Recently had an interesting chat with someone on Twitter who recommended that I check out some videos made by Greg Bowyer in reference to Ayn Rand’s Anthem.
I was a big fan of her work with Anthem, and am currently reading through Atlas Shrugged. So I was pretty interested in checking out a homemade film-adaptation of one of her literary works.
I think these are some pretty interesting scenes from the book, so I definitely wanted to share them on here.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar, Anthem is Ayn Rand’s notable book on collectivist dystopias. It follows an individual as he struggles through the process of “breaking his chains” and discovering his own identity in a dystopian world.
For a more in-depth understanding, check out my review of Anthem (here’s a snippet):
Following some similar book reviews of Animal Farm by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, it would be malicious of me to not include Anthem by Ayn Rand.
The story within Anthem depicts the journey of a young man known as Equality 7-2521 as he lives and escapes a dystopian collectivist future.
Individuality has all but been wiped out.
This is evident by the liberal use of “we” when discussing ones-self, instead of “I“. But I won’t go too much into that, as it would entail some significant plot points.
In this future, technological advancement has made significant strides backwards. Incorporating things such as candles as the driving light in the society, instead of bulbs.
And similar to many other dystopian novels, jobs are determined by societal overseers instead of chosen by the individual.
Equality 7-2521 had the lucky break of being a Street Sweeper. Regardless of his forced career, he still aspires for more and begins doing secret scientific research in a hidden underground location. When this is discovered, all hell breaks loose…
Give these clips a quick watch and let me know your thoughts. I think the director did great work on these scenes.
Anthem Field Scene
This is a scene from Greg Bowyer’s adaptation of Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem.
It is a future DarkAges, where everyone has accepted the collectivist ideal that society takes precedence over the individual.
Yet two individuals, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000, overcome their indoctrination and guilt to pursue a selfish relationship between themselves.
Anthem Light Scene
This is a scene from Greg Bowyer’s adaptation of Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem.
Equality 7-2521 has studied science and the properties of electricity for years in a secret chamber from the past.
This is the night he makes an important discovery.