Gary Cooper and 'The Fountainhead' on DVD
Burbank, California—Premiering on DVD, Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead is included on Warner Bros. highly anticipated boxed set, Gary Cooper: The Signature Collection. The other motion pictures included are The Wreck of the Mary Deare, Springfield Rifle, Dallas and the World War 1 epic Sergeant York.
Starring the commanding Coop as Sergeant York, Howard Hawks' powerful blockbuster from 1941 is the jewel of the compilation, presented as a two-disc special edition featuring an historical commentary and two documentaries; Sergeant York: Of God and Country and Gary Cooper: American Life, American Legend besides trailers, a short and a cartoon. Relevant more than ever, Sergeant York concerns a patriotic pacifist and unlikely war hero.
Dallas (1950) is described by critic Leonard Maltin as "an action-packed post-Civil War Western" and Mr. Maltin taps Springfield Rifle (1952) as "unmemorable." About The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959), which also starred Charlton Heston, he says: "special effects are the real star." Maltin's not wild about The Fountainhead, either, which he calls "ambitious but confused," however the movie is a must for fans of Miss Rand's writings and Objectivists. Despite the flaws, it remains an interesting adaptation of the individualistic philosopher's superior bestselling novel.
The black and white picture from 1949, directed by King Vidor and scored by Max Steiner (to the hilt), depicts an idealistic architect named Howard Roark who creates brilliant and original buildings. Refusing to compromise his artistic vision, he totally rejects altruism. Raymond Massey stars as the self-made publisher of a tawdry, New York Post-type newspaper and Patricia Neal plays Roark's love interest, Dominique.
The DVD's thin case wrongly describes Roark as a man who will sacrifice everything for his work, the opposite of Ayn Rand's philosophy of rational self-interest, which of course rejects sacrifice as a virtue. Similarly off base, the movie's two-minute trailer, included among the picture's extras, refers to the story's mediocre, second-hander architect, Peter Keating, as "selfish."
The Making of The Fountainhead, an extra on the disc, gets Ayn Rand's ideas right in an informative 18-minute account. Crediting Hollywood legend Barbara Stanwyck with bringing the movie to Warner Bros., the documentary sheds new light on the screen adaptation, which Miss Rand wrote. For example, Gary Cooper, who insisted on playing Roark, initially told Ayn Rand that Patricia Neal's screen test was horrible and the inspirational courtroom speech was the longest in cinematic history.
The documentary does not include interviews, though several key players from the 1949 movie, including Miss Neal, are still alive, and the piece lacks a wide scope. The Making of The Fountainhead is a good companion to what is rightly called a unique and hugely entertaining movie.
Music Notes
Billed as a sequel to his 1975 smash record, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John re-teams with lyricist Bernie Taupin to make The Captain and the Kid. The ten-song CD is near perfection; an intimate, long-play album of piano-based melodies.
From the nostalgic "Postcards from Richard Nixon" to the wistful title track, with references to Tumbleweed and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, this affirmative collection includes some of Elton's best work. "The Bridge" captures Elton's unique spirit, recalling his well-crafted CDs The One and Made in England. There's a friendly, familiar and emotional—but not sad—quality to the Elton John/Bernie Taupin partnership's music and The Captain and the Kid is a great achievement in that regard.
Elton John has called Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, his first album to shoot straight to Billboard's number one spot, "the first album that was about me." Though it is missing the sweep of Brown Dirt Cowboy's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," The Captain and the Kid is also missing that early Seventies electric guitar sound, which makes this an improved, streamlined follow-up from an enduring artist.
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RELATED COLUMNS
• Clark Gable Signature Collection
• Greta Garbo Signature Collection
• Thank You, Ayn Rand
• Scott Holleran Column Index
RELATED LINKS
• Book: The Fountainhead
• DVD: The Fountainhead
• DVD: Gary Cooper Signature Collection
• CD: The Captain and the Kid
• CD: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
• CD: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Deluxe Edition)
Starring the commanding Coop as Sergeant York, Howard Hawks' powerful blockbuster from 1941 is the jewel of the compilation, presented as a two-disc special edition featuring an historical commentary and two documentaries; Sergeant York: Of God and Country and Gary Cooper: American Life, American Legend besides trailers, a short and a cartoon. Relevant more than ever, Sergeant York concerns a patriotic pacifist and unlikely war hero.
Dallas (1950) is described by critic Leonard Maltin as "an action-packed post-Civil War Western" and Mr. Maltin taps Springfield Rifle (1952) as "unmemorable." About The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959), which also starred Charlton Heston, he says: "special effects are the real star." Maltin's not wild about The Fountainhead, either, which he calls "ambitious but confused," however the movie is a must for fans of Miss Rand's writings and Objectivists. Despite the flaws, it remains an interesting adaptation of the individualistic philosopher's superior bestselling novel.
The black and white picture from 1949, directed by King Vidor and scored by Max Steiner (to the hilt), depicts an idealistic architect named Howard Roark who creates brilliant and original buildings. Refusing to compromise his artistic vision, he totally rejects altruism. Raymond Massey stars as the self-made publisher of a tawdry, New York Post-type newspaper and Patricia Neal plays Roark's love interest, Dominique.
The DVD's thin case wrongly describes Roark as a man who will sacrifice everything for his work, the opposite of Ayn Rand's philosophy of rational self-interest, which of course rejects sacrifice as a virtue. Similarly off base, the movie's two-minute trailer, included among the picture's extras, refers to the story's mediocre, second-hander architect, Peter Keating, as "selfish."
The Making of The Fountainhead, an extra on the disc, gets Ayn Rand's ideas right in an informative 18-minute account. Crediting Hollywood legend Barbara Stanwyck with bringing the movie to Warner Bros., the documentary sheds new light on the screen adaptation, which Miss Rand wrote. For example, Gary Cooper, who insisted on playing Roark, initially told Ayn Rand that Patricia Neal's screen test was horrible and the inspirational courtroom speech was the longest in cinematic history.
The documentary does not include interviews, though several key players from the 1949 movie, including Miss Neal, are still alive, and the piece lacks a wide scope. The Making of The Fountainhead is a good companion to what is rightly called a unique and hugely entertaining movie.
Music Notes
Billed as a sequel to his 1975 smash record, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Elton John re-teams with lyricist Bernie Taupin to make The Captain and the Kid. The ten-song CD is near perfection; an intimate, long-play album of piano-based melodies.
From the nostalgic "Postcards from Richard Nixon" to the wistful title track, with references to Tumbleweed and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, this affirmative collection includes some of Elton's best work. "The Bridge" captures Elton's unique spirit, recalling his well-crafted CDs The One and Made in England. There's a friendly, familiar and emotional—but not sad—quality to the Elton John/Bernie Taupin partnership's music and The Captain and the Kid is a great achievement in that regard.
Elton John has called Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, his first album to shoot straight to Billboard's number one spot, "the first album that was about me." Though it is missing the sweep of Brown Dirt Cowboy's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," The Captain and the Kid is also missing that early Seventies electric guitar sound, which makes this an improved, streamlined follow-up from an enduring artist.
$
RELATED COLUMNS
• Clark Gable Signature Collection
• Greta Garbo Signature Collection
• Thank You, Ayn Rand
• Scott Holleran Column Index
RELATED LINKS
• Book: The Fountainhead
• DVD: The Fountainhead
• DVD: Gary Cooper Signature Collection
• CD: The Captain and the Kid
• CD: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
• CD: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (Deluxe Edition)
