During the Napoleonic Wars, British naval captain Cary Grant and Spanish freedom fighters Sophia Loren, Frank Sinatra and a real cast of thousands try to keep an enormous cannon from the evil French occupiers. Lots of impressive scenes with hundreds and sometimes thousands of extras and lots of mules and rope to pull that gun over the countryside with the French Army in hot pursuit. The movie is visually impressive; a knife fight amongst windmills, great battle sequences, large epic shots of hundreds and thousands of people all set against the beautiful Spanish landscape (where the movie was filmed). The problem is the actors. Grant is the best, but too stoic; Loren is beautiful, but too fey; and Sinatra is just miscast, his Spanish accent awful and totally unbelievable as the passionate Loren's love interest. Worth watching for the spectacle and the great scenes and scenery, but the personal soap opera between Cary, Frank and Loren puts a damper on the fun. I wish another actor had played Miguel, Sinatra's character - how about Anthony Quinn, Ricardo Montalban, Fernando Lamas, or even mature character actors like Cesar Romero or Gilbert Roland? I could never believe Sophia was interested in Frank.
61 Reviews
Watchable Epic from Stanley Kramer
ragosaal13 November 2006
I was a bit more than a kid when I saw "The Pride and the Passion" for the first time in theatres back in the late 50's and I remember I thought it was kind of slow and even boring at times. But then I saw it again not long ago and surprisingly -because it usually goes the other way around- I found it a watchable and sort of interesting epic spectacular in the times when Napoleon ruled in Spain.
Though "The Pride and the Passion" doesn't match in my opinion other directing works of Stanley Kramer such as "The Defiant Ones" or "Judgment at Nuremberg", this film has a sort of heroic and epic that reaches a reasonable level. It has well dosed and skillfuly handled action sequences, wide open sceneries in Spain, good color photo and a very appropriate musical score that gives it a sense of greatness. However I still think it could have been a bit shorter and that would have improved the product.
Cary Grant renders a very convincing performance as the British officer that knows how to shoot the huge cannon; Sophia Loren is good too and Frank Sinatra, if not brilliant whatsoever, comes out acceptably as an Spanish "guerrillero" leader and by the middle of the film you get used to him.
Not a classic or even a classical late 50's or early 60's epic spectacular "The Pride and the Passion" is an acceptable historical action film worth a watch.
Though "The Pride and the Passion" doesn't match in my opinion other directing works of Stanley Kramer such as "The Defiant Ones" or "Judgment at Nuremberg", this film has a sort of heroic and epic that reaches a reasonable level. It has well dosed and skillfuly handled action sequences, wide open sceneries in Spain, good color photo and a very appropriate musical score that gives it a sense of greatness. However I still think it could have been a bit shorter and that would have improved the product.
Cary Grant renders a very convincing performance as the British officer that knows how to shoot the huge cannon; Sophia Loren is good too and Frank Sinatra, if not brilliant whatsoever, comes out acceptably as an Spanish "guerrillero" leader and by the middle of the film you get used to him.
Not a classic or even a classical late 50's or early 60's epic spectacular "The Pride and the Passion" is an acceptable historical action film worth a watch.
Rousing and impressive epic set during the Napoleonic Wars, in the rebel Spain against the French military
ma-cortes8 May 2017
This spectacle movie is packed with noisy action , fights , uncomfortably cast , breathtaking Spanish outdoors and epic happenings . It deals with a small group of resistance fighters who form a vintage Spanish guerrilla led by an illiterate peasant called Miguel (Frank Sinatra who replaced Marlon Brando) battling for Spanish independence in 1810 and all of them must struggle a 6 ton cannon across the rugged terrain of Spain in order to help the British defeat the French commanded by General Jouvet (Theodore Bikel) . This enormous gun , perhaps the largest in the world at that time , to be destined to pull down the Avila walls . Meanwhile , along the way a British officer , named Anthony (Gary Grant who was utterly in love with Loren) joins the bunch , but then the protagonists have an affair and he falls in love for Juana (Sophia Loren in his first English-speaking role and she obtained $200,000 for her work on this big production) , the leader's sweetheart and the woman who get them both on fire .
In this spectacular but silly flick there are epic events , battles , a love triangle , historical events and a cast of thousands . The flick describes the efforts , sacrifices and hardships to transport such a gigantic cannon throughout Spain and how it must be covered from the Bonaparte army . Based on a novel titled ¨The Gun¨ by CS Forester's about Napoleon's Iberian campaign in which Guerrilleros have to move a huge cannon chased by the Napoleonic forces . This is still a slog through an overlong , and tiring script by the prestigious Edward Anhalt ; however , the film results to be epic , thrilling , overwhelming and impressive , especially on Avila's final battle . Miscasting actors , specially of Frank Sinatra as a Spanish countryman hurt the movie . As Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra are a passable but uncomfortable duo , playing as two heroes struggling to lug a vast cannon within range of the Napoleonic wars , they considered themselves to be miscast in this film . Cary Grant had sworn never to make another historical film after the disastrous The Howards of Virginia (1940) , he made an exception for this film to star with other tower-box office actors as Sinatra and Loren . In fact , Sophia Loren got a great amount of money for her work in this big-budgeted super-production . This was one of two films Sophia Loren and Cary Grant starred in together , the other was Houseboat or Cintia (1958) by Melville Shavelson . As Sophia Loren is gorgeous as the rebellious girl providing the love interest on both , Grant and Sinatra . Support cast is frankly excellent , plenty of notorious Spanish secondaries as José Nieto , Carlos Casaravilla , Carlos Larrañaga , Xan Das Bolas , Emilio Rodríguez , Julian Ugarte , Barta Barri , Felix De Pomes , and Spanish ex-president Adolfo Suarez as extra and many others . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Franz Planer supported by Spanish cameraman Manuel Berenguer , being shot on location in Ciudad Encantada , Cuenca , Castilla-La Mancha , El Escorial's monastery , El Escorial, Madrid , Santiago de Compostela , A Coruña , Galicia , Segovia Roman Aqueduct , Segovia , Castilla y León, and Toledo and Valdemoro Madrid . Furthermore , it contains a rousing , evocative and sensitive musical score by George Antheil .
This spectacularly solemn film and full of sound and fury was well produced/directed by Stanley Kramer but flopped in box office . By that time to be said that this producer Stanley Kramer himself wants really to pull down the Avila walls to make more realist the finale scenes . He was a successful filmmaker who had several hits , such as : Fugitives , It's a mad , mad mad world , Inherit the wind , Judgement at Núremberg , On the beach , Ship of fools , The secret of Santa Vittoria , The Domino Principle , Guess who's coming to dinner , among others .
