For Whom the Bell Tolls

Year 6, Day 279 - 10/6/14 - Movie #1,870

BEFORE:  Perhaps I screwed up because I watched the Rock Hudson version of "A Farewell to Arms" - apparently there was an earlier version starring Gary Cooper, and that would have made linking to tonight's film so much easier.  Gary Cooper was a man's man, just like Hemingway was.  Reportedly Rock Hudson was also a "man's man", but in a very different way.

As it stands now, Oskar Homolka links to Gary Cooper through a film called "Ball of Fire". 

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

AFTER: Once again, the main character of a Hemingway story seems to be a stand-in for Hemingway himself.  Though Hemingway reported on the Spanish Civil War, the character of Robert Jordan serves as an adviser to the Spanish Republicans.  Which they apparently needed, he seems to be the only one who knows how to wire dynamite to explode, and the only one who knows which end of the gun to point at one's enemies.  

The suggestion is that the Spanish Civil War was the precursor to World War II - that it was a similar battle for democracy and against tyranny.  But's it's a little hard to believe that a rogue American would get himself to Spain and put himself at risk fighting a war in another country - how does it benefit him?  I have a feeling that the character may have misunderstood the term "Republicans" - in Spain this probably meant people who were fighting to form a republic, and in America the term was just a political party for rich business people who believed in smaller, less influential government.  I bet when "Roberto" found out these rebels were poor as dirt he regretted his life choices.

While Hemingway fell in love with writer Martha Gellhorn while in Spain, Robert Jordan falls for one of the rebels, Maria.  Who was very unfortunately played by a Swedish actress who doesn't look or sound Spanish.  You might think that her blonde hair and Swedish accent would have marked her as some kind of spy right off.  

Anyway, Robert brings his expertise in firing machine guns and wiring bombs to the task of blowing up a bridge - it seems there's always a bridge to blow up in these things, right?  Like in "Force 10 From Navarone"...  He also has to sort through the talents and abilities of the Spanish gypsies, and also figure out if any of them are traitorous.  

But it takes a LONG time to get to the explodey parts.  There's plenty of time for romance, another Hemingway go-to.  Hey, he always fell in love in war zones, why shouldn't his characters?  But forcing a war story and a love story together like this still creates something of a disconnect.  If Jordan were really a professional soldier, you'd think he be more focused on the task at hand.

It seems Hemingway was always in one danger zone or another - if he weren't a journalist, I'd wonder if he wasn't some kind of trouble-seeker at heart.  Me, I'm gearing up for my bi-annual Battle of Comic-Con, one I've fought many times before.  That's about as close as I get to being a soldier, being concerned with my supplies, preparing for a 4-day siege against an army of geeky customers.

Also starring Ingrid Bergman (last seen in "Under Capricorn"), Akim Tamiroff, Katina Paxinou, Vladimir Sokoloff, Arturo de Cordova, Joseph Calleia.

RATING: 3 out of 10 hand grenades