For Whom the Bell Tolls

RYTHMLESS

As movie history attests, it’s harder to make a good movie from a Hemingway book than a bad one. For Whom the Bell Tolls is additional proof. The novel blasts the rising tide of fascism, centering on the horrors of Franco in Spain. However, with W.W.II raging and anti-Axis propaganda maxing out Hollywood’s war effort, Franco got off rather lightly, aided and abetted by quietly intense political pressure put on Paramount by Spain, Washington and factional Catholics. If director Sam Wood had been permitted to use the original script by Dudley Nichols, the political messaging might have been more pungent but most likely delaying release until after WWII. As it happened, running at 170 minutes, not counting overture and intermission, the movie was given a very selective “roadshow” treatment in 1943 and after its initial run cut by 40 minutes for general release. Critic James Agee explains a major part of the picture’s failing: “The rhythm of this film is the most defective I have ever seen in a super production.” Which is to say there’s little pace, buildup or angst in the civil war crisis; everything gets trapped in and detained by the mountains. He goes on to bemoan the use of Technicolor intensifying the postcard art getting “fatally in the way of any serious imitation of reality.” Very surprising for Agee not to pinpoint the prime culprit—William Cameron Menzies, a designer of color, lighting and fakery, a master at blending glass and other kinds of process shots with actual footage. Gone with the Wind is example of what he can do; For Whom the Bell Tolls is example of what happens when his talents can work against a picture with a cautionary theme. And the never-ending jump from location shots (the Sierra Nevada) to studio shots in the same scene or sequence is absolutely maddening! Hemingway had his hand in the casting, insisting on Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman who despite their geniality are mistakes. Coop’s fedora and Ingrid’s killer hair cut and heavily practiced earnesty in line readings end up driving a viewer crazy and, as poor Maria Schell confirmed in a subsequent version with Jason Robards, Swedes and Austrians don’t make convincing Spaniards. Supervised by Wally Westmore, the tanning makeup—pancakey for Ingrid, almost blackish for Katina Paxinou—is also a killer. With the novel an instant bestseller, the movie was a huge hit, remarkable given its length, preoccupation with romance forfeiting the perils of fascism and the insufferable amount of time it takes to get to that bridge. Papa’s reaction many of us agree with: “After I’d seen the first five minutes I couldn’t stand it any longer so I walked out. They’d cut all my best scenes and there was no point to it. Later I went back again because I thought I must see the whole movie, and I saw a bit more, and again I walked out. It took me five visits to see that movie. That’s how much I liked it.”

Oscar win for best supporting actress (Katina Paxinou); nominated for best picture, best actor, best actress, supporting actor (Akim Tamiroff), film editing, color cinematography and art direction/interior decoration.

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ralphbenner@nowreviewing.com