Thank you John Aglialoro.
On September 6th, 2014, I stood up in front of a packed house in Las Vegas, NV, and stated, “This is not the movie that’s been playing in your head since you closed the back cover. This is however, without question, a celebration of Ayn Rand’s ideas.”
That packed house was filled with some of the staunchest Ayn Rand advocates on Earth. It was the “Galt’s Gulch Online Producers Only Premiere” of Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt? and it was the first official showing of the film.
I then proceeded to introduce the other VIP guests on hand at the event, Producer Harmon Kaslow, Consultant David Kelley, Associate Producer Joan Carter and then, as I introduced Producer John Aglialoro, the words came out of my mouth, “the man of the hour.”
It was not a fitting introduction.
In 1991, a Library of Congress poll revealed that Atlas Shrugged is the second most influential book ever written.
Second only to the Bible.
That’s a hard legacy to live up to.
Imagine the courage required to take on the job of adapting such a book to film.
Imagine the passion for the ideas expressed in that book that would compel you to spend millions of dollars of your own money to propagate those ideas to as many people as possible.
Imagine the integrity of the man who would take on such an endeavor - knowing full well that he would be met with, not only resistance, but harsh criticism every step of the way.
Imagine knowing you would never live up to the legacy of the book but that you had to try… you had to give it everything you had... because it just had to be done - the ideas just had to make their way to the masses - come hell or high water.
Imagine.
Most of us will never know a battle like that of Producer John Aglialoro’s 22 year battle to bring Atlas Shrugged to the silver screen - 22 years of “No.”, “It can’t be done.”, “You’ll never make your money back.” 22 years of climbing an unscalable mountain.
I, however, have had the distinct honor of standing by this man for the past 4 years… watching him knock down barrier after barrier through sheer determination… listening to him wax poetic of his love for Ayn Rand and the importance of Atlas Shrugged… walking with him, steadfast as the walls around him collapsed - at times due to sabotage from within. All the while, never once considering stopping.
I am proud. Proud of every step, of every word, and of every moment this man has permitted me to be a part of. It has been an awe inspiring adventure and I would trade it for nothing.
Are the movies perfect? No. Do they live up to the legacy of the book? Of course not. But, what they do accomplish, what they do deliver on, is the ushering of Ayn Rand’s ideas to the forefront of public discourse. The sales of the book will go up this year, more people will be introduced to Ayn Rand’s ideas, and those ideas will be propagated further and wider than they ever have... just like with the release of each of the previous Atlas Shrugged films.
Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt?, the final film in the trilogy, is now in theaters. If you’re in an area where the film is playing, grab a friend, head to the theater, and take part in this wonderful moment in the history of Atlas Shrugged. Buy some popcorn, introduce your friends to Ayn Rand, and say thank you to John Aglialoro - the man who made it all possible.
Thank you John Aglialoro. Thank you.
Scott DeSapio, Associate Producer
Atlas Shrugged
That packed house was filled with some of the staunchest Ayn Rand advocates on Earth. It was the “Galt’s Gulch Online Producers Only Premiere” of Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt? and it was the first official showing of the film.
I then proceeded to introduce the other VIP guests on hand at the event, Producer Harmon Kaslow, Consultant David Kelley, Associate Producer Joan Carter and then, as I introduced Producer John Aglialoro, the words came out of my mouth, “the man of the hour.”
It was not a fitting introduction.
In 1991, a Library of Congress poll revealed that Atlas Shrugged is the second most influential book ever written.
Second only to the Bible.
That’s a hard legacy to live up to.
Imagine the courage required to take on the job of adapting such a book to film.
Imagine the passion for the ideas expressed in that book that would compel you to spend millions of dollars of your own money to propagate those ideas to as many people as possible.
Imagine the integrity of the man who would take on such an endeavor - knowing full well that he would be met with, not only resistance, but harsh criticism every step of the way.
Imagine knowing you would never live up to the legacy of the book but that you had to try… you had to give it everything you had... because it just had to be done - the ideas just had to make their way to the masses - come hell or high water.
Imagine.
Most of us will never know a battle like that of Producer John Aglialoro’s 22 year battle to bring Atlas Shrugged to the silver screen - 22 years of “No.”, “It can’t be done.”, “You’ll never make your money back.” 22 years of climbing an unscalable mountain.
