The Fountainhead (1949)

The Fountainhead
Directed by King Vidor
Written by Ayn Rand based on her novel
1949/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing/Hulu Plus

[box] Howard Roark: Before you can do things for people, you must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the people! Your own work, not any possible object of your charity. I’ll be glad if men who need it find a better method of living in the house I built, but that’s not the motive of my work, nor my reason, nor my reward! My reward, my purpose, my life, is the work itself – my work done my way! Nothing else matters to me![/box]

I cannot fully express my feelings about this film without spoilers.  Normally, I would suggest that my readers watch the film first but in this case I wouldn’t go that far.

As the film begins, we are introduced to young architect Howard Roark (Gary Cooper).  He is an uncompromising genius who can only find work with another genius architect who is eventually hounded to his death.  Roark’s mentor’s dying wish is that all his designs and other papers be destroyed.  It would certainly be a pity if society were to benefit from them so Roark happily complies.

Separately, we are introduced to Roark’s soulmate Dominique Francon (Patricia Neal). Dominique works for Gail Wynan (Raymond Massey), owner of a powerful New York tabloid.  He is in love with her but she isn’t having any.  One of the first things we see Dominique do is destroy a Greek figurine on the grounds that she loves it and might become attached to it.  This is supposed to be admirable.

Roark is unable to find any commission that will accept his designs as is so he gets work as a jackhammer operator at a stone quarry.  It is there Dominique spots Roark. She wrestles mightily with her lust, fearing that she may become “enslaved” by love. Eventually, she gives in to her desire and summons him to her room “to repair a marble hearth”.  After some passionate kissing, Roark reveals that he has finally received a commission to build a building his way.  Dominique accepts that Roark has a hard road in front of him and, as neither of them want to be enslaved at this point, they part. Eventually, though, Dominique offers to marry him if he will give up architecture.  They part again until Dominique can realize the error of her ways.

As punishment, Dominique decides to enter into a loveless marriage with the still-obsessed Wynan, whose paper previously engaged in a smear campaign against Roark and a building he finally got off the ground.  (The paper’s architecture critic, who hates Roark for defying public taste, is evidently one of the most powerful journalists in New York City.) Wynan wants to express his love though the perfect love nest.  He finds that Roark is the only architect sufficiently talented to design it.  Roark and Wynan become friends. Roark’s constant presence drives Dominique wild.

Finally, Roark’s sell-out architecture school classmate begs him to design a low-income housing project and allow him to get the credit.  Roark agrees on the condition that the friend will not allow his design to be tampered with in any way.  Of course, the wimpy friend caves in.  So Roark enlists Dominique’s help in creating a diversion while he dynamites the building!

This act is so noble that Wynan defies his architecture critic and entire staff and defends Roark.  The paper is nearly ruined.  Ultimately, Wynan also caves in.  Roark stands tall and defends himself in court.  The rightness of his action is so obvious that of course he is acquitted.  Wynan conveniently kills himself so Dominique will be free to marry our hero. The end.

Like Howard Roark, Ayn Rand’s philosophy was “my way or the highway” and she insisted that her screenplay be used intact.  This results in the many speeches outlining her objectivist philosophy.  Personally, I believe that this philosophy boils down to “selfishness is the ultimate good” and I find it pretty odious.  But, even if the philosophy was “love thy neighbor as thyself”  the amount of speechifying here would drag down any film.

In addition, I found the plot ludicrous.  One would think that architecture was one of the great political issues of our times for all the importance that is given to design philosophy.  It is difficult to empathize with characters who are so heedless of the needs of others. And the Roark-Dominique romance is just weird.  I suppose the film had some good points.  I was too busy being appalled to notice.  The source novel is one I will not be reading.

Trailer

Howard Roark’s courtroom speech