The Fountainhead

The Fountainhead (1949), is the story of an architect and many of the scenes in the film correspond to a contemporary discourse on architecture, and the film presents a very specific, and much discussed, idea of the social role of the architect in society. 

Considered, many years later, as the quintessential film of King Vidor’s work, is an adaptation of the American bestseller of the same name, from writer Ayn Rand, and inspired on the life of the celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Before starting filming, Vidor studied Wright's work in depth and conceived a full use of his buildings but the financial restrictions made such extravagances impossible, and forced him to use models and stylization. This ended up working out for the best and being one of the strong points of the film. Rarely in cinema has a decor had such a strong presence and, in this case, we can even say it becomes the protagonist. Manhattan’s skyscrapers punctuate Howard Roark’s (Gary Cooper) studio or Wynand’s (R. Massey) newspaper, seen through huge windows.

The film will be presented in a conversation between architect Rudy Ricciotti and Juan Branco, on the theme Building and serving.