The Fountainhead

The Fountainhead follows Howard Roark, an architect with bold ideas who refuses to design buildings in the styles others expect. His insistence on working only on his own terms costs him commissions, jobs and standing in his profession, and he takes work far below his training rather than compromise. Around him are people who build careers by flattering clients and public taste, including a rival architect, a newspaper owner and a columnist who shapes opinion. A woman, Dominique Francon, is drawn to Roark while also becoming entangled with those who oppose what he stands for, and their relationship unfolds against his long struggle to build according to his own vision.

King Vidor directed the film, which Ayn Rand adapted from her own novel, and Warner Bros. Pictures released it in 1949. Gary Cooper plays Roark, with Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith, Robert Douglas and Henry Hull in the main roles. The film came after Vidor's Duel in the Sun and before Man Without a Star, in a career that also includes The Big Parade, Stella Dallas and The Citadel.

Reception has been generally positive. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from around 12,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.8 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. A critics' rating of 7 out of 10 from 14 reviews places professional response at roughly the same level as the broader audience rating on IMDb.