For Whom the Bell Tolls
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Movie Reviews of For Whom the Bell Tolls
Movie Review: Five Kleenexes! at least
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not a fan of war films. There is too much shooting for me in this and I wondered if Hemingway had a love affair with guns. It's very long and some of the sets look really fake. Sometimes I lost track of the characters.
However I had to give it five stars! Why, after all these criticisms? One, for the theme. Although these specific characters were fictional, they were based on real people who gave their lives fighting for their principles. Not the least of these heroes and heroines was an American who gave up his academic career, as did a lot of others, to go to Spain to help the locals fight fascism. This is a story worth telling.
Secondly, the cast is perfect! It's said that Hemingway personally selected Cooper and Bergman and they are wonderful. Gary Cooper was such a special man, his presence alone makes the film worth watching. The young Ingrid Bergman adds her own luminous qualities to the character of Maria. You can see why the American guy fell for her in spite of his resolve not to become personally involved. They are magic together, in spite of the age difference and one quickly forgives the fact that she doesn't look at all like a Spanish peasant. Who cares? The scene where they have their last night together could have been excessively, embarrasingly maudlin if played by lesser actors, but these two really pull it off. Anyone who can sit through the scene where she is forced to leave Cooper without shedding at least a few tears must have no heart.
The Greek woman who plays the amazingly strong Pilar, is certainly memorable, too, as is the Russian who plays her loose cannon of a husband, Pedro.
It is a little dated and, as I said earlier, very long. But it is worth sitting through (it took me two evenings) and you'll remember it for a long time. Bring Kleenex!
Movie Review: "You're Shameless!"
Summary: 5 Stars
Two Hemingway/Cooper collaborations here in a row. This one however, transfered excellently from novel to movie. As bad as the print of Farewell to Arms was, For Whom the Bell Tolls was clean & clear. The Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop were spectacular & the perfect stand-in for the mountains of Spain. Gary Cooper, Hemingway's favorite actor, was Robert the American. Ingrid Bergman was Maria. They were never better & the chemistry was there. I've been in love with Ingrid Bergman for 40 years, ever since I first saw her in Casablanca. That movie has 441 reviews, so I'm not even going there. Her hair was cropped short. It was very sexy & everyone it seemed wanted to touch it. She threw herself at Robert & he caught her drift pretty quickly. "You are shameless" he said, more than once, & she was. A flawlessly beautiful face & blue eyes to die for. It has been said that both Cooper & Bergman could inhabit a role they were playing. It really didn't look like they were playing. Excellent acting all around. Akim Tamiroff was excellent as the treacherous Pablo. The rarely seen Katrina Paxinow won a supporting actress Oscar as Pilar. She actually had a leading role behind Cooper & Bergman as the leader of the rebels, a seer & surrogate mother to the young Maria. She allowed Roberto & Maria to be together in the short time they had. It's the Spanish Civil War in the 30's & they are hiding from the facist. Robert is there to blow up a bridge. But it is the love story that is the focus. In many war movies the love story is a stupid interlude. Not in this one. Their long love scenes, (tasteful, remember it's 1943) & dialogue are some of Hemingway's best writing. A real keeper, & classic Hollywood moviemaking.Movie Review: great movie - faithful to awsome Hemingway novel
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been on a quest to watch movies based on Hemingway books and see how well they compare to the words of the master. Chances are I will end up disappointed, I know. I confess I was afraid that this movie would be too watered down, in order to comply with commercial and censorship requirements of the 1940s, but I have to say the movie is an outstanding adaptation of a great novel.
The movie is long so you might want to use the "intermission" and leave the second half for another day. At least that's what I did and it was a smart thing because I was fresh for the thrilling finale. Great acting and great action scenes. Remember, it was all filmed more than 60 years ago! In fact, the last 20 minutes or so, portraying the fantastic last chapter of the book, are nearly faultless and absolutely convicing, keeping me on the edge of the seat! And above all, they did not mess with the end of the story.
I would like to thank a previous reviewer who shared that the original version did not contain two of the key "war passages" of the book: the massacre at the town by the gorge (in flashback both in the book and in the movie) and El Sordo's last stand. These are two of the most haunting chapters in American literature (thanks master Hemingway!) and it was great to see them restored to the movie. Not as intense and brutal as I pictured reading the book, but very carefully filmed.
All in all, if you like the novel, this is a very worthy adaptation and well worth your time. If you like war movies and big productions from the golden age of Hollywood, this is a true classic.
Movie Review: GREAT... but...
Summary: 5 Stars
... why these complaints about a widescreen-version? 20th Century-Fox released the first CinemaScope film in 1953(The Robe) in order to outdo TV.... True, there were occassional try-outs like Napoleon in 1927, but the widescreen-system as we know it; came in 1953.FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS is a great as it can get. Bergman in particular shows us natural acting a`la Brando - years before he came to the Hollywood scene... Unfortunately; the two weeks-shooting of Norwegian Vera Zorina as Maria is NOT included on the DVD. Ingrid raplaced her when the ballerina tiptoed through her role; but actually was given the sack because of Cooper, Wood and even Hemingway`s personal interests in Bergman. It would have been nice to see the difference between Vera and Ingrid.
The production is lavish and the dialogue intelligent. It was not well-received in 1943 and suffered under the success of Casablanca. However; I think Bergman is at her peak as MARIA and not as ILSA hehehehe
Movie Review: Best Hemingway Film Adaptation
Summary: 5 Stars
For me, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS is the finest screen adaptation of any of Hemingway's novels. Not only does it star Gary Cooper -- the most complete interpreter of the Hermingway hero on screen -- but it has a luminous performance from Ingrid Bergman in the role of Maria. When it opened in 1943, a criticism centered on the fact that it did not specifically mention Franco. However, what might have been a germane criticism back then is now a genuine plus. Had this been focused on Franco, it now would be a dated period piece. Instead, this story of doomed wartime love remains achingly moving. And its theme of "no man is an island" is still haunting, and the final images stay with you long after the film is over. Cooper's presence is especially fascinating, since this is an ensemble piece, and never once does he use his inconic aura to break free of the ensemble and dominate the screen. Highly recommended.