In this spectacular but silly flick there are epic events , battles , a love triangle , historical events and a cast of thousands . The flick describes the efforts , sacrifices and hardships to transport such a gigantic cannon throughout Spain and how it must be covered from the Bonaparte army . Based on a novel titled ¨The Gun¨ by CS Forester's about Napoleon's Iberian campaign in which Guerrilleros have to move a huge cannon chased by the Napoleonic forces . This is still a slog through an overlong , and tiring script by the prestigious Edward Anhalt ; however , the film results to be epic , thrilling , overwhelming and impressive , especially on Avila's final battle . Miscasting actors , specially of Frank Sinatra as a Spanish countryman hurt the movie . As Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra are a passable but uncomfortable duo , playing as two heroes struggling to lug a vast cannon within range of the Napoleonic wars , they considered themselves to be miscast in this film . Cary Grant had sworn never to make another historical film after the disastrous The Howards of Virginia (1940) , he made an exception for this film to star with other tower-box office actors as Sinatra and Loren . In fact , Sophia Loren got a great amount of money for her work in this big-budgeted super-production . This was one of two films Sophia Loren and Cary Grant starred in together , the other was Houseboat or Cintia (1958) by Melville Shavelson . As Sophia Loren is gorgeous as the rebellious girl providing the love interest on both , Grant and Sinatra . Support cast is frankly excellent , plenty of notorious Spanish secondaries as José Nieto , Carlos Casaravilla , Carlos Larrañaga , Xan Das Bolas , Emilio Rodríguez , Julian Ugarte , Barta Barri , Felix De Pomes , and Spanish ex-president Adolfo Suarez as extra and many others . Colorful cinematography in Technicolor by Franz Planer supported by Spanish cameraman Manuel Berenguer , being shot on location in Ciudad Encantada , Cuenca , Castilla-La Mancha , El Escorial's monastery , El Escorial, Madrid , Santiago de Compostela , A Coruña , Galicia , Segovia Roman Aqueduct , Segovia , Castilla y León, and Toledo and Valdemoro Madrid . Furthermore , it contains a rousing , evocative and sensitive musical score by George Antheil .
This spectacularly solemn film and full of sound and fury was well produced/directed by Stanley Kramer but flopped in box office . By that time to be said that this producer Stanley Kramer himself wants really to pull down the Avila walls to make more realist the finale scenes . He was a successful filmmaker who had several hits , such as : Fugitives , It's a mad , mad mad world , Inherit the wind , Judgement at Núremberg , On the beach , Ship of fools , The secret of Santa Vittoria , The Domino Principle , Guess who's coming to dinner , among others .
Giant Cannon in Historic Misfire...
cariart4 November 2003
Stanley Kramer's second directorial effort,THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION, gave him his first opportunity to create an epic, involving a cast of thousands against a backdrop of 19th century Spain. A tale of heroism, dogged determination, and sacrifice, the production reunited him with NOT AS A STRANGER co-star Frank Sinatra, along with international sex symbol Sophia Loren and screen legend Cary Grant. The three leads were to provide a romantic triangle that would add a 'human' element to the story of a massive cannon's journey to crush the 'impregnable' walls of French-occupied Avila. It was an ambitious endeavor for veteran producer Kramer, as his directorial debut, NOT AS A STRANGER, had been panned as nothing more than a glorified soap opera, criticized by reviewers for the miscasting of Robert Mitchum in the lead.
Miscasting would be a major criticism of this production, as well...along with the ponderous, overlong plot, occasionally sappy dialog, and lack of believability in the romance between the leads.
If only Kramer had filmed the action occurring 'off the set', which was FAR more spectacular...
Frank Sinatra had taken the role of the guerilla fighter, Miguel, simply to be close to his estranged wife, Ava Gardner, who was also in Spain, filming THE SUN ALSO RISES. He was well aware that his attempts at a Spanish accent would be the butt of many jokes, and he disliked the tedious production, anyway, especially as his co-star, Cary Grant, preferred multiple 'takes' of each scene (Sinatra was a 'one-take' actor, who believed in 'saying it all', the first time). As the production dragged on, with the movement of thousands of extras creating long waits between set-ups, Sinatra grew increasingly surly, and would often disappear to be at Gardner's side.
Cary Grant, at 53, coming off the classic AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, hated 'period' pictures and costumes, but was grateful to be away from America and his crumbling marriage to Betsy Drake. He was lonely and unhappy, however...a situation that would change dramatically, as he got to know Sophia Loren. The voluptuous 23-year old Italian actress, who had just exploded onto American screens in BOY ON A DOLPHIN (standing in trenches to accommodate her much shorter co-star, Alan Ladd), was earthy, passionate, and single, although romantically involved with director Carlo Ponti, the man who 'discovered' her, for several years. But Ponti was in Italy, had refused, as yet, to marry her, and Loren was working with an actor she had idolized since childhood...and the pair were soon having a tempestuous affair off-camera, as Grant fell madly in love with his young co-star. He proclaimed that he would marry Loren, as soon as filming was completed, and he could get Drake to file for divorce.
The announcement did NOT sit well with Carlo Ponti, who arrived as filming wrapped, acknowledged to Loren that he loved her, and wanted to marry. The actress contemplated both proposals, finally choosing Ponti, as she knew the depth of his feelings, and was well-aware of Grant's lousy track record as a husband.
Ponti married Loren in Mexico (and, in a bit of irony, was accused, five years later, of bigamy, as it turned out he was still married to another woman, at the time!), and Grant, heartbroken, would end up making a romantic comedy (complete with a wedding scene) with Loren, a year later, in their next film together, HOUSEBOAT.
The firings of the giant cannon at the climax of THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION couldn't match the explosiveness behind the scenes!
Miscasting would be a major criticism of this production, as well...along with the ponderous, overlong plot, occasionally sappy dialog, and lack of believability in the romance between the leads.
If only Kramer had filmed the action occurring 'off the set', which was FAR more spectacular...
Frank Sinatra had taken the role of the guerilla fighter, Miguel, simply to be close to his estranged wife, Ava Gardner, who was also in Spain, filming THE SUN ALSO RISES. He was well aware that his attempts at a Spanish accent would be the butt of many jokes, and he disliked the tedious production, anyway, especially as his co-star, Cary Grant, preferred multiple 'takes' of each scene (Sinatra was a 'one-take' actor, who believed in 'saying it all', the first time). As the production dragged on, with the movement of thousands of extras creating long waits between set-ups, Sinatra grew increasingly surly, and would often disappear to be at Gardner's side.
