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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Pride And The Passion is one of those good old-fashioned 1950s Hollywood movies that had everything - a starry cast, a colourful 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 colour. 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.
The Pride And The Passion takes a simply 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 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 triangle, the villain has to settle for little more than a bit part. He's played to the hilt by Theodore Bikel, a sometime folk singer who also had a nice career as a character actor playng 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 CGI-heavy blockbusters. But there is a naive charm about these old Hollywood epics that is frequently irresistible.
The Pride And The Passion takes a simply 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 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 triangle, the villain has to settle for little more than a bit part. He's played to the hilt by Theodore Bikel, a sometime folk singer who also had a nice career as a character actor playng 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 CGI-heavy blockbusters. But there is a naive charm about these old Hollywood epics that is frequently irresistible.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I was always reluctant to take the plunge and buy this DVD after reading a review of it on, if I remember correctly, DVD Savant, that mentioned an annoying flaw in the centre of the image throughout the film. The result of a faulty DVD transfer. Well, I decided that this probably only applied to the Region 1 disc and not to the Region 2 disc, as there is no mention of this fault in the DVD Times review, nor on the customer reviews here on amazon uk. So I bought it off amazon uk and it arrived this morning.
Well, as I suspected, there's nothing wrong with it, save for being a little unnecessarily cropped. The print used was a well preserved 35mm exhibition print. You can tell that by the queu marks at the end of each reel. The top quarter of the queu marks are cropped off. This is also quite obviously a British print, as the credits read "Colour by Technicolor", instead of the "Color by Technicolor" used on US prints. In fact, this is the same print as used by the BBC on a number of occasions.
I'm quite happy with the DVD, although the trailer included seems more like a teaser trailer to me than what would have been the regular trailer shown in cinemas the week prior to the film's screening. Oddly, there are no scenes or dialogue from the film, only lack lustre black line drawings on a dark red background. I don't think this was the main trailer for the film, but perhaps it was the only one they could get.
As for "THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION" itself, it's fifty years ago now since I went to see it at the now long gone Alhambra cinema here in Stoke-on-Trent in March, 1958. I had already bought the Movie Classic comic of the film and was determined to go to see it. I was ten, going on eleven at the time and thought it was very impressive and that the music was fantastic (I'm lucky enough to have the soundtrack LP). Such a pity that I will never again be able to see it on a big screen in a proper cinema. None of these modern box-like multiplexes could do it justice. It runs rings around what they churn out today. The colours are bright and vibrant, while today's colour films are all yellowy-brown and miserable looking. The cinema has definitely lost the knack of making good films since the days when The Pride and The Passion was made.
Today, the spectacular shot of the real, seven ton, runaway cannon crashing down a Spanish hillside, snapping off full grown trees in its path as though they were matchsticks, would probably be achieved using CGI. But here, you know that this is a real effect using a real seven ton cannon and not one worked out in a laboratory.
I give it four stars out of five. I knock one star off for the day for night scenes of the attack on the French camp and pontoon bridge. The flaming balls of hay rolling down the hillside would have looked far more impressive filmed at night, where they would have lit up the screen, instead of being filmed in bright sunlight with a dark blue filter over the lens.
Well, as I suspected, there's nothing wrong with it, save for being a little unnecessarily cropped. The print used was a well preserved 35mm exhibition print. You can tell that by the queu marks at the end of each reel. The top quarter of the queu marks are cropped off. This is also quite obviously a British print, as the credits read "Colour by Technicolor", instead of the "Color by Technicolor" used on US prints. In fact, this is the same print as used by the BBC on a number of occasions.
I'm quite happy with the DVD, although the trailer included seems more like a teaser trailer to me than what would have been the regular trailer shown in cinemas the week prior to the film's screening. Oddly, there are no scenes or dialogue from the film, only lack lustre black line drawings on a dark red background. I don't think this was the main trailer for the film, but perhaps it was the only one they could get.
As for "THE PRIDE AND THE PASSION" itself, it's fifty years ago now since I went to see it at the now long gone Alhambra cinema here in Stoke-on-Trent in March, 1958. I had already bought the Movie Classic comic of the film and was determined to go to see it. I was ten, going on eleven at the time and thought it was very impressive and that the music was fantastic (I'm lucky enough to have the soundtrack LP). Such a pity that I will never again be able to see it on a big screen in a proper cinema. None of these modern box-like multiplexes could do it justice. It runs rings around what they churn out today. The colours are bright and vibrant, while today's colour films are all yellowy-brown and miserable looking. The cinema has definitely lost the knack of making good films since the days when The Pride and The Passion was made.
