"We The Living" returns to theatres….
30-Nov-03
Courtesy of Miss Liberty's Film and TV Reviews:
Contact:
Duncan Scott Duncan Scott Productions, Inc.
17010 Sunset Blvd.
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Phone: 310 454-9460
AYN RAND MOVIE RETURNS TO THEATERS
Los Angeles, CA – Oct 21, 2003. Moviegoers as well as fans of
novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand will soon have a rare opportunity to see
the film classic, WE THE LIVING on the big screen. The film's
distributor, Duncan Scott, announced today that the film will be
released to theaters across North America throughout the winter of 2003
and the spring of 2004. This is the first theatrical reissue of the film
in 15 years.
WE THE LIVING's re-release kicks off in style with the American
Cinematheque hosting the premiere screening at the 600 seat Egyptian
Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 3, 2003. “We're really
thrilled”, said Scott, “The American Cinematheque is one of the
country's most renowned venues for classic films.” Scott will introduce
the film and participate in a Q & A session with the audience following
the screening. He will talk about the creative sessions with Ayn Rand
during the movie's restoration.
Following the Los Angeles event, WE THE LIVING will be shown in New York
City, San Francisco, Chicago and as many as forty other U.S. and
Canadian cities. Dates for future screenings will be announced in
November and will be available at the distributor's web site:
.
WE THE LIVING features a luminous performance by Italian screen legend,
Alida Valli (THE THIRD MAN, SENSO) and an important early-career
dramatic role for Rossano Brazzi (SOUTH PACIFIC, THREE COINS IN THE
FOUNTAIN, THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA). The film was directed by Goffredo
Alessandrini, based on the novel by Ayn Rand, one of America's most
well-known and controversial novelists. Rand, author of THE FOUNTAINHEAD
and ATLAS SHRUGGED, founded the philosophy of Objectivism.
Film buffs have long been fascinated by the contentious production
history of WE THE LIVING. Produced in Italy during World War II, the
story was considered a political hot potato and, ironically, was only
approved for filming through the personal intervention of the son of
dictator, Benito Mussolini, a film executive who was attracted to the
love triangle aspect of the story. Rand was never notified and never
authorized the filming of her novel. As the film was being shot, the
studio executives hid controversial scenes from the fascist authorities
who were closely monitoring the production.
When WE THE LIVING opened in Rome in 1942, the film's story of three
young people (a communist, an aristocrat, and a headstrong young woman)
defying the authority of the state galvanized audiences in
fascist-controlled Italy. Also, the portrayal of an independent,
intelligent, sexually unchaste heroine was extraordinary for its time.
In an interview many years later, Rossano Brazzi described the impact of
the movie on Italian audiences as comparable to that of GONE WITH THE
WIND in the .
Italian moviegoers, seeing the parallels between the plight of the
film's characters and their own oppressed and impoverished existence,
interpreted the film as a clever indictment of the Mussolini regime. In
short order, the Italian government banned WE THE LIVING and ordered the
film destroyed. But the original negatives were secretly preserved and,
almost three decades later, were rediscovered by Henry Mark Holzer and
Erika Holzer and brought to the U.S. Rand, working with Scott and the
Holzers, supervised the restoration and re-editing of the film, but she
died in 1982, never having seen the final version of WE THE LIVING.
The restored film opened to rave reviews in 1987. New York Newsday said,
“WE THE LIVING qualifies in every respect as film treasure.” Film
critic, Michael Medved called it, “An amazing piece of cinema. I loved
every minute of it.” The New York Times called it “An ambitious and
ingenious film.”
Interest in Ayn Rand is now at an all time high. In the past two years,
Rand has made the front cover of USA Today, and has been featured in The
NY Times, Newsweek, and US News and World Report. Rand's books, which
have already sold over 30 million copies, continue to be bestsellers to
new generations. Her life story was recently the subject of both an
Oscar-nominated documentary and an Emmy-nominated TV movie. In 1999 she
was honored on a commemorative U.S. postage stamp. Most remarkably, a
Library of Congress survey found that Rand's novel ATLAS SHRUGGED is the
book that had most influenced U.S. readers, second only to The Bible.
“Thousands of people have discovered Ayn Rand in the years since we last
released the WE THE LIVING,” said Scott. “They won't want to miss an
opportunity to see this unforgettable film on the big screen.”
Contact: Duncan Scott at 310 454-9460 or email:
.
So mark your calendar now:
WE THE LIVING Wednesday, 12/3/03 at 7:30pm The Egyptian Theatre 6712
Hollywood Blvd. (East of Highland Ave.) Hollywood, CA 90028
Tickets: $9.00, purchase at the box office
Parking: Several area parking lots. For details, visit:
