Customer Reviews

Ayn Rand's We the Living

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For anyone who apprecitates a beautiful, but unusual love story, gorgeous cinematography in the classic style, a movie full of conflict, passion and intelligent thought integrated into and driven by the action, who is interested in seeing the perverse, soul-destroying and deadly effects of a totalitarian system, be it communist, fascist or other, and who can still be startled by intense, powerful performances of actors portraying caracters whom you really care about, this is the film for you!
Needless to say, I love this film and am so pleased that Duncan Scott, the distributor, finally brought it out on DVD with all the scenes that were cut from the original films. My only regret is that anticipated sales of the DVD were obviously such that Mr. Scott wasn't able to invest the money to have the film restored before the DVD release, although the print we see is decent. The only other issue is that if I were Ayn Rand, I would have kept in the film appox. 13 minutes of scenes that were cut, as illustrated below (Please reference the deleted scenes on the DVD):
I would have kept:
#3, Andrei and Kira debate;
#6, Aunt Marussia falls ill segment;
#8, Expulsion from Institute
#9, Nica's death; and
#12, Wedding speach.
Theses scenes offer a power condemnation of Communism/Fascism, a superb denunciation of the toxic Soviet ideology: "You build to destroy others. One day you will destroy yourselves!", whereby only party members have access to health care and education.
I would also have kept:
#5, Mama visits Kira and Leo, which shows how much everyone still relies on Kira who was, nevertheless, rejected by her own family;
#10, Kira and Andrei at a cafe, which ties in with a scene at the beginning of the film where, travelling in the train, Kira hears beautiful music coming from another compartment. There, as in this scene, the music represents the powerful, limitless abilities of man--his ability to rise above the material necessities of food and shelter to dream, to be moved by emotion, to innovate, to create that which is intangible, yet beautiful and inspiring--all that which the communists feel wasteful and unnecessary; and especially
#19, the original ending, which finally shows what happens to the wedding dress that the prior scene focused on. I really don't know how this scene could have been removed for reasons of "artistic integrity" for it exactly matches the ending in the novel.
In any case, those are my quibbles. But overall, I obviously recommend this film very highly and think it richly deserves the five stars.

A few things...

1) This is a "lost" classic that must be seen. Filmed and originally released in fascist Italy during WWII, it was eventually ordered destroyed by Mussolini...but cooler minds (those of the producers) prevailed and secreted a copy. It took four decades for this movie to get "unveiled" again.

2) It stars Valli, who would 8-9 years later go on to star with Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles in the classic "The Third Man." She's beautiful and phenomenal!

3) Until now, this movie was only available on VHS and the old laser discs. I bought it on laser disc back in the early 1990s, and have been waiting for a DVD release for years. And it's been worth the wait!

The extras are cool...all new. A 35-minute documentary on the movie, its post-war discovery, and its re-release. Then about 45 minutes of deleted scenes, all of which were cut out during preparation for the film's revival in the 1980s and made under Ayn Rand's supervision. It's very nice to see these.

A "must own" for Ayn Rand fans, lovers of liberty, and lovers of great film!

I was deeply moved by this well constructed story. It is tragic, the character struggle and in spite of the misery they are in they try to keep on living their own lives and not simply existing. The heroine loves deeply and never deviates from her love, doing whatever it takes to get him what he needs even when he is giving up.

I got so involved I actually forgot I was reading subtitles and began to feel as if the dialog was in English! A top flight movie!

I'm always skeptical about books that are turned into movies. At times they lose their essence. However, I was impressed with how the cast really understood the novel. Alida Valli did a wonderful job as Kira. My favorite scene was in the university when the Communist were "voting". Her contempt for the Communists was classic. I loved it!! Rand did an excellent job editing the film.

On a philiosophical level, the film shows the slow destruction of those who cherish their own lives. Any dictatorship does this to those who are the most competent and independent. The injustices Kira and Leo and their families endured are real. My only concern was that some of the deleted scenes should have remained in the final cut. Particularly Kira escaping Soviet Russia. That should have stayed.

