Ayn Rand - Interviews Collection (DVD)

You can preview the interviews on YouTube.

Disc 1:

Ayn Rand at the University of Michigan

Considered by many to be in the same league as Aristotle and Aquinas, controversial novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand made very few live appearances that were preserved. Recorded for University of Michigan television, this interview was broadcast only once and then vaulted. In it, the esteemed thinker examines her philosophy of Objectivism. Why is altruism evil? Why is rational self-interest the only moral standard by which man should live? Why is "selfishness" virtuous and why does it lead man to the pinnacle of achievement and morality? What are the implications of these ideas for our modern world? These and many other questions are the focus of this unique discussion that present the corner-stones of Rand's philosophy of Objectivsm in a straight-forward, pithy, engrossing and enlightening thirty minutes.

Mike Wallace & Ayn Rand: A Remarkable Meeting of the Minds (February 25, 1959)

For over 40 years, Mike Wallace has been among a handful of outstanding reporters who have set the standard for television journalism in America. As one of the most skilled interviewers in the history of visual media, he is known for asking bold, direct questions that push his subjects to the limits of their intellectual ability, and force them to reveal their true thinking. Wallace's interview of writer/philosopher Ayn Rand, exemplifies these qualities; however, he soon discovers that she is not a thinker who's afraid to say what's on her mind. The combination of Rand—at the height of her powers and at her charismatic best—and Wallace—young, aggressive, and powerfully charismatic in his own right—provides one of Rand's most engaging and memorable appearances of all time. This remarkable meeting of their minds constitutes an extraordinary chapter in the rich chronicle of American culture of the 20th Century.

Tom Snyder Interviews Ayn Rand

To the Frustration of many students and admirers of Ayn Rand, this interview had been unavailable for nearly twenty years after its taping, until its exclusive release by No Free Lunch Distributors in May of 1998. Snyder begins the interview admitting that he has not read Rand's books, and asks her to explain her basic philosophy to him. What transpires is one of Rand's most memorable interviews, and the favorite of many Rand aficionados. Snyder's disarming personality elicits some of the most personal sides of the great philosopher and writer, and yet, at the sime time, provides excellent insight into her ideas and her way of thinking. This is one of the best interviews Rand ever did (and it is certainly one of the best Snyder ever did).

"The most personal of all interviews of Rand."

Disc 2:

Phil Donahue Interviews Ayn Rand, Interview I (May 16, 1979, New York City)

Ayn Rand, Phil Donahue, and New York City prove a volatile mixture, as Rand at her feisty, laser-witted best takes on liberal Donahue and systematically defends the absolutism of reason, the virtues of capitalism, and the irrationality of self-sacrifice. Donahue and audience members attack Rand's atheism, and sparks really fly when Rand outlines her objections to feminism and a woman President—as commander-in-chief of the armed forces! Finally, Rand takes an audience member to task when she expresses disaffection with Objectivism. Rand, Donahue, and prime-time America—with no holds barred.

Phil Donahue Interviews Ayn Rand, Interview II (April 29, 1980, Chicago)

In her first public appearance since husband Frank O'Connor's death, we see a rare personal side of Rand—"...I lost my top value. I'm not too interested in anything else, but I'll survive it because I do love the world, in general, and I do love ideas, and I do love men. But my personal is lost now." As always, the ideas do shine through: the acknowledgement of achievement; the evils of altruism; American schools sacrificing the gifted for the less gifted; the nationalization of American oil interests in the Middle East; the fatal arguments for the existence of God;... and much more.

Number of discs: 2
Number of files:
Run time: 3 hours
Format: DVD, 4:3, 720x480, NTSC, 30 fps
Source: Original VHS (NTSC, 4:3)