The Fountainhead (film)
| The Fountainhead | |
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| Directed by | King Vidor |
| Produced by | Henry Blanke |
| Screenplay by | Ayn Rand |
| Based on |
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Robert Burks |
| Edited by | David Weisbart |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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114 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Fountainhead is a 1949 American black-and-white drama film, produced by Henry Blanke, directed by King Vidor, that stars Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Robert Douglas, and Kent Smith. The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Ayn Rand, who also wrote the screenplay adaptation. Although Rand's screenplay was used with minimal alterations, she later criticized the film's editing, production design, and acting.
The film and novel's storyline are concerned with the life of Howard Roark, an individualistic young architect who chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision, following his battle to practice what the public sees as modern architecture, which he believes to be superior, despite resistance from a traditionally minded architectural establishment. The complex relationships between Roark and the various kinds of individuals who assist or hinder his progress, or both, allow the film to be at once a romantic drama and a philosophical work. Roark is Rand's embodiment of the human spirit, and his struggle represents the struggle between individualism and collectivism.
Howard Roark (Gary Cooper) is an individualistic architect who follows a new artistic path in the face of conformity and vulgar mediocrity.
Ellsworth Toohey (Robert Douglas), an architecture critic for The Banner newspaper, opposes Roark's individualism and volunteers to crusade in print against him. The wealthy and influential publisher, Gail Wynand (Raymond Massey), pays little attention, but approves the idea and gives Toohey a free hand.
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