For Whom the Bell Tolls

For Whom the Bell Tolls is a 1940 novel by Ernest Hemingway. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a guerrilla warrior from the United States, during the Spanish Civil War. As an expert in the use of explosives, he is given an assignment to blow up a bridge to accompany a simultaneous attack on the city of Segovia. Behind enemy lines, with the guerrilla band of Pablo, he meets María, whose life has been shattered by the outbreak of the war. It is here that the story develops, as Pablo's unwillingness to commit to the operation clashes with Jordan's strong sense of duty, and even Jordan's sense of duty clashes with his newfound love for life caused by the presence of María. A substantial portion of the novel is told through the thoughts of Robert Jordan, with flashbacks to meetings with Russians in Madrid and some reflections on his father and grandfather. Another character, Pilar, relates events that demonstrate the incredible brutality of civil war, in one case by the actions of a revolutionary mob and in another by those of governmental authorities.

Dramatisations and influences

The novel was made into a movie in 1943. It stars Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff and Katina Paxinou. The movie was adapted by Dudley Nichols, and directed by Sam Wood. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Katina Paxinou) and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Gary Cooper), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Akim Tamiroff), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Ingrid Bergman), Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Picture.

Related Topics:
1943 - Gary Cooper - Ingrid Bergman - Akim Tamiroff - Katina Paxinou - Dudley Nichols - Sam Wood - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Best Actress in a Leading Role - Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color - Best Cinematography, Color - Best Film Editing - Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture - Best Picture

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"For Whom the Bell Tolls" is a song by Metallica on their 1984 album Ride the Lightning. It is about war and the human spirit, and is a reference to a chapter where El Sordo, another guerilla leader takes a position on a hill, surrounded on all sides and he and his five comrades are killed by an airstrike. This is in the line "Men of five still alive through the raging glow, gone insane from the pain that they surely know."

Related Topics:
Metallica - 1984 - Album - Ride the Lightning

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