The Fountainhead (1949)
"Jack Warner had already screened
the film and he sent me a wire stating that I was
the greatest thing to hit Hollywood since Garbo. (After
screening the film myself) I knew my career as a second
Garbo was over before it began. 'The Fountainhead'
was a bomb." - Patricia Neal
"The Fountainhead" is surely one
of the strangest movies ever lensed. Its screenplay,
by Ayn Rand and based on her novel, uses the life
of an uncompromising architect to open up a strange
and varied discussion on the theme of "the individual
vs. the collective." And while this is a noble theme,
one that encompasses the ideals of Democracy as opposed
to the ideals of Communism, it is the plot involving
architecture that really throws the film into an odd
realm.
Gary Cooper plays the title character,
an architect of unusual, visionary talent, the titular
"Fountainhead" of original creativity. Cooper is perfect
in the role. His wooden, stoic persona fits ideally
into the theme and structure of the film. Because
Cooper is so unflinchingly statuesque in his performance,
it plays right into his character. Therefore, when
Cooper recites most of his heady dialogue, it sound
perfectly genuine.
The love interest, the equally perfect
yet much more strange Patricia Neal, is also a treat
here. She is so unusual, so odd, that when she delivers
her weighty dialogue, we again believe her. Plus her
actions and sexuality throughout the film speak volumes
about her character. Neal is the ideal counterpart
to Cooper's cardboard persona.
Finally, we have Raymond Massey
performing admirably here as well. Massey does his
best work early in the film as a smug, opportunistic
newspaper publisher that owes a great deal to Welles'
Charles Foster Kane. Massey (well, really Rand) even
steals a little dialogue from that classic film. Massey
gets bogged down in a characteristic turn-around later
in the film and yet he is able to make it believable.
His character takes several unexpected turns and Massey
never seems to miss a beat. Massey even echoes Cooper
and Neal's wonderful rigidity to give the film a certain
"style."
Rand, for her part, writes pretty
poorly for a realistic film to be made of the script.
But the theme and the plot here is so weighty that
it would take a scriptwriting genius to really make
it work. So, instead, Rand decides to let the theme
and ideals of the story drive the plot. If things
seem a little unrealistic or unbelievable, it's okay
because we're not dealing in realism here, we're dealing
in notions and ideas.
What is amazing is that Rand actually
makes a pretty decent and unusually interesting plot
evolve from her theme. The strange idea to make the
film about architecture and publishing makes it all
the more riveting. And when the architect in the story
finally gets to design some buildings, we get to see
some beautiful architecture as well. These wonderful
images fit perfectly into the stylistic mood set by
director King Vidor.
The film features a wonderful use
of shadows, architecture, and sets. Vidor stuns us
from the beginning showing Cooper only in silhouette
at first. Then, the shadows in his office emerge and
we are treated to some of the most engaging black
and white photography to grace the screen. But Vidor
wisely backs away from this approach as the film progresses
letting the intellectual subject matter take center
stage. This is interesting, for the film first excites
us visually, captivating us with its wonderful photography
and then backs off to allow the subject matter to
become the principle focus. It is truly a remarkable
technique and a lesson in filmmaking that many modern
directors should draw upon.
"The Fountainhead" is a unique movie
and one that is not for the casual viewer. There is
an extremely difficult topic at play here and those
looking for a "light" film will be completely thrown
off from the start. Also, the acting is wooden and
postured allowing the thoughts and cerebral elements
to engage us more than the actors. And, finally, the
cinematic quality of the film is breath-taking allowing
our thoughts to turn, ever so subtly, from the beautiful
aesthetic of the film to the demanding intellect of
the theme. No, this is definitely not for the casual
viewer.
Simply put, "The Fountainhead" is
a decidedly stylish film with a lot to say. One could
easily see it being remade by the Coen Brothers, or
better yet - Hal Hartley. It has the same distanced
passion and existential consciousness of a Hartley
film. That being said, it must be realized that "The
Fountainhead" was light years ahead of it's time.
Little wonder that it bombed.
Note:
Viewed on VHS in 1993.
