Howard Roark is my tattoo artist- sorry Karl! A man with an unshakeable ego who refuses to do anything other than be allowed to produce his own work. There is no client/designer collaboration here. At one point in the film, The Fountainhead, Roark has no money but still won’t bow down to popularism. For him his is work is divine and it is his and it is part of him to be protected and despite the arrogance required to uphold this view there is little one can do but have at least a grudging respect for that individual. I think that Roark is actually a likeable man, he has a misplaced reverence for his work but also an admirable vindication in what he says. Even if you think he is wrong he has at least a logic which he can apply to his situation, a set of rules an identification of boundaries, something which I know I have not found yet.As a film it is a little clumsy with the melodrama getting in the way of any meaningful cinema. I haven’t read the novel (but I think I will) which may have had a little more finesse than the over-egged syrup I saw on the screen. The bit about the paper going down for supporting Roark was more than ridiculous but the post modern adornments that were constantly stuck onto Roark’s models were positively genius and nearly made me laugh as much as the character in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfprIxNfCjk Graphic designer vs client the truest thing I’ve seen on the internet). Having said all that stick me in front of any schmaltzy obviously contrived black and white film and, as a golden age of Hollywood nut- you’ll find me a happy girl. I’m such a prole.
As an aside while in Amsterdam I noticed lots of posters in windows saying ‘no fountainhead’. It was not however an expression of dislike for the film or book or even arrogance of designers but an objection to the construction of a huge block of flats in the Dockland Island of Sporenberg called ‘fountainhead’. It strikes me that they could not have picked a more unfortunate name for a controversial building. Was this meant to be ironic?
http://www.amsterdamdocklands.com/navigation/News/Fountainhead.html
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