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For Whom The Bell Tolls [1943]
![For Whom The Bell Tolls [1943]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51eU0S7depL._SL160_.jpg)
RRP: £9.99
Our Price: £3.20 (subject to change)
"Any Man's death diminishes me "
Review date: 2007-03-31 Rating: 6 out of 10
"Because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore send to know
for who the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee."
Spain 1937. Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) came to Spain o fight for "The Republic" (a nice way to say for the commies) and against nationalists. He also had a dislike for Germans and Italians. His assignment was to go behind the nationalist lines and blow up a bridge at a strategic moment. There this stoic hero meets a peasant girl (a much too young for Gary, Ingrid Bergman) with a bad haircut and that barely escaped a train ride. They naturally fall in love which complicates things. Will this jeopardize the mission? Do we care?
Along with this we have the classic mixture of characters that you can not tell if they are the good guys or the bad guys. The two that stand out besides the hero and his girl are Katina Paxinou (sort of a female Antony Quinn) as the doyenne, and Akim Tamiroff as the once good guerilla who may be bad or just self-centered. Who they were and how the acted was quite a predicable formula.
The story is an adoption from the Ernest Hemingway novel. Of course they could not put everything in the story and too a few liberties. We also miss the dialog that people read Hemmingway for.
The initial credits are in some annoying script (Parchment) make it hard to read at a glance.
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Reviews
MIND THE GAP!
Review date: 2006-04-20 Rating: 4 out of 10
I bought this for a friend, and to be honest the film didn't do a lot for me, but the real purpose of my review is to alert potential buyers to an oddity about the DVD that could lead them to believing it is faulty. I sent the DVD back to Amazon because the first chapter (supposedly containing the titles etc) appeared to have sound but no vision at all. The replacement was the same. However I let ths one play on and eventually the opening titles appeared. It seems there is a very long empty gap at the beginning where the screen is completely blank. Normally an overture is accompanied by a colour wash or something visual, but not in this case. Beware!
a great Hemingway adaptation
Review date: 2002-11-22 Rating: 10 out of 10
When Hemingway picked Cooper and Bergman for this 1943 film, he could not have done better. They are heavenly to look at, and the chemistry between them is palpable. The dialogue has retained the style of the book, and they make it sound 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 is 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 Bergman, looking younger than her 29 years, with 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 for "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.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Ingrid Bergman
Arturo de Córdova
Gary Cooper
Akim Tamiroff
Vladimir Sokoloff
Creators:
Gary Cooper (Primary Contributor)
Ingrid Bergman (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 3259190357396
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2003-11-10
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 125 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1943
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: Spanish (Original Language)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: Italian (Subtitled)
Language: Hebrew (Subtitled)
Language: Arabic (Subtitled)
Language: Turkish (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Russian (Subtitled)