Today, the spectacular shot of the real, seven ton, runaway cannon crashing down a Spanish hillside, snapping off full grown trees in its path as though they were matchsticks, would probably be achieved using CGI. But here, you know that this is a real effect using a real seven ton cannon and not one worked out in a laboratory.
I give it four stars out of five. I knock one star off for the day for night scenes of the attack on the French camp and pontoon bridge. The flaming balls of hay rolling down the hillside would have looked far more impressive filmed at night, where they would have lit up the screen, instead of being filmed in bright sunlight with a dark blue filter over the lens.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This was a very pleasant movie experience for me as the Napoleonic invasion of Spain is dressed as a costume drama with some great action pieces and a soul searching love affair between a trio played by the 2 men and the woman who is a temptress and also the purest woman around .
Sophia loren is perfectly cast as the fiery romantic spanish resistance fighter who is torn between dreams of a true love in devonshire with grant or a death on the plains of avilla and she brings real passion to this spectacle,she has a fire in her eyes which burns and sears your soul and she is oozing sex appeal in even the soggy river crossing scenes ,but she also has a tenderness which makes her a martyr as intended .
Stanley kramer knew how to manipulate the script as every character is written from the perspective of themselves ,so you empathise and sympathise simultaneously for all of them and it is a cast of thousands but you feel sorry for each and every character who is wasted in this bloody war epic .
The theme is relevant today as it is about ideals of freedom ,love and sacrifice to attain a pure goal and that explains why i found this so moving .
Yet the spectacle of the gun being run over 1000 kilometers in spain is fascinating visually too.
The script is so well cast that Sinatra as the spanish peasant leader and Grant as the british artillery expert as a perfect english gentleman are diametrically opposite yet totally heartfelt from their own motivations .
This is devoid of the cgi of today and yet better crafted than any blockbuster of recent years .
Definitely watch it for the cast and the movie itself ,a great experience and quite affective too.
- jbz7879
Sophia loren is perfectly cast as the fiery romantic spanish resistance fighter who is torn between dreams of a true love in devonshire with grant or a death on the plains of avilla and she brings real passion to this spectacle,she has a fire in her eyes which burns and sears your soul and she is oozing sex appeal in even the soggy river crossing scenes ,but she also has a tenderness which makes her a martyr as intended .
Stanley kramer knew how to manipulate the script as every character is written from the perspective of themselves ,so you empathise and sympathise simultaneously for all of them and it is a cast of thousands but you feel sorry for each and every character who is wasted in this bloody war epic .
The theme is relevant today as it is about ideals of freedom ,love and sacrifice to attain a pure goal and that explains why i found this so moving .
Yet the spectacle of the gun being run over 1000 kilometers in spain is fascinating visually too.
The script is so well cast that Sinatra as the spanish peasant leader and Grant as the british artillery expert as a perfect english gentleman are diametrically opposite yet totally heartfelt from their own motivations .
This is devoid of the cgi of today and yet better crafted than any blockbuster of recent years .
Definitely watch it for the cast and the movie itself ,a great experience and quite affective too.
- jbz7879
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Rousing adventure across Napoleonic Spain
I remember this great adventure from my childhood. An exciting story with a ridiculously big cannon, great cast, action and romance. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Josh
When Movies Were Movies.
This movie is classic 1950's high adventure. Starring three of Hollywood's greats; Frank Sinatra, Sophia Lauren, and Cary Grant in one of his best roles. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Seatinthestalls
Lots of Passion On and Off Screen!
"The Pride and the Passion"(57) is that rare offering of a film set during the Napoleonic era. It was directed by Stanley Kramer and starred Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and Sophia... Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2009 by Bob Salter
The Pride and the Passion of owning this dvd
This film is extremley underated 3 stars it has been given on amazon and 2 stars by whats on TV magazine. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2007 by T. Jarvis
Reminds me of El Cid
Maybe this reminds me of El Cid because they are similar stories with Sophia Loren in both.
Based on a novel by C.S. Read more
Based on a novel by C.S. Read more
Published on 16 April 2005 by bernie
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