The Fountainhead, Directed By Ayn Rand

The Fountainhead novel, movie by Ayn Rand, she represents her concerns with the rights of the individual over the demands of society and expounds her belief that genius entitles the superior man to ignore moral and ethical restrictions. However, the fountainhead takes place in the United States, mostly in New York city during the 1920s and 1930s, it describes the lives of two classmates Peter Keating and Howard Roark. Howard Roark who is a fiercely independent innovative architect struggling in his effort to achieve success on his own ways. As the movie starts, the 21 year old Roark is expelled from the Stanton Institute of Technology for disobedience. Whereas Peter Keating who graduated with honors from Stanton Institute of Technology
even though he lacks Roark’s brilliance and love of architecture, gives the professors exactly what they want. However, Most of the faculty members want Howard to design in old traditional classical styles, but Howard has his own ideas. After leaving the institute, Roark went to work for Henry Cameron, an eldery genius architect whose ideas resulted in the birth of the skyscrapers. He was considered to be the first to design buildings that tower over others, and always insisted that a tall building should look tall. Roark ended up working for Cameron for three years they created beautiful work, but their work was always rejected whereas Peter Keating’s ability to flatter and please everyone made him so successful. Later on Henry Cameron retires, and he gets financially ruined and therefore Roark opens his own office, but he couldn’t satisfy the clients because of his unwillingness to compromise his designs, therefore he had to move to Connecticut and work there. Furthermore, he finds a job in Connecticut at a granite quarry as well he finds himself attracted to Dominique Francon, Guy Francon’s beloved daughter.
Later on, Roark receives a letter to design a building for a prominent New York businessman, Dominique goes back to New York as well and discovers Roark’s real identity. In addition, Ellsworth Toohey, is an architectural critic and socialist.He tries to prevent men from being successful. Toohey sees Roark as a great threat and tries to destroy him therefore he tries convincing a businessman named Hopton Stoddard a weak minded mad to hire Roark as the designer for a temple dedicated to the human spirit, then encouragesthe businessman to sue Roark once the building is completed. At Roark’s trial, every architect in New York testifies that Roark’s style is unorthodox and illegitimate. Stoddard wins the case and Roark loses his business again. To punish herself for desiring Roark, Dominique marries Peter Keating. Moreover, Gail Wynand, a great publisher, who has made his fortune by printing newspapers that say exactly what the public wants to hear. Wynand meets Dominique and falls in love with her, so he buys her from Keating by offering him money and a prestigious contract in exchange for his wife. However, Peter Keating goes to Roark to ask him for help with the Cortlandt Homes, a public housing project. The idea of economical housing fascinates Roark, therefore he agrees to design the project and let Keating take the credit on one condition that no one makes a single alteration to his
plan. When Roark returns from a yacht trip with Wynand, he finds that, despite the agreement, the Cortlandt Homes project has been changed. Roark asks Dominique to distract the night watchman one night and then dynamites the building completely. When the police arrive, he submits without resistance. The entire country condemns Roark, but Wynand finally finds the courage to follow his beliefs and orders his newspapers to defend him. The Banner’s workers go on strike, but Wynand keeps printing with Dominique’s help. At the trial, Roark seems doomed, but he rouses the courtroom with a statement about the value of selfishness and the need to remain true to oneself. Roark describes the triumphant role of creators and the price they pay at the hands of corrupt societies. The jury finds him not guilty. Roark marries Dominique. At the end Wynand asks Roark to design one last building, a skyscraper that will describe the supremacy of man.