The Fountainhead (1949)
Country: US
Technical: bw 114m
Director: King Vidor
Cast: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith
Synopsis:
An architect with modern ideas refuses to compromise to please the public and so receives few commissions. When the local newspaper The Banner takes an interest in his work he finds his future career variously linked with its editor, its ambitious columnist and the woman he loves, a former advocate of his buildings and now the editor's wife.
Review:
What might have been an intriguing exposé of the backroom shenanigans in the world of architectural commissions fails to convince on this level, simply because it makes its points so heavyhandedly and ties its fortunes to a wildly melodramatic plot and mise en scène, all whipped up to a frenzy by Steiner's strident score. As an example of Hollywood over-the-top prestige picture making and erotic symbolism, however, it is supremely diverting.
Country: US
Technical: bw 114m
Director: King Vidor
Cast: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith
Synopsis:
An architect with modern ideas refuses to compromise to please the public and so receives few commissions. When the local newspaper The Banner takes an interest in his work he finds his future career variously linked with its editor, its ambitious columnist and the woman he loves, a former advocate of his buildings and now the editor's wife.
Review:
What might have been an intriguing exposé of the backroom shenanigans in the world of architectural commissions fails to convince on this level, simply because it makes its points so heavyhandedly and ties its fortunes to a wildly melodramatic plot and mise en scène, all whipped up to a frenzy by Steiner's strident score. As an example of Hollywood over-the-top prestige picture making and erotic symbolism, however, it is supremely diverting.
Country: US
Technical: bw 114m
Director: King Vidor
Cast: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith
Synopsis:
An architect with modern ideas refuses to compromise to please the public and so receives few commissions. When the local newspaper The Banner takes an interest in his work he finds his future career variously linked with its editor, its ambitious columnist and the woman he loves, a former advocate of his buildings and now the editor's wife.
Review:
What might have been an intriguing exposé of the backroom shenanigans in the world of architectural commissions fails to convince on this level, simply because it makes its points so heavyhandedly and ties its fortunes to a wildly melodramatic plot and mise en scène, all whipped up to a frenzy by Steiner's strident score. As an example of Hollywood over-the-top prestige picture making and erotic symbolism, however, it is supremely diverting.