For Whom the Bell Tolls

Starring: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff, Arturo de Cordova, Vladimir, Sokoloff, Katina Paxinou, Joseph Calleia
Directed by: Sam Wood
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
1943

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An American (Gary Cooper) fighting in Spain teams with a group of rebels to blow up a bridge.

Review:

Tim: I should start by saying that I am a huge fan of Ernest Hemingway's novel. While Hemingway's style might not be my favorite, I recognize the genius of his novel. It's a beautiful, powerful story, and although not a whole lot happens for a book that long, I was looking forward to this film. This movie is a fairly faithful adaptation, and while I enjoyed it, I can't say this movie reached the heights of the book. It's good, but it leaves quite a lot to be desired.

I want to start by saying that the movie actually gets a lot right. I was impressed with how much of the book is included in the film. While a novel of that length will obviously get large parts cut out, the movie's 170 minute run time allows a great deal of the story to be included. That's certainly a positive. This was obviously made by people who cared deeply about the novel. That shows up on screen. I will say that it was a little disappointing that much of the novel's political themes were removed from the film. I read that this is why Hemingway didn't care much for the film. It would have been impossible to make this movie any longer (it's quite lengthy already), but I felt like something was lost with that removal.

The cast is interesting, but certainly controversial. I really like both Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman, and typically, I would have been very, very excited for them to be in these roles. However, it just feels like they were miscast. What makes this even weirder is that apparently, Hemingway himself wanted them for these roles. That doesn't make any sense to me, as they just don't seem to fit the characters. In the novel, Robert Jordan is fairly young. His youth is important to the story, as he "lives his whole life" in 3 days. This doesn't mesh with Cooper, who was over 40 at the time of filming. I just did not think he was the right actor for the role. Ingrid Bergman seemed even more of a poor casting choice. In the book, Hemingway spends a lot of time describing Maria. She's clearly a young Spanish woman, with darker skin and dark hair. This doesn't fit with Bergman, who has blonde hair and is very, very light-skinned. I love Bergman, but it's almost comical that we're supposed to believe she's Maria. I was a little surprised that both Cooper and Bergman were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress at the Academy Awards. They were both very good, but it felt like they weren't the right actors for the part.

The supporting cast, however, is great. This is partially due to their great performances, partially due to the fact that they actually resemble the characters they are playing. Katina Paxinou represents the film's only Academy Award win, for Best Supporting Actress, for her role as Pilar. Pilar is a fascinating character, and Paxinou brings her to life on screen. Her performance is strong, emotional, and memorable. I really liked her here. However, the best performance of the film (in my opinion) belongs to Akim Tamiroff. Tamiroff was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and he could have one. Pablo is a complex, unnerving, powerful character, and Tamiroff is perfect in the role. He communicates so much with her eyes and his mannerisms. There were long moments of the film where I simply could not tear my eyes away from him. His performance is unforgettable, and I thought he was terrific in this film.

One of the challenges with adapting the story is that for long stretches of it, not a lot happens. The most compelling parts of the book are the slow, emotional, relationship-building moments between Roberto and Maria. The movie obviously limits these scenes in the film, but that detracts a bit from the love story. This is a cerebral story, and some of that is unfortunately lost in the film.

Now, I am impressed that this film was nominated for 9 Academy Awards (although it only won one). It was nominated for the 4 acting nominations already discussed, as well as Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music, and Best Picture. I don't necessarily agree with all of the nominations, but I acknowledge that this movie is a very strong adaptation of a terrific novel. I really did enjoy watching For Whom the Bell Tolls, and while I have some concerns about the movie, overall, this is a very solid movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Casablanca, High Noon