Film Adaptation
Without Rand's permission, We the Living, which had been published in an Italian translation in 1937, was made into a two-part film, Noi Vivi and Addio, Kira in 1942. The films were directed by Goffredo Alessandrini for Scalera Films of Rome, and starred Alida Valli as Kira, Fosco Giachetti as Andrei, and Rossano Brazzi as Leo. Prior to their release, the films were nearly censored by Mussolini's government, but they were permitted because the story itself was set in Soviet Russia and was directly critical of that regime. The films were successful, and the public easily realized that they were as much against fascism as communism. After several weeks, the films were pulled from theaters after the Nazi German and fascist Italian governments discovered the story also carried an anti-fascist message.
Rediscovered in the 1960s through the efforts of Rand's lawyers, Erika Holzer and Henry Mark Holzer, these films were re-edited into a new version with English subtitles composed by Erika Holzer and Revision co-Producer Duncan Scott. This version was approved by Rand and her estate and re-released as We the Living in 1986. A two-disc DVD of the film is currently being sold by Duncan Scott Productions.
Read more about this topic: We The Living
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