For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)

During the Spanish Civil War, an American allied with the Republicans finds romance during a desperate mission to blow up a strategically important bridge.

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

Ernest Hemingway (novel), Dudley Nichols (screenplay),

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Cooper	...	Robert Jordan
Ingrid Bergman	...	María
Akim Tamiroff	...	Pablo
Arturo de Córdova	...	Agustín
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Anselmo
Mikhail Rasumny	...	Rafael
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Fernando
Eric Feldary	...	Andrés
Victor Varconi	...	Primitivo
Katina Paxinou	...	Pilar
Joseph Calleia	...	El Sordo
Lilo Yarson	...	Joaquin
Alexander Granach	...	Paco
Adia Kuznetzoff	...	Gustavo
Leonid Snegoff	...	Ignacio

Storyline

Spain in the 1930s is the place to be for a man of action like Robert Jordan. There is a civil war going on and Jordan who has joined up on the side that appeals most to idealists of that era -- like Ernest Hemingway and his friends -- has been given a high-risk assignment up in the mountains. He awaits the right time to blow up a bridge in a cave. Pilar, who is in charge there, has an ability to foretell the future. And so that night she encourages Maria, a young girl ravaged by enemy soldiers, to join Jordan who has decided to spend the night under the stars.

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Plot Keywords:

bridge | mountain | civil war | spanish | spanish civil war | 

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Taglines:

From the most thrilling novel of our years !

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

28 April 1944 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Pour qui sonne le glas

Filming Locations:

Blue Canyon, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

170 min 134 min (re-release) 168 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer Dudley Nichols depoliticized the screenplay, removing all references to Gen. Francisco Franco, loyalists and Falangists. However, he did keep in one prophetic comment about how Germany and Italy were using Spain as target practice.

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Goofs

(at around 50 mins) Pilar says "Wait" to Jordan and Maria. It is clear that the shot has been reversed, as the bolt handle and magazine on her Krag-Jorgenson carbine (see previous entry) was on the left of the rifle, whereas this weapon was only made in right-handed versions.

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Quotes

Pilar: Look I am ugly. Yet one can have a feeling here
[points to her heart]
Pilar: that blinds a man while he loves you. He thinks you are beautiful. And one day for no reason at all he sees you ugly as you really are. And he is not blind anymore. Then you see yourself as ugly as he sees you - and you lose your man and your feeling. Then one day the feeling, that idiotic feeling that you are beautiful, grows inside you again and another man sees you and thinks you are beautiful and it's all to do over again....

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Connections

Referenced in Xena: Warrior Princess: For Him the Bell Tolls (1997)

User Reviews

Going well and fast and far

Not enough time to deliver the proper material here, so will return another day. But as for this quibbling with the casting, etc., etc. Some negative reviews mention the word "turgid." But for years, in the Sunday New York Times weekly TV listings, the capsule finished with "Thank you Victor Young." Sooooo -- Akim Tamiroff IS Pablo, gives the performance of his life, should have won the Oscar. Joseph Calleia as El Sordo is just one example of how the supporting cast carries this flawed giant on its collective back. Watch young Joaquin's lips move as he prays his last prayer while El Sordo and his men die fighting. Watch Pablo tell Anselmo, "Do you want to die? Then shut up." Watch Pilar tell Pablo, "No one understands you -- not God, nor your mother, nor I." BUT ABOVE ALL ELSE is Victor Young's score, and Young's love theme is among the most beautiful ever used in ANY MOVIE ANYWHERE. It's final appearance comes as Jordan sends Maria away, and no one cries better than Bergman. "Now you're going, and you're going well and fast and far...." Heart rending is not done with a finer edge than this. One of my life's true regrets is I didn't get to see in in a real movie theatre of my childhood. So go ahead and whine about all the faults. Tears still come to my eyes every time. And that's what Hollywood is all about. If Hemingway were here right now, drunk or sober, he'd say the same thing, with some cussin' thrown in.