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The Fountainhead (1949)'s comments
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Comments 1 - 11 of 11
elcid
One more example of entertain cinema as a mean of propaganda.dpanter
I really liked it. A person who will not betray his principles, for anything or anyone... it's something else.Refreshing, controversial, classic.
Excellent acting with Gary Cooper in a magnificent performance. Sure, the script is a bit over the top at times and the way people behave sometimes is frankly baffling. That's Ayn Rand for ya.
We could use a massive dose of integrity in the world today.
Recommended.
Torgo
"Mankind will never destroy itself, Mr. Wynand" - oh come on, Ayn. How naïve can you be?MMDan
https://ok.ru/video/276008929955baraka92
What the hell was that? The first minute had the most amateurish dialogue possible, I almost stopped watching. I hated every single character in this thing. Ayn Rand must have been fun at parties.It’s ironic that King “one for the studio, one for me” Vidor directed this.
dkaymc777
I have not read the book. Nor will I, after having sat through this movie. Yikes. What a really terrible story line.Filmbuff77
A poor adaptation of Ayn Rand’s novel, filled with wooden acting and bad dialogue.avatud2013
This movie works quite well as a celebration of creative visionaries who can remain true to their ideas and principles. On that level it hit pretty close to heart more than once. Also it isn't half bad as a quirky romance movie that centralizes these elements of character in human relations.If viewed as an apologia for some modern libertarian views, political and philosophical positions, as it perhaps should also be considered, it fails pretty bad. The depiction of how the world works and at what height we should hold some values relative to others it just isn't convincing.
I'm all for individual freedoms against collective mandate in a lot of areas of endeavor, and for celebrating visionaries that can create amazing things while holding true against popular ideas and forms and genres, but if viewed as a political piece it seems a bad choice that these ideas are presented through the world of architecture. How are we supposed to see the main character as a "self made man"? In the world of high level architecture it seems most likely that such a creative "genius" can exist because of family influence and wealth and/or as a result of many sacrifices made by others beside him (the family?).
I haven't gotten far enough in the original book to make this claim about the novel, but in the movie the lack of information on how this man got to university and how he got the privileged position of associating with the highest in the field, is quite jarring. At least when viewed as a political statement. I'd say there are very few people that can work at that level designing prestigious buildings. To try to generalize it to other people and their freedoms, is weird. Why should we hold the integrity of this man's vision above let's say the practical needs of the people who would have to live or work in these buildings?
Yes, I'd agree, contracts should be honored, but more than anything this movie serves to push forward the position that public housing should never be built accepting such conditions of the architect.
The freedom and creative control over the design of the building by the architect is presented as if the highest value in such situations, and it leaves much to be clarified. What if there is a conflict with the freedoms, the safety and the quality of life of the people to live and/or work in those buildings? Should the creative vision (perhaps mad and out of touch with reality) still be held as the highest value? Especially if it is a public housing project not paid for by the architect.
The movie might work as a character study, but for it to work as an ideological/political piece of some conversion power the claim that the house in question at the final trial should somehow be considered "his house" to do with as he pleases, above being anyone else's is very very thin.
Good as a character study and engaging as an emotional celebration of integrity and visionary creatives, but at the moment of time quite a failure as in any way coherent political, ideological piece.
Thorkell
I 2nd that!!! I feel like I have been raped by a right wing fanatic. Ego über alles. The über-man is a man who does things only for himself, and never anything for others.Limbesdautomne
A masterpiece, but not that much after several rewatches. Rock a Rand The Clock.Read more in French on La Saveur des goûts amers.
mathiasa
What‘s wrong about acting according to your principles? I wished I was always strong enough to do that.I feel a lot of envy behind all of this vitriol. But envy of what? People being different?
@Thorkell: You watched now close to 10k of movies. Obviously, you watched them out of your own interest and not for the betterment of society. Which is perfectly fine. But maybe then you should not throw stones at people doing the same.
@elced: Propaganda is the systematic endeavor to change the public‘s view. A single movie, unconnected to any other endeavor cannot be part of a propaganda plot. And if it were propaganda, it would be rather good propaganda. Entirely contrary to the educational leftish ‘noir‘ propaganda of the 50s.
Overall, it‘s a rather interesting and challenging movie. Some parts were a bit uneven due to the script.
I wonder how it is resolved in the novel. I have read most of Rand‘s non-fictional work (So I can tell she‘s a talented writer) but not her two most successful novels. All in, I think the movie deserves an 8/10 (rounded up). Maybe it should have been much longer and an epic. They probably had to butcher the novel for the 2h script.
My political stance is far removed from that of a Randian or an Objectivist. I just watch things with an open eye and heart. And I don‘t fear people that are different from me, be it sex, skin-color, status or religion. As the 20th century has shown, I belong to a minority.
According to the downvotes, the hatred of Ayn Rand is as alive as it is imbecile and indecent. It shows the cruelty and inhumanity of a part of the non-educated left.