What it’s about
Joining the partisans as the Spanish Civil War rages, idealistic American schoolteacher Robert Jordan (Cooper) is assigned to destroy a bridge. Linking up with a guerilla troop led by drunken Pedro (Tamiroff) and his steely wife, Pilar (Paxinou), he meets refugee Maria (Bergman), a young woman badly used by enemy soldiers. As he bides his time waiting to complete his mission, Robert finds himself drawn into a torrid affair with the gorgeous peasant.
Why we love it
A splendid adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s novel, this rousing, romantic adventure tells the tale of a love between a Spanish-born guerilla and an outsider who’s joined the cause out of political solidarity. Featuring solid performances by Cooper and the ravishing Bergman who gets off one of cinema’s most famous kissing lines (“I always wondered where the noses went”) Wood’s film is an absorbing treat. Katina Paxinou even picked up an Oscar for her fiery performance as de facto rebel leader Pilar. This “Bell” does indeed toll for thee.