I just finished reading The Whispers by Orlando Figes. That chronicles the life of ordinary citizens in Stalin's Russia. Although the film captures life at the beginning of the Soviet Union, Rand did an extradinary job in detailing life there. In essence, she told the truth. I would hope that those who purchase this film will think about our own time and how easily bad ideas can destroy an entire country.

Ironically produced under fascist Italy as an anti-communist film (though later banned), We The Living's far broader pro-individual and anti-statist theme shines through in this excellent film. This is epic movie making based on one of the lesser known and most autobiographical of Ayn Rand's books. We The Living depicts communist Russia as Ayn Rand remembers it but is also a good story about a love triangle between young Kira, who wants to be an engineer, teetering Leo, who once was an idealist but quickly decays into cynicism held only by his love and admiration for Kira, and secret police GPU officer Andrei, who loves Kira but believes the wrong ideals and has to learn this the hard way.

The DVD includes a fascinating documentary on the making of the film as well as many minutes of deleted scenes.

Highly recommended!

I've tried to start writing my review for this movie several times, but it always ends up looking more like a treatise than a review. Suffice it to say I loved it. I have no words to describe the perfection of the actors in depicting these characters. The story is so interesting and so challenging- its much more than just a condemnation of the Soviet system. Films with this kind of philosophical resonance are very rare indeed.

The extras were wonderful and really added to the impact of the film. The featurette about the history of "We The Living" had me floored. Learning about the historical context of it moved me as much as the film itself. The circumstances under which it was produced are shocking, and that we have any remnant at all to enjoy today is almost miraculous.

I hope that someday enough interest in this nearly-lost treasure will catalyze an extensive film restoration. This film is more than deserving.

Regardless of one's political views re. Rand, the bottom line is: she lived through the Russian revolution and knew it intimately. Her philosopy, per se, is not here - here, its just her impression of the Russian Revolution, so different than Hollywood's knee slapping, idealized, bloodless, Ninotchka-take on that apparently innocent event. She had no part of this Italian version of her book, yet it captures the spirit of the book and the characters' desperation so well; it is scary in its precision and ability to stay concise. Brazzi is brilliant. But it can never beat the direct, simplicity of the book.

WE THE LIVING (1942) Directed by Goffredo Alessandrini. Based on the novel by Ayn Rand.
Starring Alida Valli, Raf Vallone and Rossano Brazzi.
Based on the heavily autobiographical novel by Rand, a love triangle between an anti-communist girl, an aristocrat and a member of the GRU...an interim name for the Soviet secret police after CHEKA but before KGB..... set during the 1922-24 period in Petrograd. A strange film since it is an Italian movie set in Russia and based on a novel in english. The basis for a good number of I suspect anti-communist romances with echoes and plotpoints that will later appear in everything from DR ZHIVAGO to ENEMY AT THE GATES. A good film. Good history. A tad overly romantic at times considering the hellhole the characters must exist in and with a moderately happier ending than the book. Great set design. The film was banned in Communist Russia, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and was lost until 1986.

i was amazed to find this available. never thought it might be possible to watch it. thanks amazon, for providing this long sought item.

This film is the product of the re-cutting of two films made in Italy during WWII based on Ayn Rand's "We the Living". The original films were made without Rand's knowledge and only made it past the fascist censors by inserting bits of propaganda, which starkly contrast with the anti-collectivist theme of the novel. The original films were ordered destroyed after immense success in Italy, and only survived because the original print was hidden. Years later the print was unearthed and this version (which removes items of propaganda and trims the subplots) was produced with Rand's oversight.

The final product is remarkably true to Rand's novel. While a product of a more romanticized (and I do not use this term as a pejorative but to emphasize the difference in acting style) era of film-making, it is still accessible to a modern audience. The three major characters are portrayed with passion and care. Alida Valli is especially noteworthy as she beautifully captures the soul of Kira.

Unlike many film adaptations of books, it is not necessary to have read the novel to fully enjoy this film. There is depth and heart behind the original works and this re-cutting only serves to clarify that fact.

I give this 4 stars instead of 5 simply because the subtitling was difficult to read in portions of the film. The included Special Features are also worth a look and provide a good deal of historical background.