I, however, have had the distinct honor of standing by this man for the past 4 years… watching him knock down barrier after barrier through sheer determination… listening to him wax poetic of his love for Ayn Rand and the importance of Atlas Shrugged… walking with him, steadfast as the walls around him collapsed - at times due to sabotage from within. All the while, never once considering stopping.
I am proud. Proud of every step, of every word, and of every moment this man has permitted me to be a part of. It has been an awe inspiring adventure and I would trade it for nothing.
Are the movies perfect? No. Do they live up to the legacy of the book? Of course not. But, what they do accomplish, what they do deliver on, is the ushering of Ayn Rand’s ideas to the forefront of public discourse. The sales of the book will go up this year, more people will be introduced to Ayn Rand’s ideas, and those ideas will be propagated further and wider than they ever have... just like with the release of each of the previous Atlas Shrugged films.
Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt?, the final film in the trilogy, is now in theaters. If you’re in an area where the film is playing, grab a friend, head to the theater, and take part in this wonderful moment in the history of Atlas Shrugged. Buy some popcorn, introduce your friends to Ayn Rand, and say thank you to John Aglialoro - the man who made it all possible.
Thank you John Aglialoro. Thank you.
Scott DeSapio, Associate Producer
Atlas Shrugged
Previous comments...
I want to heartily thank you and the team for the wonderful visual
realization of this amazing book. . I first read it at age 18 in 1968
and had to wipe some tears tonight, when seeing it come to life.
Thank You, and Harmon, and Scott, and Alex, and everyone;;; Thank You!!! -- john
.
You got it done.
Thank you Scott for brining so many of us into the process. It was fun!
dialogue was stilted and the entire film underwhelming. Then there was that cheesy love scene between John and Dagny. Also, the man who portrayed Francisco was too old; he was hardly of an age to have been a love interest of
Dagny's. Big mistake to do the book in three parts
with 3 different casts, two would have been better as significant continuity was lost the way it was done.
I have to disagree. The movies absolutely do live up to the legacy of the book!
They live up to the legacy of the book because they have the courage to stay true to the book, even when that makes them easier targets for jibes from ignorant or malicious detractors (who seem to be in unlimited supply).
They live up to the legacy of the book because they accomplish magnificently the essential function of art, of rendering abstract concepts into tangible, perceptual form. Many scenes from the movies and the selection of so many of the actors are nearly perfect at this.
From my very small involvement with ASP3 I came to appreciate a tiny fraction of just how incredibly difficult is is to make movies, especially on a low budget. Where the book is a mind-blowing intellectual accomplishment, the movie trilogy is a mind-blowing accomplishment of getting things done in the real world, of managing logistics, practicalities, schedules, people, budgets, all the while retaining an unwavering fidelity to the spirit of the book.
To make a movie out of a grand epic like Atlas, where a transcontinental train system, copper mines and steel mills are central to many scenes, with many Science Fiction elements such as Rearden Metal and Galt's motor, and a whole hidden valley with an alternate society, would be a challenge even with a big budget. To have managed it as these movies have is simply astounding!
Rand would have been thrilled to bits to see these movies, both at the final product as well as at the way they came about, and that they were made by just the sort of people and free-market mechanisms she wrote about.
I have no doubt that the movie trilogy will be an enduring classic and generate steady profits for many decades just as the book is and does.
Sadly it is the published book that does not now live up to the legacy of the original work! Most versions of the book currently in publication have Leonard Peikoff's MOOCHING and SPOILER-RIDDEN Introduction at the beginning of the book which, as he himself writes therein, "spoil the book for anyone who reads [it] before knowing the story". But that is a rant for another day!
Library of Congress poll be damned, in reality Atlas Shrugged is THE most influential book ever written, even beating out the Bible!
For starters consider that Steve Wozniak said of Steve Jobs "I think Atlas Shrugged was one of his guides in life", and then consider the impact of Steve Jobs and Apple on our current world. And that's just ONE Atlas fan. Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal is another. As is Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia. That's just 3 fans, each of whom has changed our world.
Rationality comes from the word - ratio/proportion. Try it - you'll like it. If not... good riddance.
to try to publicize Rand's book, and put it all in context,
OK? if my imagination were allowed to proscribe
the perfect movie to represent the book, it would
be impossibly expensive, as would yours, no doubt.
as my father-in-law, who ran a successful independent
business (auto parts) for 30 years said, "Good enough
is perfect."
Please Get A Grip on reality! -- john
either! -- j