Cary Grant, at 53, coming off the classic AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, hated 'period' pictures and costumes, but was grateful to be away from America and his crumbling marriage to Betsy Drake. He was lonely and unhappy, however...a situation that would change dramatically, as he got to know Sophia Loren. The voluptuous 23-year old Italian actress, who had just exploded onto American screens in BOY ON A DOLPHIN (standing in trenches to accommodate her much shorter co-star, Alan Ladd), was earthy, passionate, and single, although romantically involved with director Carlo Ponti, the man who 'discovered' her, for several years. But Ponti was in Italy, had refused, as yet, to marry her, and Loren was working with an actor she had idolized since childhood...and the pair were soon having a tempestuous affair off-camera, as Grant fell madly in love with his young co-star. He proclaimed that he would marry Loren, as soon as filming was completed, and he could get Drake to file for divorce.
The announcement did NOT sit well with Carlo Ponti, who arrived as filming wrapped, acknowledged to Loren that he loved her, and wanted to marry. The actress contemplated both proposals, finally choosing Ponti, as she knew the depth of his feelings, and was well-aware of Grant's lousy track record as a husband.
Ponti married Loren in Mexico (and, in a bit of irony, was accused, five years later, of bigamy, as it turned out he was still married to another woman, at the time!), and Grant, heartbroken, would end up making a romantic comedy (complete with a wedding scene) with Loren, a year later, in their next film together, HOUSEBOAT.
The firings of the giant cannon at the climax of THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION couldn't match the explosiveness behind the scenes!
A Watchable Epic, despite its Flaws
JamesHitchcock23 April 2004
The Peninsular War has not been a frequent subject for Hollywood, but this is one of the few exceptions. At its heart is a huge cannon which has been abandoned by the defeated Spanish army but which has fallen into the hands of a group of guerrillas who are fighting to keep alive Spanish resistance to Napoleon. Their plan is to use the cannon in an assault on the French-occupied city of Avila. They are assisted by Anthony, a British naval officer and the only man among them who is able to operate the cannon. Much of the drama concerns the rivalry that develops between Anthony and Miguel, the guerrilla leader, for the affections of a young woman, Juana.
The basic premise of this film seems an odd one. Guerrilla warriors, after all, specialise in lightning hit-and-run raids with the aim of taking the enemy by surprise. In order to do this they need to travel light. Huge cannons like the one featured in this film are designed to be pulled by teams of horses into a conventional battle or to be used as siege weapons. For a band of guerrillas to take such a weapon with them would seem to negate the whole purpose of guerrilla war. The large number of people needed to drag the cannon would effectively make them into a conventional army which could be tracked down, attacked and destroyed by the enemy in a pitched battle.
Besides the film's basic implausibility, the acting is not very distinguished. A word that that I have frequently seen used about this film, both on this board and elsewhere, is `miscast'. In my view, in fact, only one of the three main roles is an obvious example of miscasting: that of the passionate Spanish patriot Miguel. Frank Sinatra, more at home playing cynical, worldly-wise Americans, is quite unable to convey his character's courage, idealism and intensity. It was also a mistake to have Miguel speaking in a bizarre foreign accent. Quite apart from the fact that this at times makes his lines difficult to understand, we are presumably to understand that the characters actually speak Spanish to one another rather than English. Anthony states that he has been chosen for the mission because of his fluent Spanish, and Miguel, an illiterate peasant, would have had little or no opportunity to acquire a knowledge of foreign languages. To have Miguel speak English like a native speaker would have been quite acceptable as a way of representing his use of his native tongue.
Although the other two main roles are not so obviously miscast, neither is entirely satisfactory. Although Cary Grant is not normally associated with period dramas, one would have thought that a gentlemanly British officer would be well within his compass. Unfortunately, this is not one of his better performances, and I would agree the reviewer who said that he looked bored. Sophia Loren was by no means out of her depth as a Spanish peasant girl, but the part was not well enough written to enable her to do much with it. Juana is not so much a character as a cliché, the embodiment of the Anglo-Saxon stereotype of the proud, fiery, temperamental Spanish woman. (Or, for that matter, of the, proud, fiery, temperamental `Latin' woman in general. As it is a widely-held belief in both America and Britain that all speakers of Romance languages share the same temperament, the casting of an Italian actress in the part must have made perfect sense to the filmmakers). At least Miss Loren looked less uncomfortable than did Ingrid Bergman in a similar role in `For Whom the Bell Tolls'.
Seen as an action drama rather than a character study, however, the film has its good points. The photography of the wild Spanish landscapes is magnificent, and many of the individual scenes generate a sense of excitement. Particularly notable are the scene where the guerrillas have to manoeuvre the cannon up, and then down, a mountainside, nearly ending in disaster, and that where they manage to hide it in Avila cathedral under the noses of the French. Despite the length of the film, the action does not drag, and tension is maintained to the end. For all its weaknesses, this is a watchable epic war film. 6/10
The basic premise of this film seems an odd one. Guerrilla warriors, after all, specialise in lightning hit-and-run raids with the aim of taking the enemy by surprise. In order to do this they need to travel light. Huge cannons like the one featured in this film are designed to be pulled by teams of horses into a conventional battle or to be used as siege weapons. For a band of guerrillas to take such a weapon with them would seem to negate the whole purpose of guerrilla war. The large number of people needed to drag the cannon would effectively make them into a conventional army which could be tracked down, attacked and destroyed by the enemy in a pitched battle.
Besides the film's basic implausibility, the acting is not very distinguished. A word that that I have frequently seen used about this film, both on this board and elsewhere, is `miscast'. In my view, in fact, only one of the three main roles is an obvious example of miscasting: that of the passionate Spanish patriot Miguel. Frank Sinatra, more at home playing cynical, worldly-wise Americans, is quite unable to convey his character's courage, idealism and intensity. It was also a mistake to have Miguel speaking in a bizarre foreign accent. Quite apart from the fact that this at times makes his lines difficult to understand, we are presumably to understand that the characters actually speak Spanish to one another rather than English. Anthony states that he has been chosen for the mission because of his fluent Spanish, and Miguel, an illiterate peasant, would have had little or no opportunity to acquire a knowledge of foreign languages. To have Miguel speak English like a native speaker would have been quite acceptable as a way of representing his use of his native tongue.
Although the other two main roles are not so obviously miscast, neither is entirely satisfactory. Although Cary Grant is not normally associated with period dramas, one would have thought that a gentlemanly British officer would be well within his compass. Unfortunately, this is not one of his better performances, and I would agree the reviewer who said that he looked bored. Sophia Loren was by no means out of her depth as a Spanish peasant girl, but the part was not well enough written to enable her to do much with it. Juana is not so much a character as a cliché, the embodiment of the Anglo-Saxon stereotype of the proud, fiery, temperamental Spanish woman. (Or, for that matter, of the, proud, fiery, temperamental `Latin' woman in general. As it is a widely-held belief in both America and Britain that all speakers of Romance languages share the same temperament, the casting of an Italian actress in the part must have made perfect sense to the filmmakers). At least Miss Loren looked less uncomfortable than did Ingrid Bergman in a similar role in `For Whom the Bell Tolls'.
