For Whom the Bell Tolls (TV series)

For Whom the Bell Tolls
GenreDrama
Based onFor Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Written byGiles Cooper
Directed byRex Tucker
Starring
ComposerRobert Gerhard
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4 (all missing)
Production
Running time45 minutes
Production companyBBC
Original release
NetworkBBC2
Release2 October (1965-10-02) –
23 October 1965 (1965-10-23)

For Whom the Bell Tolls is a British television series first aired by BBC in 1965, based on the 1940 novel by Ernest Hemingway. It stars John Ronane, Ann Bell, Glynn Edwards and Joan Miller. The film was adapted for television by Giles Cooper, was produced by Douglas Allen, and was directed by Rex Tucker. It consisted of four 45-minute episodes, the first of which aired on 2 October 1965. The last episode aired 23 October 1965.[1] According to the BBC archives none of the episodes of the film still exist.

It was the first British television adaptation of a Hemingway novel.[1][2] Robert Gerhard composed music for the adaptation that incorporated the guitar.[3]

Plot

Episode list

  • Reconnaissance - 2 October 1965
  • The Moon of May - 9 October 1965
  • Verdict on Pablo - 16 October 1965
  • The Bridge - 23 October 1965

Cast

Reception

The theatre arts professor Thomas S. Hischak called the 1965 adaptation "the most complete" and wrote, "The cast of characters, little known outside the United Kingdom, were adequate even if none looked or sounded remotely Spanish."[4] The Stage and Television Today critic Bill Edmund wrote, "This four-part serial ended with the blowing up of the bridge, leaving Robert Jordan (John Ronane)—the blower-upper—lying dead. The whole episode had a musical comedy or operatic flavour and I half expected all concerned to take time off from fighting and sing a song."[5] The Stage and Television Today critic Kari Anderson called the For Whom the Bell Tolls adaptation "deadly-dull", while the critics Leslie Halliwell and Philip Purser said, "Despite the good actor John Ronane as the hero Robert Jordan, For Whom the Bell Tolls was a turkey."[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Vahimagi, Tise (1994). British Television: An Illustrated Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 136. ISBN 0-19-818336-4. Retrieved 18 March 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c d "All the new BBC programmes in detail". The Stage and Television Today. No. 4407. 30 September 1965. p. 12. ProQuest 1040460933. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  3. ^ Ramelli, Marco (November 2022). "The Influence of the Spanish Civil War in Gerhard's Guitar Music". In Adkins, Monty; Mann, Rachel E. (eds.). Roberto Gerhard: Re-Appraising a Musical Visionary in Exile. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 203–215. doi:10.5871/bacad/9780197267134.003.0012. ISBN 978-0-19-726713-4. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  4. ^ Hischak, Thomas S. (2012). American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7864-6842-3. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  5. ^ Edmund, Bill (28 October 1965). "Blackmail story shows John at his best". The Stage and Television Today. No. 4411. p. 12. ProQuest 1040469830. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  6. ^ Anderson, Kari (30 December 1965). "Players are forced into false characterisations". The Stage and Television Today. No. 4420. p. 10. ProQuest 1040578435. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  7. ^ Halliwell, Leslie; Purser, Philip (1985) [1979]. Halliwell's Television Companion (2 ed.). Collins, Glasgow: Paladin Books. p. 270. ISBN 0-586-08525-4. Retrieved 18 March 2024 – via Internet Archive.
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