Featured Audience Ratings

• Jim H

  
  During the Spanish Civil War, an American mercenary works with a local group of fighters to blow up a bridge. I've written before that if there's a heaven, it must involve being loved by Natalie Wood. There's no reason not to add Ingrid Bergman to that list. Can you… More
  During the Spanish Civil War, an American mercenary works with a local group of fighters to blow up a bridge. I've written before that if there's a heaven, it must involve being loved by Natalie Wood. There's no reason not to add Ingrid Bergman to that list. Can you imagine both of them? It's hard enough to get one. Bergman and Gary Cooper maximize the small amount of time the story dedicates to their love affair, and they make what seems convenient believable. In typical Hemingway fashion, the story is about manhood and war but also love. And the group of people Cooper's character encounters are all round, interesting characters with complex backstories and intentions. Nobody is villainized, but it's nonetheless clear whom Hemingway respects. Cooper, whose reserved performance in <i>Pride of the Yankees</i> can't be underestimated, was, I thought, too reserved in this film, especially at the end. I think the film needed an emotional explosion, a last gasp for hope and love in spite of the degradation that surrounded him. Overall, this is a Hemingway story, so you know it's good, and the three hours goes by quickly.

• jay n

  
  Some solid performances can't compensate for the extreme overlength of this. An hour's editing could have made this a fine film but it just goes on and on, plus Cooper and Ingrid while individually fine have little chemistry.

• Bruce B

  
  My Good Friend from flixster ViVi told me to see this movie, she has become my sweetheart. So many of the movies she has told me about I should have seen years ago, and I have found each one to be exciting. Growing up I never saw many Gary Cooper Films, oh they were on TV just… More
  My Good Friend from flixster ViVi told me to see this movie, she has become my sweetheart. So many of the movies she has told me about I should have seen years ago, and I have found each one to be exciting. Growing up I never saw many Gary Cooper Films, oh they were on TV just didn't have a interest, that was my lost, these are good films, and his teaming up with Ingrid Bergman is a positive match. For a movie filmed in 1943, these actors were all head of the class during that time. Its an exciting film with a big flair for WWII. They just don't make them like this anymore and there isn't an actor today that can stand up to these actors (Oh you say what about Tom Cruise , PLEASE!). This gets 5 Stars.

• Matthew Y

  
  Ernest Hemingway lived to see several of his books adapted to the big screen, I don't believe he was happy about any of them but he was particularly disappointed with For Whom the Bell Tolls as he felt most of the political content was stricken from the story (even though he hand… More
  Ernest Hemingway lived to see several of his books adapted to the big screen, I don't believe he was happy about any of them but he was particularly disappointed with For Whom the Bell Tolls as he felt most of the political content was stricken from the story (even though he hand picked Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman for the lead roles). Having not read the novel I cannot comment on this but from a cinematic standpoint For Whom the Bell Tolls is grand filmmaking especially for its time (It came out in 1943...I have no idea why RT's has it listed as 1973). I saw the almost 3 hour version and its memorable character development and sweeping landscape shots maintain the films epic feel and Ingrid Bergman looks as good in full color as she does in black and white.