Seen as an action drama rather than a character study, however, the film has its good points. The photography of the wild Spanish landscapes is magnificent, and many of the individual scenes generate a sense of excitement. Particularly notable are the scene where the guerrillas have to manoeuvre the cannon up, and then down, a mountainside, nearly ending in disaster, and that where they manage to hide it in Avila cathedral under the noses of the French. Despite the length of the film, the action does not drag, and tension is maintained to the end. For all its weaknesses, this is a watchable epic war film. 6/10
Great Production, Awful Casting
fullheadofsteam15 September 2014
If this spectacular epic were rated solely on importance of the story, high production quality, including direction, sets, locations, costumes, and cinematography, then who knows, America's Stanley Kramer may have been compared to England's David Lean. And that's the only reason this movie deserves one star above mediocre. Sadly, it is the absolute worst casting for a big-budget, cast of thousands production that keeps it from being taken as seriously and as enjoyably as it should. Sinatra as a Spaniard is just plain pathetic, as he imitates (poorly) a Mexican accent, and he seems very disengaged from beautiful Sophia Loren, with whom he is supposed to be in love. Then there's the addition of the much older Cary Grant playing an English officer who becomes enamored of Sophia, and thereby a rival of Sinatra's, as Grant is more wooden and uncharming than any other of his many movie roles that you might think of. Oh, if only Sophia could save the casting mistakes, and she really tries, but with two male leads who each lack credibility and screen watchability in their own rights, Sophia can't save the characters so miscast and poorly portrayed. Theodore Bikel appears, in somewhat lesser but important role as a French general, but it is terribly difficult to distinguish specifically what accent he is using (or trying to use). So, best advice is to watch the movie uncritically with regard to the main cast, and enjoy the drama and magnificent production! Would I watch it again? Sadly, no.
What were they thinking?
jjnxn-130 April 2013
Direct from the What Were They Thinking files comes this bloated pageant of staggeringly foolish proportions. All about getting a cannon through battles and assorted other nonsensical issues this overripe piece of twaddle has a few things in its favor, nice scenery and beautiful color photography. They are outweighed however by the inert direction of the usually competent Kramer and even more by the complete miscasting of the principle actors. Sophia is gorgeous and was just starting in American films so her being shoved into whatever was available at the moment no matter how unsuitable can at least explain her presence here. Cary Grant who would seem a natural in period films actually looks rather absurd and is stiff as a board, he apparently felt the same way and after this often referred to this film with mocking scorn. He and Sophia, who became involved during the making of this stinker, would be much more properly and happily paired the next year in Houseboat a delightful comedy which is the place to see them together, not here. Worst of all is Frank Sinatra preposterously cast as a Spanish freedom fighter with both an atrocious accent and wig. He is simply dreadful. Worth watching only to see how an A level film with major stars and a respected director can go wrong in pretty much every aspect.
How Old Cary Grant? Old Cary Grant Quite Boring, Thank You.
Bob-4523 January 2001
THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION is a stupendously mounted action/romance film. Just two problems: Stanley Kramer doesn't know how to direct action, and Cary Grant seems too bored to provide much romance. Surprising, considering the smoldering romance the fiftyish Grant and the 23 year old Sophia Loren carried on off camera. This is one expensive looking movie. Kramer managed to put the $5M negative cost right up there on the screen. Audiences flocked to it, too. TP&TP showed a profit in 1957.
Don't believe those criticisms elsewhere that "the cannon is hanging overhead and nobody sees it" or "Grant never gets dirty." Watch the movie. This movie is boring, not inept. Marvel at how mature Loren looks for 23. Chortle at Frank Sinatra's terrible accent. But make no mistake about it; Grant is largely at fault for the lack of drama and romance in this movie. Kramer went on to make far worse movies (IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, for one). TP&TP is far more watchable today than AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, and THAT won best picture. This movie deserves more respect than it usually gets. Check it out.
Don't believe those criticisms elsewhere that "the cannon is hanging overhead and nobody sees it" or "Grant never gets dirty." Watch the movie. This movie is boring, not inept. Marvel at how mature Loren looks for 23. Chortle at Frank Sinatra's terrible accent. But make no mistake about it; Grant is largely at fault for the lack of drama and romance in this movie. Kramer went on to make far worse movies (IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, for one). TP&TP is far more watchable today than AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, and THAT won best picture. This movie deserves more respect than it usually gets. Check it out.
The Big Gun...or, Accents in Europe's Southwest
moonspinner5519 June 2008
It's 1810 and the Spanish are retreating from Napoleon's French army battered and beaten; they ditch a mammoth, cumbersome cannon over a cliff, but an English Captain, also against Napoleon, helps resurrect it to defeat the French battalions. Stanley Kramer directed this failed epic visualization of C.S. Forester's book "The Gun", complete with miscast stars and a one-sided view of history (it's no doubt the French weren't crazy about this picture--it makes them look like heartless monsters picking on defenseless saints). Cary Grant's Brit is the subject of some levity (which is welcomed), but Frank Sinatra's Spanish fighter is taken very seriously (which was a mistake). Heavily pancaked and talking like an educated bandito, Sinatra looks and sounds ridiculous (one has to wonder: did Kramer pick Sinatra for this role or was the actor foisted upon him by United Artists?). Sophia Loren, as a Spanish girl who falls for both men, doesn't attempt an accent, but her Flamenco is as unreal as her red-tinted hair; she smiles a bit in the beginning but is otherwise quite dour, and Grant doesn't even seem to notice her until the script calls for him to fall in love. Some of the landscapes are attractive, the castles and churches are impressively photographed by the great Franz Planer, but the studio-bound melodrama and the outdoor battle scenes are an erratic mix, both visually and emotionally. For those who stick with it, the finale is surprisingly sensitive. ** from ****
Sophia and Who?
darbski30 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** This'll be brief. The ONLY reason to watch this bomb is delectable Sophia. I saw it when I was twelve years old, she was hotter than any stupid old cannon that anybody wanted. I didn't understand why they didn't bump off Mr. Grant along with Mr. Sinatra; they were expendable, anyway. But Sophia? Gimmie a break, Hollywood. The lack of conscience in such an oversight is impossible to fathom, even now. A gross miscarriage of hotness. I give Sophia a 10+, and the movie a 7 - only because of her.
