[Please read] For inspiration, be the times ever so dark or bright...

A motion-picture actress portraying Dominique Francon—-the heroine of THE FOUNTAINHEAD, Ayn Rand's 1943 novel-—must possess definite qualities, among them "an air of cold serenity and an exquisitely vicious mouth." (FTNHD I, ix) She must also be able to recreate a complex, conflicted character who is intelligent, demanding, and dedicated to the highest standards. Most of all, she must credibly present herself as a man worshipper. Cast in the role of Dominique for the 1949 Warner Bros production of THE FOUNTAINHEAD, Miss Patricia Neal successfully and incisively inhabits these qualities while also embodying "what it was that artists spoke about when they spoke of beauty." (FTNHD I, ix) I think her appearance is ravishing, her performance an absolute tour de force.

The hero of THE FOUNTAINHEAD is Howard Roark, portrayed in the motion picture with seemingly earnest effort by Gary Cooper. Roark is the kind of man I relate to: selfish, value-driven, purposeful, uncompromising.

I chose to focus this video on Patricia Neal's Dominique because of the particular value I place on her portrayal. From a man's perspective, I paraphrase and quote the heroine Kay Gonda from Rand's play IDEAL-—Miss Neal gloriously creates as an illusion a feminine ideal "I want to see real, living and in the hours of my own days." (IDEAL II, iii.) The best art suggests the way things (and people) ought to be in life. If a woman ought to love no one more than a heroic man, a man ought to desire no one less than a heroic woman. I agree with this perspective absolutely—-which is why I find Dominique so damn attractive. To be rewarded, like Roark, with a love like hers is to be blessed indeed. It is no wonder that Ayn Rand—-the creator of Roark and Dominique as well as the world's greatest Romantic writer of the 20th century—-is my favorite American author. Patricia Neal—-by giving Dominique such stunning visual form and soulful substance-—has given me, in return, one of the most thrilling cinematic visions I've ever been honored to see.

Given my intense interest in this video's subject, my YouTube channel logo appropriately features an image of Cooper and Neal in a luxury still from THE FOUNTAINHEAD.

King Vidor directed THE FOUNTAINHEAD based on Ayn Rand's own screenplay adaptation of her novel.

Richly photographed in black and white, THE FOUNTAINHEAD enjoyed the brilliant cinematographic talents of Robert Burks, who also filmed Alfred Hitchcock's best movies of the 1950s and 1960s.

This YouTube video is uniquely supplemented by music composed by John Barry (heard during the quarry and rape clips) and Tchaikovsky, respectively. From the latter's catalogue, I have selected his "Capriccio Italien" for my opening and closing. I think it has just the right combination of "tiddlywink" spirit, pomp, and grandeur to compliment the visuals.

Patricia Neal's complete filmography can be viewed here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0623658/

Essential Ayn Rand websites are these: http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index and http://www.aynrandbookstore2.com/

Questions or comments are sincerely welcome. Lewd, derogatory, or irrational comments will be shrugged off.

The brief film clips featured in this one-shot video can now be enjoyed on DVD-—complete and in the full context of the original motion picture in which they appeared—-by referring to THE FOUNTAINHEAD DVD distributed by Warner Home Video. Please do not hesitate to go directly to the source www.warnervideo.com for your copies and/or more information! This YouTube video creatively gives the public a(n) (re-)introduction to an outstanding classic movie. I hope--as a secondary consequence of its upload--it will lead to greater interest in, enthusiasm for, and possibly even greater rentals and sales of this movie. If a Warner rep OR other interested professional-—after viewing this video and reading this text-—has any legitimate professional concerns about this upload, PLEASE send me a detailed private message and I shall respond promptly. Thank you. And I mean it.

Thanks for viewing and for your benevolent indulgence.

This is my favorite YouTube video. (less info)