The Passion of Ayn Rand

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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

Customer Reviews:

Excellent character drama.......2007-02-02

Despite the hagiographic-sounding title, this film is not a work in praise of the novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand. Instead, it is a biopic, based on a book of the same title, written by Barbara Branden, an erstwhile close friend and high-ranking follower of Rand.

Two attractive young students, Nathaniel Blumenthal (who later changes his name to Nathaniel Branden) and Barbara Weitman (Eric Stoltz and Julie Delpy), are invited, following an enthusiastic letter, to meet their idol, Ayn Rand, at the home she shares with her husband Frank O'Connor (heartbreakingly portrayed by Peter Fonda) in California. Both are passionate devotees of her ideas of Objectivism, reason and self-interest, and find a willing guru in Rand, played with grim charisma by Helen Mirren.

While Nathan is attracted to Barbara, her feelings for him are closer to friendship - but under pressure from Rand, who argues that emotion is always based on reason and that therefore the young couple's shared ideals make them a perfect sexual match, the two of them marry. Their unsuccessful marriage, already intimately destructive since Nathaniel has taken it upon himself to act as Barbara's psychotherapist as well as her husband, seeking to eradicate the 'faulty principles' that make her uncomfortable with the relationship, is worsened when Rand and Nathaniel begin an affair, insisting that their prospective partners accept this sexual relationship as the necessary consequence of their mental compatibility. The tensions between the characters play out against the rising cult of the Nathaniel Branden Institute and the success of Atlas Shrugged, leading to moral and emotional chaos under the guise of reason and idealism.

Whether or not the film is an accurate depiction of the real situation is much debated, but as a character study, as a film in its own right, it's excellent. Rand, as portrayed by Mirren, comes across as a woman who argues for reason and individual rights, while in fact being ruled, and ruling all those around her, by her own emotions, a toxic and pathetic queen eternally refusing to see how human nature cannot measure up to her image of it. Stoltz as Nathaniel is a fine portrayal of a bright and not-all-that-bad young man, whose faults, a tendency to self-centredness and dishonesty, are horribly magnified by becoming the favourite disciple of an inconsistent guru, to his own harm as well as everyone else's. Delpy plays the confused, idealistic and fragile Barbara with integrity and passion, and Fonda's portrayal of the kind, weary, alcoholic Frank, clear-sighted about what's going on but too dependent on his wife, both financially and emotionally, to speak up, is downright tragic. There are splendid performances from a strong cast, with an involving story that encourages sympathy with flawed people. Rand supporters may not like it, as it portrays Rand, Branden and the Objectivist movement as fundamentally hypocritical and deluded, but neutral viewers will enjoy an engaging and unusual story, intelligently told and skilfully handled. Well worth a look.

The Passionate Individualist.......2007-01-27

While I have been an Ayn Rand fan for a short time and have not read Barbara Branden's book, this was one of the first movies about Ayn Rand I picked up. The chemistry between the actors and the charachters they play is excellent and all of the actors, especially Hellen Mirren, are very good in their roles. The script is good and so are the sets and production.

Hellen Mirren won an Emmy for her portayal of Rand and, after seeing this film, one can see why she did. Mirren's portayal of Ayn Rand is superb!

After watching this film, I came away admiring Rand even more. Rand was a wonderful human being, brilliant philosopher, excellent author and passionate about individuals to be free to pursue their own interests. It is understandable for her to be the way she was and believe in the things she did because she grew up in one of the most repressive, collectivist societies in world history: The Soviet Union.

Rand made it a point to live her life according to the individualist values she espoused. Same with Nathaniel and Barbara Branden. Thats why they congregated with each other to constantly formulate, practice and discuss Rand's philosophy, Objectivism. However, despite her enemy's crowing, in no way should this movie be considered a 'smear job'.

Essentially, what this movie is about is 2 individuals who end up falling in love (despite the fact they are both married), having sexual relations with the consent of their spouses, form and cultivate a philisophical movement and then it all collapses in the end.

Having extra-marital relations, even when the spouse knows about it, is destructive to everyone involved. In my view, Rand and Nathaniel Branden did not err when they did what they did since they did not hide their love for each other. Their mistake was that they both did not consider the long-term consequences of their actions nor the true feelings of their spouses.

I also appreciated the fact that Nathaniel Branden, whom I met at a conference briefly in 2003 and is a very nice man, owned up to his responsibilties in the matter as well and am glad that in later years, Barbara Branden and Ayn Rand reconciled. However, it is unfortunate that, like Barbara and Ayn, Nathaniel Branden and Ayn Rand did not forgive and forget.

This move is not an example of how dogmatic Rand allegedly was. Rather, it must serve as an example of what happens when people pursue sexual relations even while they are still married.

Otherwise, despite the negative reviews, this is a very good film and worth checking out. Its a keeper in my DVD library.

Smear job? I found it a (deserving) lionization........2006-12-14

The Passion of Ayn Rand (Christopher Menaul, 1999)

At the time filming for The Passion of Ayn Rand wrapped, I think Eric Stoltz was, perhaps, the luckiest man in the world. He had slept with (or at least simulated sex with) Helen Mirren, Julie Delpy, and Sybil Temchen in the course of making this film. Ah, the sacrifices our finest stars make to bring us top-quality entertainment!

Stoltz plays Nathaniel Branden, a protege of Rand's (Mirren) with whom she has an affair, much to the consternation of her husband Frank (Peter Fonda) and his wife Barbara (Delpy). The movie is based on the memoirs of Barbara Branden. Despite that, however, the film doesn't portray any of its principals as evil; it just shows us the events and allows us to judge for ourselves. Sure, there are overtones that strain credulity (the implication is that Rand needed the affair with Branden in order to finish Atlas Shrugged, and because of that, this is as much a film about the writing of that book as it is anything else), but there's no demonizing of either Rand or Branden. That, more than anything, is what saves this movie. It helps that the plot's interesting and the actors are well-suited to it (Delpy and Stoltz, especially, are always a fine pairing), but it is the treatment of the material that separates this from the pack. A very good movie. *** ½

The Passion of Ayn Rand's Haters.......2006-08-12

I was skeptical from the beginning about this movie seeing as how it was based on the ridiculous book by Barbara Branden and I must say, all my worst fears were confirmed when I viewed the movie. It could not have been worse than if it was written, produced and directed by someone who detested Rand, but then again it was. The movie portrays Rand as some kind of mind manipulator that preys on the weak and crushes them to be devoured. Rand was the most intelligent thinker of the twentieth century and her ideas challenged two thousand years of religious and cultural beliefs. The individuals involved in this movie should be ashamed of themselves. Rand and the rest of us deserve better than this. This movie is on a level of depravity I can't even describe.

Dishonest.......2006-03-17

This film, and the book on which it is based, is filled with so many distortions, speculations, contradictions, and straight-up lies, that it may as well be fiction. For the truth, see "The Passion of Any Rand's Critics" by James S. Valliant. Better still, If you want to know Ayn Rand, read her work.

Average customer rating:

Excellent character drama
The Passionate Individualist
Smear job? I found it a (deserving) lionization.
The Passion of Ayn Rand's Haters
Dishonest

The Passion of Ayn Rand [Region 2]
Starring: Helen Mirren , Eric Stoltz , Julie Delpy , Peter Fonda , and Sybil Temtchine
Director: Christopher Menaul
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000C88M2