MINI REVIEW:
THE FOUNTAINHEAD (1949)
DIRECTED BY: KING VIDOR
STARRING: PATRICIA NEAL and GARY COOPER

An extremely pared down version of the Ayn Rand epic novel.

Gary Cooper stars as modern architect and 'man against the world', Howard Roarke, while Patricia Neal plays Dominique Wyland, a married woman who believes in his abilities but also happens to be madly in love with the guy. The story is compelling, one man's architectural dreams pitted against the popular masses and traditional building styles of the time, and it moves along at a clip. Unfortunately, the dialogue suffers from too much melodrama and becomes painfully wooden even when being delivered by these accomplished actors. Cooper's Roarke is a representative of modernity, not a living breathing figure. And Neal is token feminine support instead of a fleshed out heroine, in spite of her magnificent hair. The star of this movie, the thing that saves it from subtle failure, is Vidor's direction and the gorgeous black and white cinematography that speaks so fluently of the time. Certain shots were frameable in their pristine and stark construction, a perfect example of the beauty in contrast. Vidor proves himself here again to be a largely visual director, not so much a solid storyteller. However, it's certainly warrants a viewing and the look of it, like his 1928 masterpiece The Crowd, will stay with you.

My rating: 6/10