MORE THAN half a century after publication, and after years of talk about an “Atlas Shrugged’’ movie project, Ayn Rand’s best-selling novel finally hit the big screen this past weekend — met with indifference by most critics, with excitement in libertarian and conservative circles. Why now? Partly because the last two years have seen something of a Rand revival, based on the belief that the “Atlas’’ vision of a bleak, collectivism-ridden, freedom-stifling future America is a prophecy for the age of Obama.
As a moderate libertarian conservative with a longtime interest in Rand’s work, I have mixed feelings about this revival. I believe that Rand is underappreciated and often unfairly maligned. But I also fear that the current Rand vogue often focuses on the worst, not the best, aspects of her legacy — and will widen the gap between Rand acolytes and non-believers who see her as the evil guru of the right.
