To my considerable surprise, the casting and acting in Part II were excellent. The characters actually seemed to "get it" this time. There were none of the apologetic smiles or nervous giggles that undercut the power of the lines in Part I. Jason Beghe was outstanding as Rearden; Samantha Mathis was very good as Dagny; Esai Morales was a little weaker as Francisco, but at least he looked the part, except for being short. The villains have easier roles, but they were all good, too-Wesley Mouch, Lillian Rearden, Mr. Thompson, and the rest. The only howler, comparable to the beautiful autumn leaves on the July 22 run of the John Galt Line in Part I, was the supposed 15% grade in the Winston Tunnel; I would be surprised if any train could make a 15% grade! But the cinematography and sets were once again beautiful. Unfortunately, the crowd on opening night in San Francisco was very thin; I think too many people were turned off by the shortcomings of Part I. Too bad they can't redo Part I with the current cast.
Great review, Mike, Thanks.
Warm regards, Michael-------- Original Message --------
Thanks for the review, Mike.
Marcy