The Passion of Ayn Rand ★★½ 1999 Warts-and-all bio of the Russian-born novelist/philosopher that focuses on the 20-year friendship between Rand (Mirren) and psychoanalyst Nathaniel Branden (Stoltz). When the pic opens in 1951, self-important Rand is already famous for "The Fountainhead" and has a longtime marriage to the overshadowed Frank (Fonda). Nathaniel and Barbara (Delpy) are college students pushed to marry by mentor Rand, who soon becomes Nathaniel's lover and encourages his ambitions—to the dismay of both spouses. Based on the 1986 memoir by Barbara Branden, so there's an axe to grind. 104m/C VHS, DVD. Helen Mirren, Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy, Peter Fonda, Tom McCamus, Sybil Temchen, Don McKellar, David Ferry;
Director:
Christopher Menaul;
Writer:
Howard Korder, Mary Gallagher;
Writer:
Ronald Orieux;
Cameo:
Jeff Beal. CABLE
