- Release date: 1998
- Runtime: 145 min
- Genre: Biography, Documentary
- Starring: Sharon Gless, Michael S. Berliner, Harry Binswanger, Sylvia Bokor ... See all
- Director: Michael Paxton
- Plot: Ayn Rand was born in 1905 in St. Petersberg, Russia. She escaped to America in 1926 amidst the rise of Soviet Communism. She remained in the United States for the... Read more
User Reviews
ugh
Apr 11, 2008
John Martin - imdb.com
Apr 11, 2008John Martin - imdb.com
What a horrible woman. I have never read anything by her or about her but was really astounded by this documentary. Basically, she believes that everyone should be selfish and think only of themselves. Government should not take care of... Full review
Ayn Rand is my most favourite Philosopher!!!
May 11, 2007
orssengo - imdb.com
May 11, 2007orssengo - imdb.com
Ayn Rand has helped me to have an integrated view of life.She teaches for reason and trade, instead of faith and force.She is against mysticism, which rules by means of guilt, by keeping men convinced of their insignificance on earth.... Full review
compelling story of an unusual woman
Dec 21, 2006
blanche-2 - imdb.com
Dec 21, 2006blanche-2 - imdb.com
I may not agree with most of Ayn Rand's philosophy, but I do consider her a great fiction writer, and I found this documentary tremendously interesting in all aspects. "The Fountainhead" is one of my favorite books of all time,... Full review
Academy Award Nominated Film
Feb 07, 2002
heath-20 - imdb.com
Feb 07, 2002heath-20 - imdb.com
This film was nominated for Best Documentary - Academy Award and has received numerous awards. It is not 'shallow' at all, but is instead a true story of one of the most heroic women of our age. It tells the... Full review
Overlong but interesting
Jan 28, 2002
Wayne Malin - imdb.com
Jan 28, 2002Wayne Malin - imdb.com
Documentary (narrated by Sharon Gless) about the life and times of author/philosopher Ayn Rand. Movies goes into exhaustive detail about her coming here from Russia, her "objectivism" philosophy, her books, her whole entire life. The film is too long (2... Full review
A broad picture of the seminal individualst
Aug 27, 2001
occupant-1 - imdb.com
Aug 27, 2001occupant-1 - imdb.com
Much critical has been and will be said about this writer; this film's coverage is a fair salvo from Rand's side. As such, it's indispensable in the debate about the relevance of her philosophy, novels and achievements.... Full review
Whatever's happened to Feminism here?
Sep 27, 1999
Eric Hendricks - imdb.com
Sep 27, 1999Eric Hendricks - imdb.com
All of the occupations and fields of endeavor to which Ayn Rand devoted her ideas and activities were and always have been dominated by men - and certainly not least the field of Philosophy. It might be seen as instructive... Full review
A Moving Biographical Documentary
Mar 15, 1999
harry-76 - imdb.com
Mar 15, 1999harry-76 - imdb.com
"Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life" is a substantive documentary on arguably the greatest philosopher since Aristotle. That this bio took so long in coming, attests to the slow recognition of her genius and supreme contribution to 20th century culure.... Full review
The problem isn't bias, it's shallowness.
Jan 17, 1999
meebly - imdb.com
Jan 17, 1999meebly - imdb.com
Let's face it. Every documentary is biased. No matter how objective (forgive the situational wordplay) a documentary filmmaker wants to be in presenting his/her subject, he/she has a point of view, or else why bother making the film at all?The... Full review
Critics Reviews
Combustible Celluloid
The problem is that the movie fails to deal with Rand's philosophy and how it aged over her lifetime, and how it works today.
The literary Rand is subject enough for one movie, and Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life is always interesting.
... Full Review
| Aug 01, 2008Boxoffice Magazine
In this vivid film, writer/director/producer Michael Paxton has studiously assembled a montage of Rand's life, loves and work via stock footage, rare photos, taped interviews, film clips, and even rare footage of her testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee. ... Full Review
News
Documentary Helps Make Sense of Rand's Life Mick LaSalle, Chronicle Staff Critic Friday, May 1, 1998
sfgate.com –
1998-05-01
Now, with communism no longer perceived as a threat nor a tenable system, much of the urgency surrounding the reading of Rand has receded. She is, for the most part, no longer much loved or hated. She's a fact -- ... Full Article
AYN RAND-A SENSE OF LIFE Rated:NR For movie details, please click here . Written, produced and directed by Michael Paxton, Ayn Rand-A Sense of Life is a workmanlike treatment of Rand (1905-1982), the Russian-born iconoclast writer/philosopher best remembered for her... ... Full Article





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