez-faire kapitalisme og fokuserer på individet frem for mængden.
#1 davenport 17 år siden
(Fra Wiki)
"The theme of Atlas Shrugged is that independent, rational thought is the engine that powers the world.
The main conflict of the book occurs as the "individuals of the mind" go on strike, thus no longer contributing problem-solving analysis, new ideas, inventions, medical breakthroughs, research, or inventions of any kind to the rest of the world, allowing a near-total collapse of a society that they had not only been crucial in holding together, but a society which they had even been forced to subsidize. The previous peaceful cohesiveness of the world had required those individuals whose productive work comes from mental effort. They had always naturally created in direct disproportion to forceful interference by others. But given no alternative, they eventually start disappearing from the communities of "looters," Rand's term for others seeking a free dependency on productive people.
Like the Greek Titan Atlas, individuals rationally and circumspectly seeking their own long-term happiness hold the world on their shoulders. The novel's title is an allusion to the titan, discussing what might happen if those supporting the world suddenly decided to stop doing so. In the novel, the allusion comes during a conversation between two protagonists, Francisco d'Anconia and Hank Rearden, near the end of part two, chapter three, where Francisco suggests to Rearden that if he could suggest to Atlas that he do one thing, it would be to shrug.
In the world of Atlas Shrugged, society stagnates when independent productive achievers began to be socially demonized and even punished for their accomplishments, even though society had been far more healthy and prosperous by allowing, encouraging, and rewarding self-reliance and individual achievement. Independence and personal happiness flourished to the extent that people were free, and achievement was rewarded to the extent that individual ownership of private property was strictly respected. The hero, John Galt, lives a life of laissez-faire capitalism as the only way to live consistent with his beliefs.
Atlas Shrugged is a political book. It portrays fascism, socialism and communism – any form of state intervention in society, as systemically and fatally flawed. However, Rand claimed that it is not a fundamentally political book, but that the politics portrayed in the novel are a result of her attempt to display her image of the ideal person and the individual mind's position and value in society.
Rand argues that independence and individual achievement enable society to survive and thrive, and should be embraced. But this requires a "rational" moral code. She argues that, over time, coerced self-sacrifice causes any society to self-destruct.
She is similarly dismissive of faith beyond reason, in a god or higher being, or anything else as an authority over one's own mind. The book positions itself against religion specifically, often directly within the characters' dialogue."
#2 moulder666 17 år siden
#3 ks 17 år siden
#4 filmz-elpedro 17 år siden
Ifølge Rand er det disse spektakulære og kreative menneskers ansvar at styre verden, og det må gøres uden at tage hensyn til almindelige mennesker.
Rand prædikede den ultimative selvrealisering, hvor det gøres uden tanke på ens omgivelser. Bogen slugte jeg, men jeg havde en grim smag i munden bagefter. Det er forståeligt at hun som undertrykt i CCCP udviklede et stærkt had mod et system der på den måde hylder middelmådigheden og ligheden, men hun går alt for langt. Kort sagt går den "rationelle" moralske kode der beskrives ovenfor, ud på at sætte ens egen "rationelle" mening over moralske hensyn. Ganske usmageligt efter min mening...
Men jeg kan anbefale at læse bogen, den sætter i hvertfald følelserne igang...