{"id":3718,"date":"2007-07-20T11:44:44","date_gmt":"2007-07-20T18:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3718"},"modified":"2021-02-05T23:57:53","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T06:57:53","slug":"fountainhead-the-1949","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3718","title":{"rendered":"Fountainhead, The (1949)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Do you want to stand alone against the whole world?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Poster-161x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"161\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Poster-161x300.jpg 161w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Poster-68x128.jpg 68w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Poster.jpg 502w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 161px) 100vw, 161px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA visionary young architect (Gary Cooper) refuses to compromise his artistic integrity at any cost.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Courtroom Drama<\/li>\n<li>Gary Cooper Films<\/li>\n<li>King Vidor Films<\/li>\n<li>Love Triangle<\/li>\n<li>Non-Conformists<\/li>\n<li>Patricia Neal Films<\/li>\n<li>Raymond Massey Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nKing Vidor&#8217;s adaptation of Ayn Rand&#8217;s bestselling novel is just as stilted as its source material. Rand wrote her own screenplay, and, like her central hero, refused to compromise the integrity of her philosophical vision; as a result, the characters are &#8212; as noted by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2163foun.html\">DVD Savant<\/a> &#8212; simply &#8220;walking ideas and arguments&#8221;, and the film itself comes across as &#8220;a presentation of a radical social philosophy using a soap opera format&#8221;. With that said, some believe there&#8217;s more to <em>The Fountainhead<\/em> than meets the eye; Savant himself refers to it as an &#8220;emotionally powerful piece of cinematic insanity, a movie that bears careful watching.&#8221; I&#8217;ve seen the film twice now, and must admit I find it difficult to take seriously &#8212; while it&#8217;s nothing if not sincere, it fails to involve viewers on anything more than a superficial level, and the didactic dialogue is an enormous distraction. Cooper&#8217;s infamous, lengthy courtroom speech in the final section of the film is frustrating rather than satisfying, given that his logic is hopelessly skewed:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3-1024x766.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3-1024x766.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cooper3.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, it&#8217;s hard to root for this staunchly selfish man, who considers his own needs more important than everyone else&#8217;s. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Patricia Neal &#8212; stilted but undeniably beautiful in her first major film role<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal-1024x782.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"489\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal-1024x782.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal-300x229.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal-768x586.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal-354x270.png 354w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Neal.png 1377w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Robert Burk&#8217;s stark cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography-1024x767.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"479\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-69149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography-1024x767.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography-768x575.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography-361x270.png 361w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/07\/Fountainhead-Cinematography.png 1369w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its status as an over-the-top cult favorite. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0041386\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1949\/07\/09\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-gary-cooper-plays-an-idealistic-architect-in.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2163foun.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/596\/the-fountainhead\/#articles-reviews?articleId=79766\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Do you want to stand alone against the whole world?&#8221; Synopsis: A visionary young architect (Gary Cooper) refuses to compromise his artistic integrity at any cost. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Courtroom Drama Gary Cooper Films King Vidor Films Love Triangle Non-Conformists Patricia Neal Films Raymond Massey Films Review: King Vidor&#8217;s adaptation of Ayn Rand&#8217;s bestselling novel is just as stilted as its source material. Rand wrote her own screenplay, and, like her central hero, refused to compromise the integrity&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=3718\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3718"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69150,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3718\/revisions\/69150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}