[885] in libertarians
Laissez Faire Book News: Rand's WE THE LIVING on video
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Chris Whitten)
Fri Apr 14 14:59:02 1995
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 1995 14:56:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: Chris Whitten <lfb@panix.com>
Apparently-To: <libertarians@mit.edu>
Ayn Rand's heroic *We the Living* on videotape
WE THE LIVING
by Ayn Rand
[Scalera Films, 1942]
In the chaotic and terrifying years following the Russian revolution,
three individuals demand the right to live their own lives. A
beautiful, strong-willed young woman and the two men who love her
courageously defy an oppressive, state-controlled society. Their
relationship, conflicts and heroic struggle form the heart of *We the
Living*.
With this novel and her subsequent best-sellers *The Fountainhead*
and *Atlas Shrugged*, Ayn Rand provoked worldwide controversy
and admiration.
In 1942, without the author's knowledge or permission, *We the
Living* was filmed in Italy as "Noi Vivi." Because the book was anti-
Soviet, the Mussolini government encouraged the project. During its
brief run the film was an enormous success.
Fascist officials then found to their shock that the film's message was
an indictment of totalitarianism in *all* its forms. Mussolini was
reportedly furious. The authorities promptly pulled it from theathers
and ordered it destroyed. Fortunately, the film's producer managed to
hide the negative.
Many years later, Ayn Rand's attorneys Erika and Henry Mark Holzer
undertook a search for the lost film. Their long and arduous efforts
ultimately proved successful when this cinematic treasure was
discovered at last--sealed in a vault on the outskirts of Rome. Under
Ayn Rand's personal supervision, *We the Living* was brought back
to America and meticulously restored.
In 1988 and 1989 the film was finally released in American theaters
with English subtitles. It got rave reviews from audiences and critics
alike. Now this remarkable film is available on videocassette in a
handsome new package and at a lower price. It is a movie you will
want to own, share with friends, and see again and again. It isn't easy
to find in stores for sale or rent--so order yours today.
* * *
"At the 1942 Venice Film Festival, *We the Living* won the Volpe
Cup and enjoyed a huge popular success. This was enhanced by the
teaming of Fosco Giachetti, then Italy's top box-office actor, with
Alida Valli, at 21 an audience favorite... and Rossano Brazzi, already
a highly-paid movie star." --*Great Italian Films*
"They don't make 'em like this anymore... A colossal love story within
a massive philosophical framework [and a] masterfully contructed
plot... Valli's powerhouse performance is reminiscent of a young
Ingrid Bergman... Artful gradations of black and white, a sensitive,
roving camera and clever transitions give the film a timeless quality,
and make the principals seem like mythical, cinematic demigods.
Keep this masterpiece out of Ted Turner's hands." --*Miami News*
"Screen romance doesn't come any better than this... Suppressed by
Mussolini's fascists and long forgotten, it is now being celebrated as
the lost classic that it is." --*New York Newsday*
"A cinematic jewel... Grand, old-fashioned, extravangantly
romantic... It's 'they don't make 'em like this anymore' entertainment
for anyone who loves a great story." --*Reason Magazine*
"Five stars. [highest rating] *We the Living* is everything you would
expect, and want, from an adaptation of a Rand novel: fierce in its
message of rugged individualism, yet compelling in its drama."
--*Cincinnati Enquirer*
Order No. AR5616 (2 videotapes) 2 hrs., 54 min. $69.95
(*We the Living* is also available in paperback: AR0172,
446 pages, $6.95.)
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