Thursday, November 12, 2020

The Fountainhead!


The philosophy that came to dominate the work of Steve Ditko was that of Objectivism. It celebrated reason over emotion and self-interest over philanthropy. Much of the philosophy is a convenient dodge for modern hucksters, mostly politicians as they find its reverence for raw capitalism a nifty way to justify policies which increasingly focus wealth into a smaller and smaller pool. It offers those afflicted with avarice a noble excuse from having to worry about the impoverished as they are conveniently labeled as lazy moochers, and so responsible for their own situations. It's a ghastly mindset that has taken hold in the United States and has demolished the middle class which fueled the most potent economy the world has seen. Now to his credit, Ditko abided by a more thorough understanding of Objectivism, even those aspects which might've hurt his immediate and long-term interests because he desired apparently above all things to be consistent. 


This philosophy was promulgated by the author Ayn Rand and she did it most effectively and famously in her first novel The Fountainhead which was made into a sleek and handsome Warner Brothers movie starring Gary Cooper, Raymond Massey, and Patricia Neal among others. (Note: I've never read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead -- have tried but can never make much progress alas.) 


The story is of an inhumanely confident architect named Howard Roark who demands that his clients build according to his worldview and plans regardless of their whims because by hiring him they are submitting to his vision as an artist. As played by the somber Cooper, he is a utterly rigid and somewhat taciturn man who destroys a project which was not built according to his specifications. The fact he didn't actually own the real property the project was built upon, nor pay for the materials with which it was constructed, nor actually officially take credit for the building of it, seems to have not been a worry to the puritanical desire to see only his imagination on display. 


Both Cooper and Patricia Neal play their parts like statues come to life, ideal physical people who toy with one another in a gamesmanship of a romance which seems more like an battle between two water buffalos than a courting between people. In his trial he makes a potent speech which outlines much of the Objectivist mindset. And that's the problem with this flick, with a screenplay written by Rand herself and with a contract that forbid changes we get torpid conversations and speeches that rattle along with some clarity but never with a whisper of emotion. Cooper and Neal both say "Fuck Me Now!" with their eyes, but they never come close to saying anything so powerful with their mouths. 


Steve Ditko pursued much the same game plan with many of his later projects beginning in the 1960's. Some have a dash of the theories thrown into stories filled with action and drama, while some stories grind to a grisly and often boring halt as multiple characters expound seemingly ceaselessly on the ideas in question. The fusion between words and pictures deserts Ditko in the worst cases of these screeds and the reader gets bogged down in a comic page from which there seems no escape. 

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8 comments:

  1. Ditko's later work of this nature was utter tripe, both in art and story. His rigidity and insistence on doing everything his way (even with Robin Snyder's scripting) merely produced comicbook 'tracts' that were devoid of any entertainment value. I find it all hard to look at, never mind read.

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    1. I just read through the Mr. A stories that I have and they begin with masterful artwork blended well with clear attitude but still a viable story. The last one I read had art that looked more like what you'd find in a coloring book and the story just rambled on and on. It's clear his skills if not his editorial judgment was declining, or maybe he just didn't give a care anymore about that part of it.

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  2. "The Fountainhead" has been on my list of flicks to see for some time, but from the clips I've seen here and there I've been wary of trying to get through it (and me being a fan of Neal) just as I've been wary of Rand's written works in general. The connection made here with Ditko, however, is an intriguing wrinkle that I didn't expect. I was definitely curious as to whether you'd read the book, Rip, but having seen how you were daunted by it I'm wondering if I will ever act on my wish to take in the Warner Bros. project. :)

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    1. One thing about the movie is that it looks fantastic! The cinematography is outstanding. It's worth seeing once for certain, even given my negative opinion of the screenplay just to enjoy some masterful imagery.

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  3. I think the Question story in Mysterious Suspense is a lucid and dramatic expression of Ditko's idealism. A later, really intriguing variation is the Mocker(1989), whose protagonist, a wrongfully convicted D.A.lawyer, forms an alliance with a powerful gang boss to clear himself and is constantly challenged with the prospect of moral compromise. It's a really rich story, with various characters around him questioning their own ideals and motivations and growing as individuals during the course of the book. And there's some powerful gang war action in addition to a well-realized romantic sub-plot. I agree that some of his last work was practically hieroglyphic in its symbolism, but I wouldn't dismiss post-mainstream Ditko as pure propaganda; he was a superlative story-teller for a very long time.

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    1. He was indeed and I don't challenge that in his mainstream work which continued into the 80's with little break. His work on ROM was some of my favorite of his stuff. But truth told, some of the self-published stuff is hard to fathom.

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  4. Hi Rip I have enjoyed this weeks features on Steve Ditko yes a truly talented individual who in some ways became obsessed with Rand's philosophy of Objectivism but fortunately amongst some of the iron ore there were a lot of gems of stories and art, too numerous too mention and for me one of my favourite artists/writers (as I have said before)ever.
    Have to agree with you about Mr. A, however a more palatable version for me was the The Question and Ditko's stories in the back ups of Blue Beetle and the one off in Mysterious Suspense remain personal favourites and along with his fantasy work in Charlton and Marvel I will treasure always.

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    1. I'm taking at look at the Question and Mr. A this weekend and of course Mysterious Suspense is a key.

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