For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
I’m not really an Ernest Hemingway fan, and I’m certainly not a Gary Cooper fan, but there’s a lot to appreciate in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Ingrid Bergman delivers one of her finest performances, beaten out at the Academy Awards by the ridiculously overrated Song of Bernadette. I love Jennifer Jones, but I never felt she deserved her Oscar for that performance. It should have been Ingrid’s year! She’s everything the character calls for, innocent beyond belief and terribly traumatized. She delivers a heartbreaking monologue about her abuse, and with all the feeling she puts into reliving the memory, it’s shocking to see the little her costar gives her in return. Still, it’s her scene, and as wooden as Gary Cooper is, he’s not able to ruin it.
Greek actress Katina Paxinou also shines as the tough Pilar, and she won both the Oscar and the Rag awards for her film debut. Afterwards, she returned to Greece and created a theater company; pretty cool, huh? She delivers an equally memorable monologue about what it’s like to be ugly but know in your heart that you’re beautiful. With such fantastic female performances, it’s hard to believe the story isn’t really about them. It’s actually about Gary Cooper, an American backpacker who gets roped into fighting alongside the rebels in the Spanish Civil War. Akim Tamiroff is the most prominently featured soldier, and Gary has to figure out if he’s trustworthy or not. If you’re a Hemingway fan, you’ve got to rent this one. It’s very exciting, despite a lackluster leading man. Plus, Ingrid Bergman looks absolutely adorable with short, curly hair. Her blue eyes pop out in her first Technicolor movie!
More Ingrid Bergman movies here!
More Gary Cooper movies here!
Greek actress Katina Paxinou also shines as the tough Pilar, and she won both the Oscar and the Rag awards for her film debut. Afterwards, she returned to Greece and created a theater company; pretty cool, huh? She delivers an equally memorable monologue about what it’s like to be ugly but know in your heart that you’re beautiful. With such fantastic female performances, it’s hard to believe the story isn’t really about them. It’s actually about Gary Cooper, an American backpacker who gets roped into fighting alongside the rebels in the Spanish Civil War. Akim Tamiroff is the most prominently featured soldier, and Gary has to figure out if he’s trustworthy or not. If you’re a Hemingway fan, you’ve got to rent this one. It’s very exciting, despite a lackluster leading man. Plus, Ingrid Bergman looks absolutely adorable with short, curly hair. Her blue eyes pop out in her first Technicolor movie!
More Ingrid Bergman movies here!
More Gary Cooper movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Supporting Actress of 1942-3: Katina Paxinou
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Actress: Ingrid Bergman