A Farewell to Arms

1957

Action / Drama / Romance / War

17
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 8% · 13 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 35% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 5.8/10 10 3228 3.2K

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Plot summary

An English nurse and an American soldier on the Italian front during World War I fall in love, but the horrors surrounding them test their romance to the limit.

Director

Top cast

Sam Levene as Swiss Sergeant
Joan Shawlee as Blonde Nurse
Vittorio De Sica as Major Alessandro Rinaldi
Oskar Homolka as Dr. Emerich
720p.BLU
1.36 GB
1280*540
English 2.0
Approved
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 32 min
Seeds 4

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 6 / 10

It was always going to be hard enough

It was always going to be hard enough to adapt this novel for the screen, and given Gary Cooper did an OK job with it in 1932, I am not quite sure why David O. Selznick concluded that is might be a ripe vehicle for Rock Hudson to reprise. He is the American "Lt. Henry" serving in Italy during the Great War when he meets British nurse "Catherine" (Jennifer Jones). They take an immediate shine to each other but needless to say the War has no time to stop and indulge their affection and the film follows the ups and downs as they try to stay alive and, ultimately, make it to safety with their as yet unborn child. The thing with Hemingway stories, I found, is that they rarely work on a big screen. They are detailed, descriptive and requiring of the reader to use their imagination to create the scenario that's all too easily replaced by the visuals here. That also requires the actors to deliver strong and intricate characterisations that deal with their own issues, sure, but with the issues of loyalty, of professionalism and of tough choices made amidst the atrocities of conflict. Neither of these two here have the gravitas to do those complexities justice and that frequently turns this gripping wartime romance into a not so gripping romance set amidst a war. There is quite an engaging effort from Vittorio De Rica as the inspirational surgeon "Rinaldi" and Elaine Stritch is also to be seen here before she became a lady who lunched. The film looks good, the wartime imagery potent and at times we get a little indication of the true horrors of this war, and of the strains it put on people both in and out of the military, but there's no getting away from the weak and rather insipid casting. Pity!
Reviewed by kieran-wright 7 / 10

Less is more

When I was around 17, I came in from a cold winter's day and became engrossed in a film that was running on the TV. The film? A farewell to arms. I could only have seen the last quarter of the film but the final scene reduced me to tears and it's something I never forgot. Consequently, some 10 years later I managed to track it down on video and was a little disappointed.What is now obvious to me is that 1) the part I saw had little input from Jennifer Jones; 2) the emotion conveyed by Rock Hudson was deeply touching; 3) the setting was also memorable; 4) it was far too long. When viewing the film in its entirety, it is obviously badly in need of the touch of a good editor, although I was somewhat surprised to recently read that it is actually 2 hours and 32 minutes in length. What is particularly disappointing is that Jennifer Jones was clearly miscast, and yes - we all know why.However, I have seen this actress in other productions - for example 'Gone to Earth', in which she was simply splendid; but her role in this film was most definitely not the kind of part she excelled in.This could potentially have been Rock Hudson's finest hour, but as with other epic productions of the time e.g. Cleopatra, the best bits most probably ended up on the cutting room floor; however, that said, I can only think of a handful of films that have imprinted themselves on me like this one.I would be interested in seeing a re-edited version of this with special features.7 for at least one standout scene; a superb performance by Rock Hudson and its ability to touch someone.
Reviewed by JamesCartwright 5 / 10

Jones was too old

Rock Hudson wasn't bad but it was painfully obvious that Jennifer Jones was a lot older than him. It was absurd she was supposed to be English when she sounded just as American as Hudson and Elaine Stritch. The film is spectacular but too overblown for a trifling romantic story.
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