The lovely sweet/sad Spanish influenced musical theme in the movie haunt the viewer. The delicate lilt in the backround during Cooper and Bergman's closeups is just a perfect mirror of the increasing rapture on the screen between them as the movie approaches the big climax. The stolen moments of their 3 day romance are long remembered after the movie is over by just thinking of Maria's Overture.
What do you think?
Back in the days before cable TV, the NY Times used to run a program guide in its Sunday's editions. This included capsule movie reviews. At the end of the capsule on "Bell Tolls" it always read, "Thank You Victor Young."
Ever since I first caught this movie on our little B&W TV back in the early 60s (this was on the CBS "Movie For A Sunday Afternoon") I have thought Young's love theme is without doubt the lovliest in the history of Hollywood. Words really don't do it justice, but it so full of classic romantic longing that it NEVER FAILS to bring tears to my eyes. Thank you, Cmdr Cody, and thank you most of all to the late, great Victor Young.
tmonigan: What a nice comment. Thanks. My copy of the movie is a VHS from the old AMC...before their silly commercials...with commentary by Bob Dorian. One of my favorites.
I think I'll watch it again tonight. It's been six months.
Regards, CmdrCody
This very afternoon I bought a mint condition copy of the original vinyl LP for $1.oo at a local used record shop (long story) and is it one of the most ravishingly beautiful LP covers in history -a full color close-up of Ingrid Bergman's face with a tear running down her cheek; no text, no title, no lable, just that haunting image.
What more need be said; you know instinctively what the record is if you've seen the film and if you haven't you would pick it up just to see what the image was all about. This was a daring and brilliant ploy for a commercially-produced LP in the early 1950's and it must be some sort of landmark in the history of LP cover art.
On top of that, the score itself is one of the true overlooked classics of cinema history.
I just finished copying it to CD so the LP will be framed on my wall as the work of art is and the CD will be played repeatedly as the masterpiece it is.
"If you don't know the answer -change the question."
After a while, this music began to remind me of music played in a biblical epic whenever Jesus comes onscreen.
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