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Atlas Shrugged Coproducer, Harman Karslow with NJLP Chair Jay Edgar and his daughter at the NYC Premiere |
This past week I got a phone call from screenplay writer, Brian O'Toole, inviting me to the New York City Premiere of Atlas Shrugged, Part 1. On Thursday, my daughter and I traveled into the city to view the movie.
Originally published in 1957, Atlas Shrugged is about the struggle of the productive class against a society that uses politics to limit the success of the productive for the benefit of those who are less capable. Communist laws such as the "Equalization of Opportunity Bill" force capable businessmen, engineers, scientists, and industrialists to withdraw from the system. The parasitic classes no longer have productive elements on which to feed. The "strike" forces society to fall apart.
The movie is set in modern times, covering the first third of the novel. Two additional movies are in the planning. John Aglialoro and Harmon Karslow have formed "The Strike" Productions, Inc. as the vehicle for producing the trilogy. The production of the movie was a long time in coming. Mr. Aglialoro acquired the rights to produce the move back in 1992. After several failed attempts the movie has finally come together.
The casting was excellent. Michael Lerner as Wesley Mouch to me was the most known actor. He nails Mouch, who in the movie has a very strong resemblance to Barney Frank. Taylor Schilling is excellent as Dagny Taggart and Grant Bowler is great as Hank Rearden. The Royal Gorge in Colorado with a bit of CGI mixed in provided an excellent footage of the new John Galt rail line.
The movie opens up nationwide on April 15th. I'm planning on organizing a large group to go see the movie together in central NJ. See the facebook event page for more information.