The Rebel (film, 1949)

See also: the Rebel (homonymy)

the Rebel ( The Fountainhead ) is a American film of King Vidor, left in 1949. It is the adaptation of a novel of Ayn Rand: The Fountainhead (1943).

Synopsis

Howard Roark is a young idealistic and individualistic architect. It is returned from its university because its sights are considered to be too innovative compared to the architectural standard of the day. Henry Cameron, an architect who shares his vision, saves his career by employing it. But a few years later Cameron sank in alcoholism and informs Roark that the same thing awaited it unless it does not agree to compromise with its ideals. But Roark refuses and prefers to work in a stone quarry rather than to off modify its model for the seat of the Security Bank Manhattan . It agrees to carry out a project in the name of a friend architect in the condition that nothing is modified there. Finally seeing its project disfigured in the name of the community property, he prefers to explode the building site. Caught up with by justice, he is judged. The speech of Howard Roark at the time of its lawsuit is one of the most vibrating illustrations of the radical individualism of Ayn Rand. The architect defends his right there to require that its creations be such as it wanted them and not such as the company would like them. This film is the occasion for the author to make a praise of the creator, of the contractor as it will also do it in Atlas Shrugged.

On this history, several intrigues are grafted:

  • a fight of the individual against the collective: Will Howard Roark remain you he intransigent on his principles? It will yield to the calls those which want to dispossess it of its work to the profit of the " société"? One finds this question vis-a-vis the board of the Security Bank off Manhattan , vis-a-vis the press campaign launched against one of his works by the newspaper The Banner , vis-a-vis Cortland Home whose one denatured his original project.
  • an intrigue in love between two beings which seek themselves and will be only with the outcome of film: In the stone quarry, it meets Dominique Francon, writer with the newspaper The Banner and girl of an architect of the standard. He will live short a idylle with her but will not see it any more. She marries Gail Wynand, owner of The Banner which she does not like. Roark will re-examine finally Dominique the day when, coming to congratulate the author on Enright Building which she admires, she realizes that it is about him.
  • a fight against itself for the owner of the newspaper: Gail Wynand admires and jealous the integrity of Howard Roark but starts by fighting it to flatter the instincts of the street. It will join finally with him and will support it in its lawsuit during a time. But not having the force of Roark, it will yield to the pressure mass and will give up it. Full with regrets, he entrusts to him the realization of the Wynand Building and commits suicide.

Sets of themes approached

  • the individual against the collective
  • the creator
  • importance of the contract

Data sheet

  • Title: the Rebel
  • original Title: The Fountainhead
  • Realization: King Vidor
  • Scenario: Ayn Rand according to its novel éponyme
  • Production: Henry Blanke; Warner Bros
  • Direction of photography: Robert Burks
  • Artistic director: Edward Carrere
  • Decorations: William Kuehl
  • Costumes: Milo Anderson
  • Music: max Steiner
  • Assembly: David Weisbart
  • Coming out date (the United States): July 2nd 1949
  • Lasted: 114 minutes

Distribution

Around film

  • the character of Howard Roark seems strongly inspired by the life and the work of famous the Frank Lloyd Wright, in spite of the refusal without call of the author of the novel and the scenario, Ayn Rand: “It there no resemblance between Roark and Mr. Wright with regard to the private life, the character and philosophy. Only the parallel which one can distinguish between them is only architectural, from their position in the modern architecture. ” (in Letters off Ayn Rand )
  • Slavoj Zizek considers that it is the best American film never carried out.
  • Ayn Rand required that the plea of Howard Roark for its defense be preserved without any modification. At the last time King Vidor tried to reduce it but Rand called upon the president of Warner to obtain that he is filmed in integrality. It will obtain win. During 6 minutes, it is one of the more long discourses of the history of the cinema.
  • Wink of the scenario writers, a property developer of episode 1 of season 3 of Desperate Housewives is called Howard Roark.
  • Some took this film for a film on architecture but architecture is there more one pretext to present ideas that the subject of film.
  • the defense of Howard Roark present of many similarities with that produced by Hank Rearden in Atlas Shrugged when this last is judged to have enfreint a payment of the Bureau off economic national planning and resources .

Quotations

  • "Is that what disturbs you Peter, that I want to stand alone? " Howard Roark in Peter Keating
  • " You want my work, you' L take it ace it is gold not At all" Howard Roark with the board of Security Bank off Manhattan.
  • Peter Keating: " It' S.A. humanitarian project. Live Think off the people who in the slumbs. Yew you decent edge give them housing, you' L perform has noble deed. WOuld you perform it just for their sake?" Howard Roarke: " No With man who works for other without payment has Slavic. I C not believe that slavery is noble. Not in any form NOR for any purpose what so ever (.). Peter, before you edge C things for people you must Be the kind off man than edge get things gives. Goal to get things gives, you must coils the doing, not the people. Your own work, not any possible object off your charity. Does I' L Be glad yew men who needed find have?? manner off living room find it has house I off built goal that' S not the purpose my work. My reward, my purpose, my life is the work itself. My work gives my way. Nothing else matters to me." Howard Roark in Peter Keating when this last tries to convince it to produce for him the model of Cortland Home.
  • " Selfish is that what they cal me? Well I amndt, I live by the judgment off my own mind and for my own sake" Howard Roark in Gail Wynand before its lawsuit.
  • " You thought money was power? PF, you poor amateur" Elsworth Thooey, a journalist of The Banner in Gail Wynnand at the time of the before-lawsuit.
  • Howard Roark at the time of its lawsuit:
    • "Thousands of years ago, a man discovered fire, his/her brothers probably burned it with but it bequeathed this invention to them and illuminated darkness. (…) No creator sought to satisfy his contemporaries (…). A collective brain that does not exist. The man must think and act by itself. Its truth is its single mobile, its work is its single objectif."
    • " The creator does not trust that his own judgment - the parasite follows the opinion of the others. The creator reflects - the parasite copies. The produced creator - the parasite plunders. The creator wants to overcome nature - the parasite wants to overcome the man. The creator is independent. He does not obey nor does not order - the parasite wants the capacity. He wants to condemn the men to the esclavage."
    • " It is an old conflict. It has another name. The individual one against the collectif"
    • " My principles it is the right of each one to live for him-même"

External bonds

  • Conference of Le Bourget Jean-Wolf to the ENS on The Fountainhead
  • The Fountainhead on IMDB
  • the Rebel on Wikiberal
  • the Rebel on Dvdclassik

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