My God...That Damned Big Gun!
theowinthrop16 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Anyone acquainted with many of my reviews notices my background as a history major. Frequently I lament the fact that in pursuit of movie making that will turn into box office gold the studios (especially American ones) will ignore historical events or places. This is true about Ancient Greek History (pace the two films about Themopylae, and the two films about Alexander the Great - where is a decent films about Pericles?). It is also true about 18th-19th Century Spanish history. In particular, Napoleon's first major military goof: his invasion of the Iberian Peninsular in 1808 (four years before his better remembered goof, his invasion of Russia). "War And Peace" is such a classic novel that it has been made and remade as film and television series several times, so we know what happened in Russia pretty well. But the events in what Napoleon's "chancre sore" in Spain and Portugal are barely noted. I recall the Jeannette MacDonald - Allan Jones operetta film "The Firefly". There is a degree of involvement in the plot of "Anthony Adverse"(toward the end). Later there was that film with Tony Franciosa about Goya at the royal court, which dealt a little bit with the inept Count Godoy. But the actual events of the rise and fall of French involvement in the Peninsula are never mentioned. Not even (as far as I know - please tell me if I'm wrong) a movie about Sir John Moore (Wellington's model as a commander) and his death in the retreat from Corunna (it would have been a great film for British morale after Dunkirk).
I don't know how "The Pride And The Passion" got started as a project. It is based on a minor novel of C. S. Forester, and that can be the reason. Forester struck Hollywood gold twice, first with his short novel "The African Queen" (about events in British and German colonies in Africa in 1914), and then with "Captain Horatio Hornblower", the film with Gregory Peck about the adventures of Forester's fictional British Captain in the Napoleonic Wars. I suspect since Peck and his film did well in the movie houses, it was thought a land based Forester tale would do just as well. So they chose this idiocy.
The plot deals with Anglo-Spanish cooperation in moving a heavy siege gun to a fortified town in order to breach the walls. The officer sent in command is played by Cary Grant. If his attempt to do American Revolutionary History, "The Howards Of Virginia", showed to be less than his fans expected, this film demonstrated he should not do British military history. His performance is dominated by his costume and the scenery. He is supposed to have a romance with the Spanish woman played by Sophia Loren (and an actual romance between them began in the course of the film) but the visual record does not excite viewers passions. Frank Sinatra played an ex-priest, also interested in Loren (she is supposed to have split feelings here). He resuscitates his hesitant and mediocre performance as a priest from "The Miracle Of The Bells".
If the three leads are fumbling about in the film it is doomed. That, plus the boring details of how to bring that huge siege gun over mountains and through valleys is just not the stuff for this film (although the later movie, "Fitzcarraldo", demonstrated that a madman's attempts to push an ocean liner through the Amazon jungle to Manaosh shows a great film might be made from a similar story). Looking back, the only thing I liked was that the story showed the French as well as the Anglo-Spanish sides, so we watched as the French General (Theodore Bikel, in the one competent performance in the film) tries to keep tabs on the progress and make preparations to thwart its effects.
I give it a "3"...and that's for a side issue which I liked. Marty Feldman had a funny television show in the 1970s that was briefly shown in the U.S. He did a take off on "The Pride And The Passion", about two inept soldiers ordered to deliver a cannon to a particular spot, who constantly get fired at by the French. In the end the cannon is delivered by the wounded pair (they have casts on their arms and legs) and they arm it, aim it, and pull the lanyard. Nothing happens. The idiots go in front of the cannon to check it, and it blows up killing them. A voice over (suitably basso in tone), states, "They died because they could not live....They live in the clouds forever, where stupid heroes die at the ends of movies like this!!" For allowing Feldman and his writers to come up with that, the movie did have a little redeeming feature to it...albeit one not planned by the production.
I don't know how "The Pride And The Passion" got started as a project. It is based on a minor novel of C. S. Forester, and that can be the reason. Forester struck Hollywood gold twice, first with his short novel "The African Queen" (about events in British and German colonies in Africa in 1914), and then with "Captain Horatio Hornblower", the film with Gregory Peck about the adventures of Forester's fictional British Captain in the Napoleonic Wars. I suspect since Peck and his film did well in the movie houses, it was thought a land based Forester tale would do just as well. So they chose this idiocy.
The plot deals with Anglo-Spanish cooperation in moving a heavy siege gun to a fortified town in order to breach the walls. The officer sent in command is played by Cary Grant. If his attempt to do American Revolutionary History, "The Howards Of Virginia", showed to be less than his fans expected, this film demonstrated he should not do British military history. His performance is dominated by his costume and the scenery. He is supposed to have a romance with the Spanish woman played by Sophia Loren (and an actual romance between them began in the course of the film) but the visual record does not excite viewers passions. Frank Sinatra played an ex-priest, also interested in Loren (she is supposed to have split feelings here). He resuscitates his hesitant and mediocre performance as a priest from "The Miracle Of The Bells".
If the three leads are fumbling about in the film it is doomed. That, plus the boring details of how to bring that huge siege gun over mountains and through valleys is just not the stuff for this film (although the later movie, "Fitzcarraldo", demonstrated that a madman's attempts to push an ocean liner through the Amazon jungle to Manaosh shows a great film might be made from a similar story). Looking back, the only thing I liked was that the story showed the French as well as the Anglo-Spanish sides, so we watched as the French General (Theodore Bikel, in the one competent performance in the film) tries to keep tabs on the progress and make preparations to thwart its effects.
I give it a "3"...and that's for a side issue which I liked. Marty Feldman had a funny television show in the 1970s that was briefly shown in the U.S. He did a take off on "The Pride And The Passion", about two inept soldiers ordered to deliver a cannon to a particular spot, who constantly get fired at by the French. In the end the cannon is delivered by the wounded pair (they have casts on their arms and legs) and they arm it, aim it, and pull the lanyard. Nothing happens. The idiots go in front of the cannon to check it, and it blows up killing them. A voice over (suitably basso in tone), states, "They died because they could not live....They live in the clouds forever, where stupid heroes die at the ends of movies like this!!" For allowing Feldman and his writers to come up with that, the movie did have a little redeeming feature to it...albeit one not planned by the production.
A Star With Big Balls.
screenman9 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Really, you know; you lot are a hard crowd to please.
Yes; the stars are miscast. Yes; they're often unbelievable. And yes; the dialogue is crass and wooden.
But c'mon; it's still good for a laugh. There's some wonderful filming of the Spanish countryside. We have a cast of - well - several, if not thousands. And there's plenty of fun, if rather campy, high drama. There's Frank Sinatra in his prime. There's Cary Grant ageing gracefully. And there's Sophia Loren, arguably the most beautiful women in Hollywood history, at her ripest and most voluptuous. Now; whaddaya want?
