The Pride and the Passion

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Made during the decade of good old-fashioned, honest film epics, The Pride and the Passion manages to transcend its obvious flaws. It's amazing to watch this immense gun pushed and pulled by hundreds of Spanish freedom fighters across the actual terrain where the story takes place. The film is structured around several very impressive action sequences: 1.) the initial destruction and the raising of the gun 2.) the near-disaster of floating the gun on the river 3.) the attack on the French camp, complete with roaring fire-balls rolling down the hills 4.) the destruction of the French pontoon bridge 5.) the treacherous mountain pass 6.) the grueling ascent/descent over the mountain, with those incredible shots of the cannon "on-the-loose", shearing off trees as it zooms downhill (!) 7.) the Holy week procession (with the cannon disguised as a gigantic religious float, 8.) the final battle at Avila, as the gun is used to blow apart the city's walls.

In between, we are treated to the Frank's big impassioned speech in the bullring, the knife fight where the bullying Jose Nieto and Cary Grant mix it up under the windmills, and lots of heated verbal exchanges between Frank and Cary (fueled, of course by their mutual "hots" for Sophia Loren, who always manages to smooth things over).

The script has its problems, but it still manages to convey the nearly fanatical dedication of the Spanish fighters, keenly contrasted with the technical, objective expertise of the British military officer (Grant). When Cary finally steps forward to admonish the Bishop for his refusal to allow the desperate Spaniards to repair the cannon inside of the cathedral, we see that "cold" Cary actually has been swept up by the emotions of the Spaniard's cause, as he so eloquently pleads on their behalf.

And the script does contain one REALLY COOL line, as the cruel, jaded French General (Theodore Bikel), just before the big final battle, asks his aide why the Spaniards seem so INTENT on dying, on "soaking the land with their blood".....and the aide calmly replies: "perhaps because it is THEIR land......."

And the MUSIC by the unique, eccentric George Antheil, the "Bad Boy of Music" as he was called (try to locate a copy of his 1945 autobiography of the same name...what a nut!). Antheil seemed indeed to have found his true calling writing in a flashy, grandly-romantic, visceral Spanish idiom. The hauntingly beautiful "Juana's Prayer" as she prays in the cathedral and lights candles, and the following Holy week Processional, one of the true glories of all film music (which owes more than a little to the "bell-tolling" music of Mussorgsky's "Boris Goudonov") are but two of the highlights.

Yeah, Frank seems hopelessly miscast, even though he does a very convincing job of underplaying his role (he HATED making the film, as he was desperate to get back to Hollywood and wallow in misery over Ava Gardner). Question: if we DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT FRANK SINATRA outside of this film, what would we think of his performance? The problem is that we DO know everything about Frank's life and career, and it was a mistake for Kramer to cast him for that very reason. I've never understood why many people don't like Cary Grant in the film; he seems to be exactly what's needed in the role. And Sophia Loren does her best with a very predictable role.

But it's the sense of overhwelming grandeur -- the instinctive need of the human spirit to defy tyranny and fight to the bitter end---symbolized by the film's EPIC SCALE -- the masses of humanity, travelling across the magnificent, foreboding terrain...and that massive, monolithic CANNON, representing the last hope of the Spanish people in their heroic struggle against Napoleon---all carried along by the blazing music of Mr Antheil....that makes this film, despite all of its flaws, a truly memorable cinematic experience.

PS. In contrast to one of the other reviewers, I find the visual and audio quality of the DVD release very fine, with the exception of a little speck that shows up occasionally on the right side of the screen. Overall volume could have been boosted a bit; otherwise- excellent.

• Genres > Action & Adventure
• Genres > Classics
• Genres > Military & War

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