Orgoglio e passione

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.