Yet the real star is mute. And that is the big, big siege-gun. We almost take it for granted because it's a bit of equipment that has no lines, yet it steals every take in which it is featured. The interesting conflicts of logic that it will be heavier descending a hill than going up is eloquently conveyed when it breaks loose and goes hurtling down and across fields, flattening everything in its path.
The intrigue between this colossal cannon and its elusive nature, and the French inability to trace it is one of the fun issues of the movie.
Gradually, a peasant army is attracted to the thing and the symbol of freedom it represents. Their gun assumes a personality cult as real as that of Lenin or Che Guevera. Simply by existing it generates resistance.
World-weary 'Anthony' played by Cary Grant knows what's in store for these tragic idealists. Despite their huge weapon they'll be slaughtered en-masse. But they're idealists, and must take what comes.
What comes is victory. Though as was evident to viewers all along, it's a very Pyrrhic one. The competition for the heroine is not only resolved by the death of a hero, but also the death of the heroine.
If I have a gripe with the movie, it is with the depiction of the siege itself. Instead of firing directly at the wall, the gun is aimed obliquely, and the breach requires the attackers to run the gauntlet of the whole side of the undamaged facade with its cannons and marksmen. That's quite absurd. It should have been a head-on attack. Still, it provides plenty of red drama, which is undoubtedly its absurd purpose.
There's an inspiring, equally melodramatic theme music pitched somewhere between 'March Of The Torreodores' and 'Bolero' that pipes it along, and despite the corn you can't help but get caught-up in this wonderful costume-drama. With Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, and one of the most phallic props in movie history, how could you do otherwise. This is the perfect mush for rainy Saturday afternoons.
Wish for a wet weekend and cheer 'em along.
Yes; the stars are miscast. Yes; they're often unbelievable. And yes; the dialogue is crass and wooden.
But c'mon; it's still good for a laugh. There's some wonderful filming of the Spanish countryside. We have a cast of - well - several, if not thousands. And there's plenty of fun, if rather campy, high drama. There's Frank Sinatra in his prime. There's Cary Grant ageing gracefully. And there's Sophia Loren, arguably the most beautiful women in Hollywood history, at her ripest and most voluptuous. Now; whaddaya want?
Yet the real star is mute. And that is the big, big siege-gun. We almost take it for granted because it's a bit of equipment that has no lines, yet it steals every take in which it is featured. The interesting conflicts of logic that it will be heavier descending a hill than going up is eloquently conveyed when it breaks loose and goes hurtling down and across fields, flattening everything in its path.
The intrigue between this colossal cannon and its elusive nature, and the French inability to trace it is one of the fun issues of the movie.
Gradually, a peasant army is attracted to the thing and the symbol of freedom it represents. Their gun assumes a personality cult as real as that of Lenin or Che Guevera. Simply by existing it generates resistance.
World-weary 'Anthony' played by Cary Grant knows what's in store for these tragic idealists. Despite their huge weapon they'll be slaughtered en-masse. But they're idealists, and must take what comes.
What comes is victory. Though as was evident to viewers all along, it's a very Pyrrhic one. The competition for the heroine is not only resolved by the death of a hero, but also the death of the heroine.
If I have a gripe with the movie, it is with the depiction of the siege itself. Instead of firing directly at the wall, the gun is aimed obliquely, and the breach requires the attackers to run the gauntlet of the whole side of the undamaged facade with its cannons and marksmen. That's quite absurd. It should have been a head-on attack. Still, it provides plenty of red drama, which is undoubtedly its absurd purpose.
There's an inspiring, equally melodramatic theme music pitched somewhere between 'March Of The Torreodores' and 'Bolero' that pipes it along, and despite the corn you can't help but get caught-up in this wonderful costume-drama. With Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, and one of the most phallic props in movie history, how could you do otherwise. This is the perfect mush for rainy Saturday afternoons.
Wish for a wet weekend and cheer 'em along.
Not as bad as John Wayne as Genghis Khan, but...
steveo12212 January 2018
Here was Kramer's first chance to make a great motion picture and as a big classic-Hollywood-studio-epic-period-adventure he does a fine job: big, good looking, complicated crowd and action scenes.
But...(Confidential!)
The studio gave him Sinatra, who had no business being cast as a Spanish peasant and who only took the job (from a real actor) to be able to keep track of Ava Gardener while she was filming in Spain. In the meantime, Grant was distracted by heavy Sophia lust...(She says he never got any!)
If you like the stars, if you like old fashioned Hollywood, if you like Napoleonic adventures, it entertains.
Schlepp the Cannon
bkoganbing13 April 2004
Schlepp the cannon is what this film should have been entitled. It's not a totally bad film, the battle and crowd scenes are handled with great skill. Poor Frank Sinatra with a lousy Spanish accent and a wig that makes him look like Ish Kabibble just doesn't cut it as the Spanish guerrilla leader.
It probably helped their performances that Cary Grant and Sophia Loren were in a passionate affair during the production. Their romantic scenes have a definite credibility. And you got that 42 foot cannon serving as a giant phallic symbol.
Try as I might I couldn't really get into the story. Neither apparently could the players. Cary and Sophia had each other. Frank Sinatra allegedly signed for the film as an excuse to go to Spain and chase Ava Gardner. He didn't reconcile and was his most obstreperous on this set. He just didn't care and it shows.
For a much better film on the Peninsular war see MGM's The Firefly which was done 20 years earlier. It even has a nice musical score.
It probably helped their performances that Cary Grant and Sophia Loren were in a passionate affair during the production. Their romantic scenes have a definite credibility. And you got that 42 foot cannon serving as a giant phallic symbol.
Try as I might I couldn't really get into the story. Neither apparently could the players. Cary and Sophia had each other. Frank Sinatra allegedly signed for the film as an excuse to go to Spain and chase Ava Gardner. He didn't reconcile and was his most obstreperous on this set. He just didn't care and it shows.
For a much better film on the Peninsular war see MGM's The Firefly which was done 20 years earlier. It even has a nice musical score.
An adventure spectacle in praise of will over all obstacles!
Nazi_Fighter_David22 August 2001
Warning: Spoilers
It is 1810... The French legions of Napoleon smash across Spain...
Captain Anthony Trumbull (Cary Grant) is ordered to retrieve a giant seven tons cannon, abandoned by the crushed and bleeding Spanish army in their retreat in one of the darkest page of nation's history...
The handsome officer wants to transport it to the British lines, but when he meets Miguel (Frank Sinatra), the Spanish peasant leader of the Guerilla forces, Trumbull is forced to amend his ideas...
