The Pride and the Passion

Rating:
Summary: HARD TO FIND OLDIES
Review: I AM A CARY GRANT FAN AND HAVE MOST OF HIS MOVIES. THIS ONE WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND UNTIL THE INTERNET. THE STORY IS NOT BAD, THOUGH RATHER PASSE IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A RELIEF. TYPICAL BATTLE OF THE SEXES WITH A STORY WRAPPED AROUND IT TO GIVE IT CONTINUITY. NOT A MOVIE TO BE REWATCHED VERY OFTEN, BUT GOOD TO HAVE IN A COLLECTION. THESE OLD ONES WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND SOMEDAY.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible "cliché" (one of Hollywood's worst ever...) AVOID!
Review: I am a diehard fan of the XIXth century, ans specially I love the early part of it... (That counts against me of course, I am too much of a purist... or let's say too well informed to swallow ANYTHING...).
Well, "The Gun" is an above average novel by C.S.Forester (mostly known for having fathered the Hornblower saga), and then it's transformed via a sorry script, an awful casting (really Sinatra looks as much a spanish guerrillero as Allen in "Bananas"... or to be fair they could also cast Barbra Streissand for the role of Eva Braun and get the same result...), Grant does his best to save his part... and Loren look beautifully inept throught it... (Why they made her "dance" flamenco eludes me completely... one of the most embarrasing scenes I have ever seen in film... at least we have been spared her feetwork...).
Uterly unbelievable from start to finish...
And last but not least the TERRIBLE uniformology used... I still have nightmares about the silly tricolor pennants of the lancers of a strange french cavalry unit commanded by what looks as an officer of dragoons and consists of a strange mixture of cuirassiers and lancers... and ALL of the infantry are supposed to be Old Guard Grenadiers... AWFUL (Take a look at "The Duellists" or even "Waterloo" or "War and Peace" to see the diference...).
I rated the thing two stars because there are even worse films... and then it's in color, and "the gun" looks the part (how I laughed when they gharge the thing and fire it... really funny how a single guy manages to lift the BIG BALL of "stone" into the mouth of the gun...) and then Loren is young and awesome... and er... young and beautifull... and er... young and lovely... etc.
ONLY FIT FOR AGES THREE TO SIX ON A RAINY AFTERNOON (IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A RAINCOAT...)

Rating:
Summary: A big, miscast mess of a spectacle...
Review: I just recently saw this film on Turner Classic Movies and was immediately surprised at the grand scale of the film. It was quite a production and was impressive. And that is where the entertainment stops. ***First and foremost is the casting of Frank Sinatra in the role of Miguel...or should I say miscasting?! One cannot get beyong his terribly lame attempt at a Spanish accent, and being the fan that I am, I tried in vain. He should NEVER have played this role. Quite simply, there is NO way to even try to ignore the hillarity of Frank's attempt at a Spanish accent. It's laughable and I can't imagine how Cary Grant kept a straight face in the filming. It was a noble attempt, but it just doesn't work. And Grant doesn't get off easily either. He appears distracted and bored throughout. It really is quite a shame since the movie is beautiful to look at and the film score is exquisite. It's too bad that the DVD version doesn't have a Music only option. ****The movie is a great study in curiousity however. One would imagine that with the talent involved, and with what I'm assuming to have been a fairly large budget, a epic masterpiece would have resulted. Perhaps Stanley Kramer was yet a little too green to handle a production of this scale and to handle a cast of this caliber and personality. The backstory of this film would make a much more interesting story! It has been reported that Grant was agonizing over his love for Loren, although she was married. They began a love affair on the set of the film. Sinatra was miserable making this film, having been jilted by Loren, and still wallowing in the ever-present trauma that was his relationship with Ava Gardner. Sinatra actually left location and Kramer had to film some of his scenes in Hollywood. Anyway, we'll have to wait for HBO to film this behind the scenes look! All in all, the problems are all surfaced here and the movie fails terribly. One of the best really bad epics!

Rating:
Summary: Don't listen to the detractors
Review: Partisan warfare at its most romantic. A little mushy at times, but with Cary Grant kissing Sophia Loren whose gonna complain. Cary's speech to the Bishop to convince him to let them hide the big gun in the church is masterly. "You can't turn them down", too many have died, the last sumbol of the resistance etc. The Spanish war against Napolean was a peoples war and the first use of "guerillas" and the British were on the side of freedom this time.

Rating:
Summary: Listen to the music
Review: Rarely mentioned among these reviews is the major reason for watching (or buying) this film on DVD - the musical score by George Antheil. The film was an obvious star vehicle by an inexperienced (at the time) director, Stanley Kramer, and it is not high drama. It can be boring in places. But concentrate on the musical score and you will surely be entertained. Antheil's great score is not available on CD and the record has long been out of print. But it is definitely worth the price of the film.

