The Fountainhead
by King Vidor
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Gary Cooper, Kent Smith, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Robert DouglasDirector: King Vidor
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Original recording remastered
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-11-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Fountainhead
Movie Review: Unintentionally Hilarious
Summary: 2 Stars
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 did not have any development, and we did not learn anything from his past, and about his way from Hell's Kitchen to the position of giving the public what it wants and creating single-hand the public opinion.
Both Gary Cooper(very attractive but too old for playing Roark) and Patricia Neal are very good actors and you can feel how uncomfortable they are doing their best and trying to stay serious and sincere while saying the most ridiculous lines of dialogue ever committed to celluloid. When the dramatic and moving (supposedly) scenes make me giggle uncomfortably and feel sorry for the actors on the screen I believe it was a bad movie. The scene in the court that was supposed to be Roark's triumph and celebration of Ayn Rand's philosophical ideas left me lost and confused about the way the criminal justice system worked in the Rand's utopian world. The only redeeming value the film has well two actually - truly magnificent buildings of New York City and the running time 112 minutes. Enduring the novel was much more difficult task that is suited for the masochists.
Summary of The Fountainhead
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 LiebensonBased 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.Running Time: 112 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569571624 Manufacturer No: 65716
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