The DVD archivally restored version of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" suggests that this film was deemed worthy of attention to preserve it for today's and future audiences. Watching this DVD, one can see why it's continuing to survive, where other films made during its time have tended to fall out of public attention.
One thing which is extremely impressive is the peerless work of William Cameron Menzies. His production design is artful, inventive, and just plain beautiful. Shot for shot, there are wonderful compositions, set designs, lighting and photography. The color is some of the most striking ever filmed, rich and vibrant. Ray Rennahan's cinematography is also a joy to behold, and Victor Young's romantic quasi-Spanish score wraps up every scene with lush atmosphere and thematic character-situational motifs.
The cast is uniformly excellent, with Katina Paxinou outstanding. It is certainly a fine production.
Alas, what I find completely cool is Hemingway's skewed consciousness. He occasionally paid lip service to sensitivity toward his fellow beings, but actually he did not appear to hold others in high value. His attitude toward the "enemy" or the "target" is characteristic of his sickly way he tended to see things. The total disregard he held for animals in his real life activites emerges in his writings on human interaction. It's a consciousness of violence, scheming, ploting, and general conflict. That all this is the stuff of action and adventure allows the sickness to mask itself very skillfully. Scratch the surface, however, and one finds an ill view of the world.
One thing which is extremely impressive is the peerless work of William Cameron Menzies. His production design is artful, inventive, and just plain beautiful. Shot for shot, there are wonderful compositions, set designs, lighting and photography. The color is some of the most striking ever filmed, rich and vibrant. Ray Rennahan's cinematography is also a joy to behold, and Victor Young's romantic quasi-Spanish score wraps up every scene with lush atmosphere and thematic character-situational motifs.
The cast is uniformly excellent, with Katina Paxinou outstanding. It is certainly a fine production.
Alas, what I find completely cool is Hemingway's skewed consciousness. He occasionally paid lip service to sensitivity toward his fellow beings, but actually he did not appear to hold others in high value. His attitude toward the "enemy" or the "target" is characteristic of his sickly way he tended to see things. The total disregard he held for animals in his real life activites emerges in his writings on human interaction. It's a consciousness of violence, scheming, ploting, and general conflict. That all this is the stuff of action and adventure allows the sickness to mask itself very skillfully. Scratch the surface, however, and one finds an ill view of the world.