Paul Johansson’s Atlas Shrugged: Part 1, an adaptation of Ayn Rand’s classic novel, was released in U.S. theaters this past april April, and audiences collectively shrugged. The film earned $4.6 million domestically in limited release, barely touching most people’s radars. But the film’s DVD release is causing a stir for dubious reasons.
According to the film’s official blog, more than 100,000 copies of the Atlas DVD and Blu-ray will have their title sheets replaced because of a miscommunication that flies in the face of the movie's message. On the back of the retail DVD and Blu-ray copies, the movie’s synopsis contradictorily states that this is an adaptation of Rand’s “timeless novel of courage and self-sacrifice.”
Except Rand would never celebrate the virtue of self-sacrifice. Quite the opposite.
“As we all well know, the ideas brought to life in Atlas Shrugged are entirely antithetical to the idea of ‘self-sacrifice’ as a virtue. Atlas is quite literally a story about the dangers of self-sacrifice,” said Harmon Kaslow, CEO of Atlas Productions and a producer on the film. “The error was an unfortunate one and fans of Ayn Rand and Atlas have every right to be upset ... and we have every intention of making it right.”
So all 50 people who plan on grabbing a copy of Atlas will either want to grab the “Special Edition” version, which did not have the editorial error, or wait for new copies to reach stores. Or, if you are interested in collector’s editions due to clerical mistakes, you might want to rush to the nearest Wal-Mart and hope a mistaken Atlas remains on the shelves.
