For Whom the Bell Tolls, 10/6/12 Best Supporting Actress 1943
Full disclaimer: Not a Hemingway fan, not a huge Gary Cooper fan, and yet, I didn’t hate this movie. I didn't love it, but it was not as bad as I thought I would be. I actually took a Hemingway/Fitzgerald class in high school and kicked myself for a whole semester, actually that’s not true, a good friend and I had fun mocking one of the 20th century’s great writers. For Whom the Bell Tolls is the story of an American in Spain to fight with the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. ‘Roberto’ played by Gary Cooper is an expert at bridge demolition and he connects with a group of Republicans, including Ingrid Bergman as ‘Maria’ (sorry, I didn't buy that either) and Best Supporting Actress winner, Katina Paxinou as ‘Pilar’. As I said, I read the book, and I liked the character of Pilar the best, and that would be the same in the movie. There is a passion and fire in Pilar that holds your attention and you want to know more about her (kind of the way Jane Darwell had a quiet intensity in The Grapes of Wrath). Roberto and Maria of course fall in love, but other than that, I won’t ruin it for you. It is interesting to watch this movie about a piece of history that many people do not know. The Spanish Civil War (the Republicans versus the Monarchy/Fascists and Francisco Franco) was a precursor to the World War in Europe, the way the invasion of Manchuria was in Asia. There are parts of the movie that are beautiful to watch, the cinematography and scenery are wonderful. The movie shows how and why civil wars are not easily understood, sometimes you join forces with your enemy against a common foe, but then perhaps turn on your former ally. Politics and war make strange bedfellows.
Sometimes Gary Cooper is so wooden you half expect to strings and a puppeteer, other times you totally believe him and his character. I love Ingrid Bergman, but this just didn’t work for me. Apparently, there wasn't an actual Spaniard in the main cast; in fact, you sometimes hear what sounds like Russian accents (really). Paxinou was a Greek actress. If you’re wondering if you should watch this movie, maybe, if nothing else is in your top twenty and you want to get a high level introduction to the Spanish Civil War and see a great Best Supporting Actress Performance (see the next review for a not Best Supporting Actress nomination), then yes, you should watch it; if you read the book, sure, watch the movie. Otherwise, you’ll survive if you don’t.
