The Entrepreneurial Aspect of the Movie:
The 1949 movie is about an idealistic architect that has to overcome the challenges of corrupt business interest, public conformity, and love. Howard Roark, the architect, vowed to himself to work with anyone who wanted him as long as he built the way he wanted; no changes and no recommendations. Because of his individualistic and modern take on architecture, Roark was unable to find clients that were willing to let him build his vision. His morals and practicality meant more to him than any job and left him walking away from several opportunities that would have put his name on the map. He actually ended up leaving the architecture life to work in a granite quarry. One of the main entrepreneurial aspects about Howard that I personally saw throughout the entire film, was his ability to risk everything in order to do things morally and with integrity. He knew that his innovative ideas were controversial because people had never seen buildings the way Howard built them and it was out of society's norm.
Why is this Interesting or Important?:
It is known that one of the four main elements of entrepreneurship is the ability to take risks. Although I saw Howard innovate, organize, and have a specific vision of what he wanted, it was his risk taking that stood out to me. He knew that the Banner would eliminate his ability to gain anymore clients, he knew that his work was too different for everyone to like the change of scenery, and he knew that no matter what there would be businessmen going out of their way to make Howard never build one-of-a-kind creations again. None of that stopped him. He decided to take a break and work as a laborer in a quarry, but that only lead to his return to architect. This was a very motivational movie for me to watch as I am currently in the process of starting my business venture in a competitive industry. In my Entrepreneurship and Society class this week, we talked a lot about subsidies and political bribery in a sense. I think it is important to note that this movie does a great job of illustrating a lot of ways that people tried to bribe or even scare Howard Roark into doing something other than what he was comfortable with just because it was politics and his work was abstract.
The Interaction & Support Between Entrepreneurship & Society: How does this affect society
In all honesty, society was not kind to Howard. They did not appreciate nor try to understand his work and tried to get rid of him in every way imaginable. Large segments of society go out of their way to reject is bold and innovative designs. Although, towards the end of the movie, Howard gains more upscaled clients and even wins his court case, the woman he loves, and the people who hated him in the very beginning. During his court case, he was able to explain his beliefs and reasonings for what he does and why he made certain choices. Overall, Howard just wanted to create beautiful and functional buildings that were sustainable and that people would enjoy. He exemplifies rationality and independence through his work. There is passion and drive that pushes him to hold a higher standard for himself. His independence, self-security, and lack of reaction when given criticism are all possible reasons why the majority of his potential clients and society did not like him. No matter the reason, he overcame and was a very successful architect who ended up building the biggest skyscraper!
