The Fountainhead (1949)

The Fountainhead (1949) Vidor. Gary Cooper and Patrica Neal star in the film version of the Ayn Rand's novel Pros: Cooper and Neal heat up the screen. B&W cine-photography, Lavish production values Cons: Silly Rand story, too many speeches. Cooper and Neal's love affair was quite good and Neal looks fantastic. She also plays her over-the-top character as well as possible. The photography and art direction are also good. The story however is absurd with Cooper as the uncompromising architect who blows up his own building rather than change them. Lots of blather about the 'individual' and the evil villain is a power-hungry architect newspaper critic (!). Summary:Enjoyable only for the Neal - Cooper love affair. Watch the rest of the movie with the sound off Rating **