Rating:
Summary: I'll have the passion, please...
Review: The Pride And The Passion is one of those good old-fashioned 1950's Hollywood movies that had everything - a starry cast, a colorful location, a heroic story with generous helpings of romance, rousing music, widescreen spectacle, and a cast of thousands (well, hundreds anyway). This was made when movies were fighting to steal back their audiences from the novelty of television. And their plan was to provide what television could not - big stars on big screens in glorious color. It almost worked. But that era of bigger is best has left us with some remarkable films that, despite other faults, always succeeded in their primary objective of being entertaining. (Note to previous reviewer - If you want historical accuracy, read a book.)

The Pride And The Passion takes a simple storyline - Spanish peasants capture and move a huge cannon across half the country to use against Napoleonic invaders - and elevates it to epic proportions. One of the first Hollywood movies to take full advantage of location shooting - on the ancient earth of pre-tourist Spain - the film is always visually striking. The huge gun itself becomes both symbol and star - but the human stars never quite let it upstage them.

Cary Grant at first seems a laughable choice to play the stiff British naval officer with the critical knowledge of artillery. But he quickly becomes almost convincing in this non-typecast part. The same is not so true of Frank Sinatra as the illiterate peasant who is a natural leader of men with an unshakeable belief in his cause and the mission at hand. A better wig might have helped the illusion but at least in those days Sinatra was trying to be a character instead of simply playing himself. Sophia Loren, on the other hand, is perfect casting as Sinatra's fiery and passionate lover who, not surprisingly, sparks more than a little bit with Grant. These three stars together in one movie must have been a press agent's dream. And with such a volatile eternal triangle, the villain has to settle for little more than a bit part. He's played to the hilt by Theodore Bikel, a folk singer who also had a nice career as a character actor playing roles for which an accent was required.

Actually, it's surprising this film isn't better known. Maybe it got lost among the competition. But it's good Saturday afternoon stuff with something to appeal to just about everybody, complete with schmaltzy ending. I suppose it looks a bit tame compared to today's effects-laden blockbusters. But there is a naive charm about these old Hollywood epics that is frequently irresistible.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: This film is, in a word, beautiful. A grand epic in the traditional '50s Hollywood style. And what's wrong with that? Who cares how miscast certain actors may be? In spite of this they still do a great job (I don't know how long this film took to produce, but it must have been gruelling at times). Ol' Blue Eyes may not be everyone's conception of a fiery Spanish "guerrillero", but when you view the scene ("the sandals") in which he acknowledges to Juana (Loren) his awareness of her love for Trumbell (Grant), it will break your heart. The scope of this film is truly epic - staggering, monumental -, made so by the gigantic cannon hauled across Spain by the patriots and given glorious life by George Antheil's magnificent score. Personally I have never heard a more beautiful soundtrack. The highlight is the music for the Holy Week procession. It is transcendental, and is, in a way, the epitome of American culture and (deserved) greatness during the era in which this film was made. BTW, I am blessed to own two original copies of this soundtrack. Still, all the music is available on the VHS/DVD issues of this wonderful film, so nothing is really lost (the original recording is, unfortunately, somewhat abridged). If you like beauty, glory, patriotism and innocence, this film is a must.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: This film is, in a word, beautiful. A grand epic in the traditional '50s Hollywood style. And what's wrong with that? Who cares how miscast certain actors may be? In spite of this they still do a great job (I don't know how long this film took to produce, but it must have been gruelling at times). Ol' Blue Eyes may not be everyone's conception of a fiery Spanish "guerrillero", but when you view the scene ("the sandals") in which he acknowledges to Juana (Loren) his awareness of her love for Trumbell (Grant), it will break your heart. The scope of this film is truly epic - staggering, monumental -, made so by the gigantic cannon hauled across Spain by the patriots and given glorious life by George Antheil's magnificent score. Personally I have never heard a more beautiful soundtrack. The highlight is the music for the Holy Week procession. It is transcendental, and is, in a way, the epitome of American culture and (deserved) greatness during the era in which this film was made. BTW, I am blessed to own two original copies of this soundtrack. Still, all the music is available on the VHS/DVD issues of this wonderful film, so nothing is really lost (the original recording is, unfortunately, somewhat abridged). If you like beauty, glory, patriotism and innocence, this film is a must.

Rating:
Summary: One of CARY GRANTs Best Performances
Review: This is epic filmmaking from producer-director Stanley Kramer. Most actors could have gotten lost in the sweep of this saga. However, Cary Grant turns in one of his best performances and in doing so lifts this film's focus to more human qualities than just centering on armies doing battle.

Rating:
Summary: Poor quality DVD
Review: This is not a review of the movie, but a criticism of the MGM DVD release. The Pride and the Passion DVD as first released is a pressing using old unrestored film stock, complete with scratches, dust marks, overall magenta color, poor film and sound track registration. This movie deserves a complete restoration to it's original condition. If you haven't seen the movie, buy it. If you're a film collector, be satisfied with a VHS tape as this DVD is no improvement.