The Passion of Ayn Rand.

I watched this DVD yesterday and it was well done- it's a Showtime presentation so it has that feel of a T.V. mini-series, but the acting is great. Helen Mirren as Rand and Eric Stoltz as her young lover. I don't know why he never became a bigger name. This film involves a strange story: Mirren (Rand) and Nate Brandon (Stoltz) engage in an affair. He is 25 years younger than she, and they both gain the approval of their spouses, Julie Delpy and Peter Fonda for the affair.

I'm not a huge Ayn Rand fan, but she does say a lot of things I agree with, and some not. You should check this interview she did in 1959 with Mike Wallace. Her eyes are very large and black, and they move quickly when she's being asked a question.

Then you can watch her here on a Donahue show in 1980. The fashions are hilarious. In this one she is 75. Watching both interviews gives you a feel for her at 2 separate times in her life. She also states how not enough attention is devoted to the intellectually gifted kids in schools (I agree) and also how it's not wrong to talk about being great at something if you've earned it. (I agree). If you watch the whole Donahue show, when one woman criticizes her in the audience, Ayn reacts strongly to it. She doesn't believe people hold any responsibility to others, and she views self-sacrifice as the ultimate evil. She also doesn't think many people are worthy of being loved, she thinks one has to earn one's love by having honor and virtue.

I recommend readers to please check out these 2 interviews because even if you loathe Rand, just watch how much more idea driven and intellectual things were back then. Listen to some of the questions Donahue asks her and then compare them to what Oprah Winfrey would ask. Rand moved to the US from Russia and never knew if her parents were alive or dead. In the Mike Wallace interview, you only learn that towards the end because it's not relevant. Also, the Donahue interview was shot one year after her husband's death. Again, you only learn this towards the end of the interview. Today, Oprah Winfrey would ask those questions first, trying to delve into her New Age psychobabble, which Rand would have cut her down for.

Interesting to watch, even if you agree or not.