For Whom the Bell Tolls (film)

For Whom the Bell Tolls
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sam Wood
Produced by	Sam Wood
Screenplay by	Dudley Nichols
Based on	For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Starring	Gary Cooper Ingrid Bergman Akim Tamiroff Joseph Calleia
Music by	Victor Young
Cinematography	Ray Rennahan
Edited by	John F. Link Sr. Sherman Todd
Production company	Paramount Pictures
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	July 14, 1943 (1943-07-14) (USA)
Running time	170 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$7.1 million (est. US/ Canada rentals)

For Whom the Bell Tolls is a 1943 American film produced and directed by Sam Wood and starring Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff, and Joseph Calleia. Written by Dudley Nichols and based on the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, the film is about an American fighting in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Republicans who finds romance during a desperate mission to blow up a strategically important bridge.

For Whom the Bell Tolls was Ingrid Bergman's first Technicolor film. Hemingway handpicked Cooper and Bergman for their roles. The film became the top box-office hit of 1943, grossing $11 million. It was also nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning one. Victor Young's film soundtrack for the film was the first complete score from an American film to be issued on record.

Plot

During the Spanish Civil War, an American (Gary Cooper), who is allied with the republicans, gets involved in a mission to blow up an important bridge.

Cast

• Gary Cooper as Robert Jordan
• Ingrid Bergman as María
• Akim Tamiroff as Pablo
• Arturo de Córdova as Agustín
• Vladimir Sokoloff as Anselmo, the guide
• Mikhail Rasumny as Rafael, the gypsy
• Fortunio Bonanova as Fernando
• Eric Feldary as Andrés, the courier
• Victor Varconi as Primitivo, the lookout
• Joseph Calleia as El Sordo
• Lilo Yarson as Joaquin
• Katina Paxinou as Pilar
• Alexander Granach as Paco
• Adia Kuznetzoff as Gustavo
• Leonid Snegoff as Ignacio
• Leo Bulgakov as General Golz
• Duncan Renaldo as Lieutenant Berrendo
• Frank Puglia as Captain Gomez
• Pedro de Cordoba as Colonel Miranda
• Michael Visaroff as Staff Officer
• Martin Garralaga as Captain Mora
• Jean Del Val as The Sniper
• John Mylong as Colonel Duval

Restoration

The film was originally released in a roadshow format, at 170 minutes (not counting intermission). For re-release, it was trimmed to 134 minutes, and it was not seen at its full length until the late 1990s, when it was archivally restored to 168 minutes. This restored version is the one that has been released on DVD. The restoration was photochemical, not digital, and the titles and some of the scenes in the early reels are slightly to significantly out-of-register.

Academy Awards

Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper in For Whom the Bell Tolls

Wins

• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Katina Paxinou

Nominations

• Outstanding Motion Picture: Paramount
• Best Actor: Gary Cooper
• Best Actress: Ingrid Bergman
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Akim Tamiroff
• Best Cinematography (Color): Ray Rennahan
• Best Art Direction (Color): Art Direction: Hans Dreier, Haldane Douglas; Interior Decoration: Bertram Granger
• Best Film Editing: Sherman Todd, John F. Link Sr.
• Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture): Victor Young

Other versions

There was a Lux Radio Theater version broadcast on February 11, 1945, which retained the principal cast from the film: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, and Akim Tamiroff.

See also

• List of Spanish Civil War films

External links

• For Whom the Bell Tolls at the American Film Institute Catalog
• For Whom the Bell Tolls at IMDb
• For Whom the Bell Tolls at AllMovie
• For Whom the Bell Tolls at the TCM Movie Database

Streaming audio

• Radio adaptation of For Whom The Bell Tolls February 12, 1945 on Lux Radio Theatre; 50 minutes, with the original stars (MP3)