Miguel has more direct plans... He sees in the huge gun a chance for victory... He enlists the aid of the Spanish people in raising the tremendous cannon from a deep ravine, and moves it over hill, dale, river, and mud to the walled city of Avila...
During the arduous odyssey, Stolid Trumbull falls in love with Miguel's fiery mistress Juana (Sophia Loren). The desperate men were sacrificing everything for their love of country... Blood, sweat, tears and toil as they pushed, pulled, dragged, and strained the big gun halfway across Spain... But with the remarkable gun, the only symbol of resistance left in Spain, going on before them, made them feel no longer a mere band of Spanish irregulars, but a besieging army... They can fight now for what they believe, and break the French in the field...
With a certain dislike to the Englishman's guts, Miguel sees himself forced to accept Trumbull's instructions, being the only man around who knows how to fire the cannon... Trumbull makes all the necessary repairs to the awesome weapon, and blows up the walls of the fortress city...
Kramer's movie echoes Sam Wood's 'For Whom the Bells Tolls.' Although the characters in the film, made from Ernest Hemingway modern classic, were better drawn and motivated... 'The Pride and the Passion' is far superior visually...
Blended to the passionate sound of the guitars, the voice of a singer, and the rhythmic hand claps of the patriots, Sophia provides with grace and posture a spontaneous flamenco dance...
Epic in scope, with a cast of thousands, and with ocean of tents, stacked rifles, regimental banners, batteries of cannon, rows of cavalry horses and artillery mules, massed troops, "The Pride and the Passion," is an adventure spectacle in praise of will over all obstacles...
The film opens with a spectacular sequence of the Spanish army retreating in defeat, battle torn and dissolute...
Captain Anthony Trumbull (Cary Grant) is ordered to retrieve a giant seven tons cannon, abandoned by the crushed and bleeding Spanish army in their retreat in one of the darkest page of nation's history...
The handsome officer wants to transport it to the British lines, but when he meets Miguel (Frank Sinatra), the Spanish peasant leader of the Guerilla forces, Trumbull is forced to amend his ideas...
Miguel has more direct plans... He sees in the huge gun a chance for victory... He enlists the aid of the Spanish people in raising the tremendous cannon from a deep ravine, and moves it over hill, dale, river, and mud to the walled city of Avila...
During the arduous odyssey, Stolid Trumbull falls in love with Miguel's fiery mistress Juana (Sophia Loren). The desperate men were sacrificing everything for their love of country... Blood, sweat, tears and toil as they pushed, pulled, dragged, and strained the big gun halfway across Spain... But with the remarkable gun, the only symbol of resistance left in Spain, going on before them, made them feel no longer a mere band of Spanish irregulars, but a besieging army... They can fight now for what they believe, and break the French in the field...
With a certain dislike to the Englishman's guts, Miguel sees himself forced to accept Trumbull's instructions, being the only man around who knows how to fire the cannon... Trumbull makes all the necessary repairs to the awesome weapon, and blows up the walls of the fortress city...
Kramer's movie echoes Sam Wood's 'For Whom the Bells Tolls.' Although the characters in the film, made from Ernest Hemingway modern classic, were better drawn and motivated... 'The Pride and the Passion' is far superior visually...
Blended to the passionate sound of the guitars, the voice of a singer, and the rhythmic hand claps of the patriots, Sophia provides with grace and posture a spontaneous flamenco dance...
Epic in scope, with a cast of thousands, and with ocean of tents, stacked rifles, regimental banners, batteries of cannon, rows of cavalry horses and artillery mules, massed troops, "The Pride and the Passion," is an adventure spectacle in praise of will over all obstacles...
The film opens with a spectacular sequence of the Spanish army retreating in defeat, battle torn and dissolute...
three big stars
SnoopyStyle6 September 2022
It's 1810. Napolean is smashing through the Spanish army. The French is searching for a giant Spanish cannon. The British is a Spanish ally during this time. British Naval Captain Anthony Trumbull (Cary Grant) is ordered to retrieve the cannon. Miguel (Frank Sinatra) leads a Spanish guerrilla group but he intends to use it himself against the French. Juana (Sophia Loren) is Miguel's mistress.
The stars are big. The production is big. It's a Hollywood epic. Sinatra is playing a Spanish character. I don't really buy it but I've seen worst. I may not have heard worst but I've seen worst. It's a fine underdog story but the tension doesn't get that high. The big climax has some action but it's not the most kinetic. The movie is basically one long march. It is the stars that is the most compelling although I'm not getting that much romantic heat.
The stars are big. The production is big. It's a Hollywood epic. Sinatra is playing a Spanish character. I don't really buy it but I've seen worst. I may not have heard worst but I've seen worst. It's a fine underdog story but the tension doesn't get that high. The big climax has some action but it's not the most kinetic. The movie is basically one long march. It is the stars that is the most compelling although I'm not getting that much romantic heat.
3.5 out of 5 action rating
scheelj24 July 2012
See it - This big sweeping epic has gotten a bum rap over the years. Most people want to focus on the improper casting of Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. But its time to look past that. This is a pretty good movie. I like it because it is one of the few major motion pictures that was made about the Napoleonic Wars. At the heart of this movie, it's a drama. But it's hard to find a drama with this much action. It's the story of Spanish soldiers who transport a huge cannon halfway across the country to lay siege to a castle held by the French. Along the way they attack a French camp, blow up a bridge, and we even get to watch a knife fight amongst windmills. All of this leads up to the final crescendo at the enemy castle. This film is old school, but its time we brought this larger than life war movie into a new light.
Love Those 3 Big Guns
tbssic11 October 2013
So,,, you have 1000 people and countless mules dragging a giant sized cannon,,, up hill, down hill, side hill,, literally all over the Spanish countryside,,, leaving a trail that Helen Keller could follow??? But 10 citizens a day will be executed until the cannon is found,,,, because the entire French army is unable to locate this thing??? A 1000 kilometer trek that must have taken months????? I don't mean to nit pick but this seems to be a "bit" of a flaw to me.
Frank Sinatra as a Spanish patriot???? Maybe,, if not for the fact that every time he opened his mouth,, that phony Spanish accent made my stomach lurch.
There is a song and dance number in the movie the features Sophia Loren's two big guns that is worth watching,,, if you love big guns. Her performance seemed to have the same effect on Cary Grant as it did on me,,,, major wood... Stiff and emotionless as I've ever seen him.. The only spark in the entire movie is when the cannon is fired..
So,,, what you have here is a 132 minute movie with 2 minutes of dance,, 5 minutes of battle scenes,,, 10 minutes meaningless dialogue and 115 ponderous minutes of cannon dragging.... If you happen to be into cannon dragging,,, this is a must see.....
