Customer Reviews

For Whom the Bell Tolls

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Hemingway picked Cooper and Bergman for this 1943 film, he couldn't have done better. They're heavenly to look at, and the chemistry between them is palpable. The dialogue has retained the style of the book, and they make it so natural, which is not an easy feat. Set in 1937 Spain, this Civil War story is an action packed adventure, but above all, it's a love story.

Terrific cinematography by Ray Rennahan, a good atmospheric score by Victor Young, and a slew of interesting character actors (Katina Paxinou won the Oscar for best supporting actress) back the magnificent leads.
Cooper is not only gorgeous, but gives a subtle, lovely performance, and Bergaman, looking younger than her 29 years with her short, curly hair, is luminous...I love the scene where she gets her first kiss, and says "I always wondered where the noses went".

Directed by Sam Wood, who a year earlier had directed one of Cooper's most famous films, "The Pride of the Yankees" (and in '45, was to team again with Cooper and Bergman in "Saratoga Trunk"), did a wonderful job with Hemingway's novel...it stands up to many viewings, and is a must for Cooper and Bergman fans.

Hemingway's acknowledged masterpiece about Spanish Civil War guerillas was censored both in print and in film. In print, the four letter words were cut and stilted pseudo-Spanish substituted. That defect of course remains in this pretty much faithful transmission of the text; it is what gives it a funny archaic sound most do not understand. Also, 2 key scenes were cut from the cinema release, to make the story less "brutal" and to emphasize the romance. These episodes were Pilar's telling of the execution of the fascists in her village, and El Sordo's final stand. Thankfully, this version restores both magnificent scenes, making a much tougher, grittier film that is worthy of Hemingway's realism. One could only rate the prior version 3 stars, at best. This however is a first rate American film now being seen for the first time, 60 years later.

The plot is very simple. An American joins the anti-Franco guerillas in the mountains to help them blow a key bridge. The guerillas suspect him and have their own internal problems. The Yank falls in love with a girl who has been brutalized by the fascists. With pluck he sticks to his mission until the film stops.

The romance was tough going in the book, rather euphemistically treated. You could not deal with that realistically at the time, either; Hemingway's story pushed the limits of its time. Cooper and Bergman made the coupling palatable for an American audience then, and reviews here still attest that it works now. Fine; I visualize it much more differently but am confident that EH's idea still would not sell, albeit for different reasons. In any event the romance provides a plot engine to take one through part of a key historical event of the 20th century. Hemingway got over there as a partisan of the Communist opposition, but the novel was balanced enough to infuriate many prominent American reds in the media of his day.

People should read the book, of course. This film is however, a sincere adaptation and faithful to the spirit of its day. Ultimately, Cooper's signature performance nails just the right tone for this presentation of what critics of the day called "grace under pressure."

No doubt about it ! This DVD deserves a perfect 5 (this is the second that I give after ROBOCOP director's cut). 130 minutes of absolute pleasure with actors who were real stars : Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper. The colors are wonderful, the scenery superb and the musical score terrific. But I hear someone out there complaining : Gosh ! It's a 1943 movie, an antiquity. Don't be afraid, you will not be disappointed. There are also in this movie explosions, gunfires and even torrid love scenes. Just observe how Ingrid Bergman plays with her hair in order to seduce Gary and you will forget all the actual little starlets. This story of a three-days love affair during the spain civil war is about idealism, self-sacrifice and hope. Themes that , I agree, are not specially "in" in 1998 but were developed by Ernest Hemingway, one of the best american writers. A healthy DVD in order to clean our eyes and ears.

Gary Cooper was a friend of Hemingway and pushed for a script faithful to the book. I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it is very close to the book plotline. All the characters are fleshed out. Ingrid Bergman played a Spanish girl raped by the fascists after they kill her parents. It's a meaty role, and you would think a blond Swede could never pull it off. Well you don't know young Bergman till you see her as Maria. What a beautiful young actress she was.

All the actors were good repeating Hem's short simple sentences, some of them rather formal in order to simulate a Spanish dialect. If we look back to the Americans that volunteered to fight Franco in 1937, you have to wonder what possessed them to leave their cushy jobs in academia or the arts to get into a bloodbath. Perhaps it was the appeal of Communism, which for so many Depression weary intellectuals looked attractive. The battle between the Republic backed by Stalin versus Franco backed by evil personified, Hitler, it seemed to be a crucible. The rest is pure American romanticism, which has its roots way back, before Huckleberry Finn.

The more I watch FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS the more I appreciate it. Although the movie drags a bit in places - especially in the beginning - the suspense and action eventually build to a magnificant climax making the wait worthwhile.

The film deserves its many Academy Award nominations. Gary Cooper is an excellent choice for Robert Jordan, an idealistic college instructor who joins the loyalist cause as a demolition expert. Ingrid Bergman is so good in the role of the young Maria that it is actually possible to forget that she is Swedish and not Spanish. I can't remember ever seeing much better acting than that of Cooper and Bergman in their final scene together. Of course there are many other memorable moments in this movie such as El Sordo's last stand on a hill against the Fascist forces.

Katina Paxinou received an Academy Award for best supporting actress as Pilar who is one of the guerilla leaders and a thoroughly liberated female Gypsy.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS is faithful to Hemingway's novel. The special effects are excellent for their time. However, the army tanks in particular seem to be very unconvincing.

Sam Wood was an outstanding director. He also directed PRIDE OF THE YANKEES and the original GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS with Robert Donat and Greer Garson.

Above all FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS is a love story. It is also an anti-war film and a story told mostly about guerillas fighting on the losing side in the Spanish Civil War.

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.

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.

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.

This is my second favorite film of all time next to The adventures of Robin Hood(1938) staring Errol Fynn.This movie has everything action adventure and romance .I never
get tired of watching Gary Cooper who in my opinion is the grandaddy of Indiana Jones, no one else can wear the classic fedora and pre-world war 2 leather bomber jacket like Cooper. Ingrid Bergman (I always had a crush on her ) plays a 19 year old spainish girl ,it's hard to believe she was 27 when she made this film in late august 1942.I'm half way through reading Ernest Hemingway's book For whom the bell tolls,the book has more graphic sex than in the film .In the film Cooper and Bergman have smoking hot chemistry ,it looks like at any moment they are going to be go at it in the sack. I hope paramount will release a 2 disc DVD set in 2008 in time for it's 65th anniversary .I posted a few photos on amazon I hope you like them.

I think the reason why this 1943 film isn't really fully appreciated by the public of today is because this isn't the typical action-packed Hollywood film. It's a character-driven story with loads of dialogue and few action, and that's why it's so good. Plus, it has Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergmann; the chemistry between them seems so real in this film. And of course, there's Katina Paxinou as Pilar. She's spectacular, and she deserved the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The ending isn't much of a tearjerker when compared to other sad endings, but it is still a powerful ending (probably one of the most powerful endings of all time).

Hemingway himself may have been displeased with this film adaptation of his own novel, but that doesn't stop me (and many others) from admiring this work of art.