With Cooper and Bergman to star in a Hemingway-based story must have seemed like can't miss. Sorry, but it missed.
The story is so basic: Cooper teams up with some guerrillas to blow a bridge during the Spanish Civil War. Bergman was badly abused including having her head shaved so has taken in with the guerillas.
Other than blowing up a train to open the film, there is no action or much else before intermission. They all sit in a cave talking and talking and talking, and not about much. Bergman is there only to fall immediately and deeply in love with Cooper. What a one-dimensional role compared to her just completed Ilsa in 'Casablanca'. Cooper is pretty stiff about it all, telling her how shameless she it.
In the second half the action picks up as they're found out by the enemy and betrayed (or not?) by the brutish Pablo. His makeup and Pilar's look like paint! (Why so many Russian actors?) Some nice mountain cinematography helps the film advance to it's climax. With that title, do you really have to wonder what happens? When the bridge blows up, it's nowhere near where Cooper placed the dynamite.
Cut the run time by a 1/3, add some real passion between the leads, and you'd have that winner.
The story is so basic: Cooper teams up with some guerrillas to blow a bridge during the Spanish Civil War. Bergman was badly abused including having her head shaved so has taken in with the guerillas.
Other than blowing up a train to open the film, there is no action or much else before intermission. They all sit in a cave talking and talking and talking, and not about much. Bergman is there only to fall immediately and deeply in love with Cooper. What a one-dimensional role compared to her just completed Ilsa in 'Casablanca'. Cooper is pretty stiff about it all, telling her how shameless she it.
In the second half the action picks up as they're found out by the enemy and betrayed (or not?) by the brutish Pablo. His makeup and Pilar's look like paint! (Why so many Russian actors?) Some nice mountain cinematography helps the film advance to it's climax. With that title, do you really have to wonder what happens? When the bridge blows up, it's nowhere near where Cooper placed the dynamite.
Cut the run time by a 1/3, add some real passion between the leads, and you'd have that winner.