planktonrules Review of The Pride and the Passion

The Pride and the Passion (1957)

A wonderful example of money and spectacle...and little else!

[5/10 · 7 March 2007]

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.