No one could ever accuse Kobayashi Masaki of insincerity. Even his medium-length 'Youth of the son,' which felt like a 1950s TV sitcom, bore some nice storytelling and themes amidst its cheerfulness. Yet even as Kobayashi joins the fine company of contemporary Kurosawa Akira in having directed some of the greatest films ever made, he also shares the distinction of not necessarily having a flawless record. It's certainly not that this 1956 movie is outright bad, for it's duly well made and acted, with interesting story threads, themes, and ideas. However, both on paper and in realization the plot has been rendered far more than not as a gaudy melodrama that would fit right in with the modern soap operas of daytime television. The strength of the viewing experience is sapped away as judicious, meaningful storytelling is overtaken by grandiose flourishes, and by shaky scene writing, characterizations, and plot development of gauchely heightened dramatic inclinations that will satisfy the bored housewife more than the avid cinephile or ardent consumer of fiction. No, 'Fountainhead' isn't bad, but nor is it really convincing.
Two halves of the feature more or less dovetail into each other as the greed and amoral indifference of the wealthy, powerful, and corporate, controlling and recklessly exploiting precious water resources, are intertwined with dollops of romance and interpersonal drama. We have the wealthy businessman who has unhealthy relationships with women, and his extra smarmy business partners who are even worse regarding any considerations for other people and their concerns. There's the young scientist who demonstrates earnest interest in exploring new sources of water, who is also kind of boorish, sexist, and quick to anger in his naive attitudes toward women. There's the young lady who hopelessly pines for that scientist, and another for whom the scientist yearns but is caught in the midst of all these other individuals and her own ambitions. These and others are all notions worth teasing out in a picture. All of them put together with the noted sensibilities becomes tiring rather quickly, not least with an overall flat tone, discrete moments of amplified emotional emphasis, and a score that swells sensationally at all those same discrete moments. The narrative is genuinely compelling in and of itself, and some odds and ends are particularly brilliant even in the dialogue - yet the details that round that narrative, and the manner in which it was realized, make the feature uneven and imbalanced, like a disc or cylinder spinning when its weight is not evenly distributed.
Kinoshita Chuji's music is nice in and of itself, but the fashion in which it is employed is overbearing. The sets are fantastic and rich with detail, and the filing locations are lovely; the costume design, hair, and makeup are sharp. I appreciate the cinematography. Of everything in these two hours, I believe it's the acting that is strongest of all as the cast give performances of personality, range, nuance, and emotional depth. And to be sure, Kobayashi's direction is technically competent. Yet his skills here seem unskilled if not altogether unpracticed as 'Fountainhead' struggles with tone, and with the fundamental dispensation of plot. Just as some bits and bobs are especially well done, between the writing, Kobayashi's oversight and guidance as director, the sequencing and editing, and the music, other bits and bobs almost inspire laughter for how poorly they are executed. There is value in this title, but it's a regrettable hodgepodge that sometimes comes close to achieving something great, but never actually does. Rather accentuating the point, as events of all stripes come to a head in the last twenty to thirty minutes, not only does the sum total not improve, but I quite wonder if the storytelling doesn't falter even more. That formative plot idea of water rights just silently slips away into a tertiary matter until it suddenly roars back in the last stretch, and in so doing comes across not as a shift in focus but as outright neglect as a storyteller. Through to the end other narrative ideas suffer a similar fate, unnaturally coming and going, and the final scenes seem downright flimsy to me. Admirable themes are at last struck upon, perhaps - but at that point, so what?
I don't fully dislike this film. Whether true or not, however, it comes across as the product of a difficult time in Kobayashi's life, when the utmost mastery he demonstrated at his best was peculiarly diminished owing to unknown factors. Suitable ideas and generally fine craftsmanship flounder as they present, and I'm left unimpressed. I'm not saying that 'Fountainhead' isn't deserving in some measure; I am saying that it's a pale shade of what the filmmaker was capable of, and unless you have some special impetus to watch, this isn't something that specifically demands viewership.
