The Passion of Ayn Rand

Passion is not one of those words usually associated with the controversial author Ayn Rand, unless one is speaking of her controversial ideas. Her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged made egoism a virtue, and her philosophy of objectivism, which she defiantly trumpeted in the face of criticism, proclaimed self-interest was a patriotic virtue. For 15 years she also used her philosophy to justify an affair with her "intellectual heir" (as she proclaimed him) Nathaniel Branden. This made-for-cable drama, based on the memoir by Barbara Branden (Nathaniel's wife), hones in on this clash between her ideas and her emotions. Helen Mirren is sharp and intense as the demanding, often icy Rand, playing down her striking features to become severe and plain. Eric Stoltz brings an insidious mix of charm and calculation to Nathaniel, a sycophantic devotee who espouses the gospel of intellectual honesty while compromising himself at every turn. Peter Fonda and Julie Delpy are the wounded spouses who endure their open affair. It's an unusually handsome film for a cable production, and the cool jazz score beautifully sets both the era and the mood of the film. Director Christopher Menaul, who previously directed Mirren in the brilliant British miniseries Prime Suspect, is fascinated by the hypocrisies justified by love and jealousy. While he's critical of Rand's philosophy and the cultlike following it spawns, he is nonetheless respectful of her intellect and devotion to her ideas, contradictions and all. --Sean Axmaker more

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Julie Delpy, Sybil Temtchine, Eric Stoltz, Peter Fonda, Helen Mirren, VHS tape, Amazon

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5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jan-06-2009; Important document; This is a great look at just how destructive Ayn Rand was toward those around her. Too bad our nation wasn't aware of how many important political movers and shakers still followed her selfishly greedy mindset, we could have avoided the...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-30-2008; Hypocrisy On Rand's Part; I was a student of Ayn Rand's philosophy and a patient of Mr. Branden's several decades ago, in the early 70's. Why? Because I was trying in vain to live as Ms. Rand said we should: as heroic figures every day, perfect in our morals,...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-05-2008; The other side of Objectivism; Having read "The Fountainhead", "Atlas Shrugged" and "Anthem", I found Ayn Rand's ideas (which can basically be summed up as selfishness is good) to be of interest, but I always wondered about how they would work outside the artificial...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Apr-07-2008; Not for the Ayn Rand enthusiast; If you are a true, die-hard, Ayn Rand fan, and are familiar with the details of her life, then you will find this perspective a bit hard to take in spots. Definitely a TV drama program...where all of the emphasis is on her personal love...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jan-06-2009; Important document; This is a great look at just how destructive Ayn Rand was toward those around her. Too bad our nation wasn't aware of how many important political movers and shakers still followed her selfishly greedy mindset, we could have avoided the...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Sep-30-2008; Hypocrisy On Rand's Part; I was a student of Ayn Rand's philosophy and a patient of Mr. Branden's several decades ago, in the early 70's. Why? Because I was trying in vain to live as Ms. Rand said we should: as heroic figures every day, perfect in our morals,...; read full review | report as inappropriate

1/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Apr-01-2008; Not my favorite version of Ayn Rand; Ayn Rand wrote some of my favorite books: The Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged.Born at the beginning of the 20th Century Russia, in the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, Ayn Rand started to read from the early age of six. By the age of...; read full review | report as inappropriate