Frank Sinatra as a Spanish patriot???? Maybe,, if not for the fact that every time he opened his mouth,, that phony Spanish accent made my stomach lurch.
There is a song and dance number in the movie the features Sophia Loren's two big guns that is worth watching,,, if you love big guns. Her performance seemed to have the same effect on Cary Grant as it did on me,,,, major wood... Stiff and emotionless as I've ever seen him.. The only spark in the entire movie is when the cannon is fired..
So,,, what you have here is a 132 minute movie with 2 minutes of dance,, 5 minutes of battle scenes,,, 10 minutes meaningless dialogue and 115 ponderous minutes of cannon dragging.... If you happen to be into cannon dragging,,, this is a must see.....
Ridiculous casting in an okay film
rdoyle296 May 2023
Napoleon is in the process of conquering Spain, and the retreating Spanish abandon a really really really big cannon. Cary Grant is an English naval officer sent to retrieve it and stop the French from grabbing it. He runs into a ragtag bunch of Spanish partisans lead by Frank Sinatra who are in possession of the gun and intend on bringing it many many miles to a French held walled city and using it to breach the walls. Sinatra and Grant make a deal. If he comes with them and shows them how to fire the gun, they'll let him keep it.
So, the big glaring problem with this film is that neither Grant nor Sinatra are the slightest bit convincing as 19th century men. At least Grant gets to be British. Sinatra as a Spaniard is an even bigger stretch.
That said, if you can get past the ridiculous casting, and I did as the film went on, it's a generally okay historical adventure flick. Not great ... not terrible. It mines a good deal of suspense over lugging this giant gun across Spain.
What's less successful is the Grant-Sinatra-Sophia Loren love triangle. It's a shame because Loren is most convincing casting, but she has little interesting to do here.
So, the big glaring problem with this film is that neither Grant nor Sinatra are the slightest bit convincing as 19th century men. At least Grant gets to be British. Sinatra as a Spaniard is an even bigger stretch.
That said, if you can get past the ridiculous casting, and I did as the film went on, it's a generally okay historical adventure flick. Not great ... not terrible. It mines a good deal of suspense over lugging this giant gun across Spain.
What's less successful is the Grant-Sinatra-Sophia Loren love triangle. It's a shame because Loren is most convincing casting, but she has little interesting to do here.
I agree with most of the negative comments
stvkatz15 December 2023
The good news is the beautiful photography, and the beauty of Sophia Loren. A bit like Raquel Welch but in an earlier era, she doesn't have to be that great at acting to be eminently watchable. Learning she made $200,000 for this movie is completely believable. But the most outstanding aspect of this movie is in the negative - how patently ridiculous Sinatra's absurd Spanish affect and wig are. He doesn't bring it off in the slightest. He brings a rather farcical component to the project. One almost wonders why the director accepted some of the scenes as the final print. He may have been running out of daylight and had to move on, and couldn't afford to be too much of a perfectionist.
Nowhere else will you find a movie so thoroughly mediocre
funkyfry29 October 2002
Somehow likeable, but overlong and totally ludicrous period piece. Sinatra is a Spanish rebel against Napoleon (?), and Grant looks like a natural born fool in a bright blue English naval uniform. Loren is fun to look at, but her character is a cliche and the romance between Grant and Loren is not introduced by any devices, making it feel unconvincing and forced. Nice footage of the giant cannon they're carrying getting loose and floating down a surging river. Some OK scenes, but not enough real emotion to carry the film's 2 hr. 12 minute running time through.
Grant, Sinatra and Loren with a big gun
Petey-1016 May 2008
The movie is set in the Napoleonic era.The British officer Anthony (Cary Grant) leads a group of Spanish guerrillas across Spain to help in the capture of Ávila and with them they're hauling a big cannon.Anthony starts having feelings for the leader Miguel's (Frank Sinatra) girl Juana (Sophia Loren).Stanley Kramer directed The Pride and the Passion in 1957.It's not the best example of historical movies but works OK.Cary Grant's charisma alone could carry the movie.Then there's Frank Sinatra opposite him.There may be a little problem with Sinatra playing a Spaniard and he did a better job in many other movies but was there really anything Frank couldn't pull off.Sophia Loren looks very appealing as Juana so no wonder men fall for her.There's some chemistry there at the kissing scenes between Grant and her.Theodore Bikel plays General Jouvet.This movie looks quite handsome with the scenery and all.This is a movie that's good to see if you don't have anything better to do.
Come on you Gunners
malcolmgsw27 April 2006
I have not seen this film for about 30 years until it was shown over Easter on Channel 4.I shouldn't have rode my luck.I should have gone out and watch the grass grow.This was the most amateurish,boring inept film that was put out in the 1950s.There is one scene when Cary Grant is involved in a knife fight by a windmill when the shadow of the camera and the camera crew is in view for most of the fight.The "acting" varies from bad to the unbelievable.Frank Sinatra obviously thought of himself as a macho leading man,a pint size Burt Lancaster maybe.His accent is straight out of The cisco Kid.Cary Grant seems to be carved out of wood.Sophia loren plays Sophia Loren. Just don't bother with this.
One of the better epic films of this era.
twbratton6 December 2003
It is likely that anyone having negative comments on this film are in the younger generation and have been spoiled by special effects modern movies. This movie is historical in nature and very entertaining with very good acting jobs by all involved. Some of the action scenes rival anything made in the adventure films out now. The sub-plot involving the three way love triangle just makes the rest of the story that much more interesting.
A wonderful example of money and spectacle...and little else!
planktonrules7 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is a super-mediocre film. On one hand, the money spent hiring thousands of extras, building a prop cannon, uniforms, etc. resulted in a movie that was spectacular and pretty to look at, but on the other, the film was so poorly made that the overall result is extremely forgettable. The biggest problem you'll probably notice is the casting. Why Frank Sinatra was chosen to be the leader of a guerrilla band in early 19th century Spain is bewildering. While he isn't horrible, he certainly isn't at all convincing physically or in regard to his accent. To make matters worse, the film is exceptionally poorly written when it comes to dialog, so Frank and the other leads are given clichéd and silly lines throughout the film. It was like the writers said to themselves "when in doubt, have the leads argue with each other". So the "dramatic dialog" often just consisted of arguing or Sophia Loren and Cary Grant in a romantic clinch (though NOTHING was done to make this totally improbable plot device probable). The final serious problem was that the plot really was paper-thin and the film was drug out for over two hours by showing scene after scene after scene of the partisans dragging the cannon across the Spanish countryside. The result is dull and forgettable as well as a complete waste of acting talents.
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