Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4869 in DVD
• Brand: COOPER,GARY
• Released on: 2006-11-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, DVD, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 114 minutes

Features

• 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.Running Time: 112 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR Age: 012569571624 UPC: 01

Customer Reviews

It Gets Better Every Time!
The first time I saw this movie, circa 1969, I was disappointed. I felt it was melodramatically presented, in black and white, and in two hours it was an injustice to the novel's power and grandeur. The actors did not seem to measure up, or buy in, to the characters they portrayed. This movie review, thirty years ago, would have rated "The Fountainhead" as, at best, two stars. It was a definite embarassment to most Ayn Rand devotees at the time.

The five star rating I give the movie today, thirty years and numerous viewings later, is a very personal, indivdualized one. Through these eyes, "The Fountainhead" is enormously moving, well-cast and very well portrayed, if you're the kind of person who relates to: (1) the struggle between integrity and conformity in our private and business lives (2) the travails of entrepreneurship and perseverance in the face of spirit crushing adversity (3) the belief that there is definable difference between good and evil, and that it is really possible for the former to prevail.

Several of Gary Cooper's scenes as Howard Roark are profoundly memorable: (1) when he refuses money from Peter Keating after showing him he was down to his last few cents (2) when he walks out on the munificent offer from the bank board to build a mutation of his bank design (3) the party scene when Dominique discovers the quarry worker she had obsessed over was Roger Enright's architect, Howard Roark.

There's more. Great camera angles, strong dialogue from the supporting cast, especially Ellsworth Toohey.

Summarily, the director, screenplay people and actors did a magnificent job within the two hour confines of making a riveting movie. But if you're looking for a verbatim reproduction of the book, or you have an aversion to Ayn Rand's message of individual creativism and freedom, this one's not for you!

A good "summary" of the classic novel
Ayn Rand not only wrote the screenplay for this film based on her classic novel, she was, according to most reports, in favor of casting Gary Cooper as her architect hero Howard Roark. That proved to be a mistake. Not only is Cooper too "mature" for the role, he lacks the necessary passion to deliver Rand's philisophical speeches with conviction. Despite this misstep, "The Fountainhead" is a pretty faithful summary (as opposed to adaptation) of the legendary novel, and though it is far from perfect, the fact that Warner Bros. would even undertake such a radical project shows that the movie moguls of the past (such as Jack L. Warner) had a lot more vision and courage than the folks running the show in Hollywood today. The rest of the cast is quite good, and King Vidor's direction is masterful. The camera angles, the cinematography, and set design are all splendidly offbeat, making this film worthwhile for its visual qualities alone.

You don't need to know about the book to enjoy this film
While it was based on Ayn Rand's book, Ayn Rand personally altered the story to adapt it to film. It is a great movie that really makes the viewer think about many things including individualism, selfishness, and even what is right and wrong. For many people who take these notions as given from a very young, questioning them with an adult mind is a good idea. If you enjoy this movie, be sure to pick up and read some of Ayn Rand's non-fiction.