Based on the novel by philosopher Ayn Rand, this is the story of architect Howard Roark. An idealist, Roark believes he can balance his values with the needs of society. His mentor disagrees - encouraging him to compromise his integrity rather than suffer for his artistic goals.
Exhibiting a darker edge to his hero persona, the strapping Gary Cooper has the (Frank Lloyd) Wright stuff as architect Harold Roark, a "fool visionary" who refuses to conform his artistic ideas to popular taste. His inflexibility makes enemies out of a tabloid architecture critic and a tycoon (Raymond Massey), who proclaims, "All men can be bought... there are no men of integrity." Keating (Kent Smith), a former classmate, urges Roark to take "the middle of the road so it's sure to please everybody." But Roark will not compromise, and when one of his building designs is radically altered without his consent, he resorts to drastic measures. Adapted for the screen by Ayn Rand from her towering and controversial bestseller, The Fountainhead is about as subtle as that phallic drill Roark wields so impressively, which catches the frenzied eye of the formidable Dominique Francon (Patricia Neal in her film debut). She recognizes Roark's nobility, but fears he has no chance "in a world where beauty, genius and greatness have no chance." Rand did little to dilute her polemics for the screen, resulting in melodramatic scenes that border on high camp, such as Roark and Francon's rather sexually charged discussion about limestone. Rand practiced what she preached. According to a bonus featurette about the making of the film, she refused to trim Roark's then-unprecedented six-minute courtroom speech in which he defends his actions. Even for those who don't adhere to her philosophy, The Fountainhead does offer something rarely seen on screens these days, a man of unshakable principles. And Hollywood could sure note Rand's object lesson about the perils of mediocrity and catering to "the mob." For Cooper fans, The Fountainhead is an essential addition to your DVD library. --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
A Story About High Standards:
Ayn Rand is a master whatever she writes. The Fountainhead is an extraordinary journey in one man's life making decisions every moment about holding true to his own integrity in a world with critical mass going in a different direction. In every moment he is confronted with the option to slide to mediocrity or hold to his higher value. If you have ever grappled with where that line is for you this is a must see ! If you haven't you should.
film noir:
This is a Christmas gift I ordered, I received the DVD in excellent condition. It is about individualism. Gary Cooper is an architecture who has his own ideas on how a building should be built and won't change his belief no matter what.
Bad movie/Great movie!:
Technically, this is one of the worst movies ever made. The acting is stilted, the music is predictable, and the set designs are pedantic. Gary Cooper hated his interpretation of the courtroom scene. Ayn fought tooth and nail with the studio heads to have it filmed exactly as she wrote it. Unfortunately she won. The heavy hand of novelist Ayn Rand's script is evident throughout. Fortunately, the theme of the story, a man's uncompromising individuality, more than makes up for the film's shortcomings.... more info
Unintentionally Hilarious:
Ayn Rand wrote herself the script for the film that features Gary Cooper as Roark and Patricia Neal as Dominique. Thanks God, she had condensed her bloated manifesto of individualism and brought it down to the reasonable size. Ironically, by cutting off hundreds of pages from the novel, the movie often does not make sense at all and in many scenes is unintentionally comical, exaggerated, and full of loud speeches that would never be heard in real life. The only interesting character of the book, Gail Waynad... more info
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