The Fountainhead, published in 1943, was Ayn Rand's first great success as a writer. The four part novel, often heralded as one of the greatest American novels, was released on film in theaters in 1949. Rand wrote the screenplay for the film, condensing it where it was necessary and altering the story line to fit a film format. In a way what she chose to edit is an important insight into what ought to be seen as the most crucial pieces to the plot of The Fountainhead. She selected characters, themes, and plot lines to retain while making the difficult choice of selecting the disposable to fit time requirements. Although each of the traditionally regarded main characters, Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey, Gail Wynand, and Howard Roark, are given screen time in the film they are given far less focus than they are in the novel. The film raises Dominique Francon's...