Galt's Gulch
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Godfather Producer Al Ruddy Is Coming to the Gulch!

Posted by sdesapio 9 years, 2 months ago to Entertainment
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Al Ruddy, the producer of The Godfather and Million Dollar Baby, is on a mission. He's been talking to some BIG players and is seriously moving the ball downfield regarding the Atlas Shrugged mini-series/tv-series. In Al's words, Atlas is "the most important thing" he'll ever do, and...

He wants to talk to you.

Yep. Al wants to come to the Gulch and do a kind-of reverse AMA in that he has some questions for the Gulch regarding the series. It'll be a Gulch Producers Only event and it should happen some time next week. Stay tuned. :)

I'll keep you posted,
Scott

P.S. If you're not yet a Gulch Producer, and you're not interested in becoming one, leave a comment here for Al to have a Gulch Producer potentially mention it during the event. If you are interested in becoming a Gulch Producer, see the links below.

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  • Posted by $ jlc 9 years, 2 months ago
    There are going to have to be tremendous changes made if the book is going to turn into a viable script. Saying, "Don't change anything." is the same as saying, "Don't make the series." I will gladly settle for, "Don't change the message."

    I will be delighted to participate in the conversation.

    Jan
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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 2 months ago
    There was some scuttlebutt that there was a problem with A.R. and the project was eventually shelved. True or false? Very glad Mr. Ruddy is still interested after all these years. I hope he has the juice to make this dream come true.
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    • Posted by ewv 9 years, 2 months ago
      Ayn Rand thought she had an agreement in1972 with Al Ruddy, who very much had wanted to produce AS. She publicly announced that she had sold the rights while retaining the right of approval of the script, stating that "for almost fifteen years, I had refused to sell Atlas Shrugged except on condition that I would have the right of approval of the film script". Ruddy reneged on the agreement, after apparently telling her what he thought she wanted to hear in order to get the movie rights without taking her seriously. There have been false rumors claiming she refused to allow a movie that would not include the full 4 hour Galt's speech, which she understould very well would not be possible for a movie.
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      • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 2 months ago
        Thanks for the clarification. Al Ruddy's desire to do A.S. seems like Deja-Vu all over again, to quote Yogi Berra.
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        • Posted by ewv 9 years, 2 months ago
          He said much later that he told her, when she refused to drop her conditions, that he would eventually make the movie whether she was still here or not. His stated intent was to produce it as a love story and a thriller, keeping Ayn Rand's dialogues in the portion of the novel extracted for the movie but leaving the theme implicit in the action. He did say that he liked the novel very much, having read it several times and underlying many passages.
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          • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 2 months ago
            As a love story and thriller it certainly have wider appeal. However it would no longer be Atlas Shrugged. Perhaps it could be called Atlas Winked.
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            • Posted by term2 9 years, 2 months ago
              Shrugging within a declining statist society implies abandoning life in a way- you give up not only what would be taken from you by the statists, but also whatever would be left to you to enjoy. It definitely has downsides, at least for me. And it takes SO long for statism to reach its end game that I would give up most of my life before it happened. Its very disturbing to say the least. I WANT to shrug, but I essentially have to go live in the woods somewhere like a mormon cult- and even then the government comes down on you if it amounts to anything.
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              • Posted by Herb7734 9 years, 2 months ago
                I would if I were younger, shrug only on the condition of entering a better place -- which so far, doesn't exist with the exception of dreams, wishes or death.
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  • Posted by $ CBJ 9 years, 2 months ago
    I remember the excitement among Ayn Rand fans when it was announced in the 1970s that Al Ruddy would be making an Atlas Shrugged movie. Glad to see he will now have the opportunity to do it as a TV mini-series with hopefully a much wider audience.
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  • Posted by mshupe 9 years, 2 months ago
    The original problem with A. R., as I understand it, was that she refused to give Al Ruddy final script approval. This is according to his interview in the Documentary: The Prophesy of Ayn Rand. She had similar issues with producers who wanted to shorten Howard Roark's courtroom speech.
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  • Posted by Maritimus 9 years, 2 months ago
    Hello, Scott,
    This is very good news for those who believe in the fundamental value of Atlas Shrugged as the first hand and thorough expression of the Objectivist philosophy.
    On the bases of my for sure limited exposure to the "producers" in the Gulch, I would expect Mr. Ruddy to be exposed to quite a bit of contradictory and nonsensical thought. It would seem to me, therefore, that you might wish to prepare him for that. The last thing we should wish is for him loose his enthusiasm.
    Just my penny's worth.
    All the best!
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  • Posted by funu50401 9 years, 2 months ago
    Don't change a word, no one word; with a series, what would be the need for chop, chop, chop.
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    • Posted by ewv 9 years, 2 months ago
      There are many reasons aside from length why a film script can't be a transcript of a novel. They are different media forms. A novel must by its nature include verbal descriptions of everything from personal thoughts and history to the physical environment. Even some of the dialogue does that. A film conveys much information visually.

      Most important is that the sense of life and ideas of the novel not be sacrificed, misrepresented or contradicted.
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      • Posted by funu50401 9 years, 2 months ago
        Oh, I get all of that, but I have seen so many movies "flipped" so that the original intent of the author is subverted. Trashed, in other words.
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        • Posted by ewv 9 years, 2 months ago
          Stolen for a different or contrary goal. It's why Ayn Rand insisted on keeping the final right to approve the script. She didn't want to go through the battles she endured in the production of The Fountainhead or worse. It's still what makes people so leery of a film production.
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  • Posted by term2 9 years, 2 months ago
    My suggestion for an AS series is to focus on rebuilding when we hit bottom. Just HOW would a country be rebuilt. Start with the collapse of the dollar and what happens then. Then starting with a new dollar based on something of value ( almost anything of value !!), and see how a resilient people built back up. Even Ayn Rand doesnt deal with this in her books. Look at Venezuela- how would they build their country back up.
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    • Posted by $ WilliamShipley 9 years, 2 months ago
      I got to thinking about your idea and began to realize that, to a degree, Atlas has Shrugged. A lot of people talk about companies moving off shore and making more money -- isn't that really what it's all about. Abandoning the U.S. because of it's implementation of the socialist agenda?

      Of course they haven't moved to an Objectivist paradise and they still sell stuff to the U.S. but there are similarities.
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      • Posted by term2 9 years, 2 months ago
        I can tell you that I used to make medical devices (breathing tube sets). In 1976 the FDA exerted control over medical devices. It took 8 years but by then one had to wait up to 18 months for "approval" to market pretty much any medical device. I "shrugged" and sold off the business and never even thought again about making medical devices. Now I make off road lighting that isnt regulated (yet). I could make most all of the items, but I buy instead 75% of the assemblies and parts from china to avoid the regulations in the US on employees, not to mention the high cost of employees. I have so called aliens, because thats all I can afford to compete in the market. I would say what I am doing is more like the Rearden/Dagny kind of thing than shrugging. There ARE days, tho I want to just stop doing business here altogether and just go sit on a south sea island. I am tired of the crap that comes out of the mouth of Obama/Hillary/Sanders and most of the republicans (possible exception of Rand Paul/Ben CArson/Donald Trump). But I doubt any of them could be elected in the present climate.
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      • Posted by plusaf 9 years, 1 month ago
        Think of the offshoring and re-incorporation by companies in the US as a natural result of 'international competition.' And the highest-priced rent-seeker loses. Tough shit on them, even if 'them' are 'us.'

        Read what Ken Fisher says about it, too. Objectors to offshoring or reincorporation are expressing envy, jealousy or incompetence. They get no sympathy or agreement from me.
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