It's the Spanish Civil War. Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) is part of the beleaguered International Brigades. He is ordered to blow up an important bridge. He encounters and is aided by a group of local guerrilla fighters led by Pablo and Pilar. He is taken with fighter Maria (Ingrid Bergman) who was rescued from fascist imprisonment after her Republican mayor father was killed along with her mother.

It's an old-fashion overwrought romantic war drama. There isn't much in the way of action in the first half. Ingrid Bergman is every bit of the Hollywood star. There is no denying her beauty but her character is suppose to be haunted and damaged. The acting is all big overwrought old fashion style. It is another time. Gary Cooper is the heroic Gary Cooper. Even the deaths are done in the old fashion ways. Nevertheless, the operation is compelling and there is good tension in the second half.

I rarely use the word 'dated' to describe a film, but this one seems to fall under that category. Not so much for the story itself, but for the development and motivation of the characters. The 'love at first sight' aspect of the relationship between Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper) and Maria (Ingrid Bergman) just didn't work for me. The age disparity was one thing, but it was Cooper's unemotional demeanor throughout that sort of nixed the idea that they would ever be a viable couple. Mission oriented as he was to blow up the bridge left little room for romance amid the revolutionary cause of the Republican rebels.

There's also the pacing to consider for what's nominally a war time drama. Things move quite slowly, and while tactics and procedures do take time, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of time before anything of consequence would occur. And a character like Pablo (Akim Tamiroff),who's loyalty always seemed to be in question, probably should have been dealt with after the first vote taken to put an end to his unreliability. That he pulled through at the end certainly wasn't a given with the inconsistent behavior he showed throughout.

There was an ironic statement made by Roberto early in the picture when questioned by Fernando (Fortunio Bonanova),one of the revolutionaries. When asked how he could survive in a country with the kind of anti-authoritarianism he showed as a mercenary, he stated, "...they don't shoot you for being a Republican in America". Of course, that was then and this is now, and someone like Steve Scalise would certainly beg to differ today.

As a Spaniard and a historian, I've always found this film deeply moving. Here in Spain, the films on our Civil War have become so common that, for youngest people, the war seems to be some kind of ancient mythology. This movie allows us to see how the Spanish War was perceived by other countries in contemporary dates. Actually, we cannot forget its importance as a test for WWII. Maria's life remind me of the stories that my grandma used to tell. Men went to war, but women were often ravaged by the winner army as revenge. What really amazes me is the lack of awareness that many people have on my country and their audacity on showing it. I think that's the effect of decades of Mexican actors playing Spaniards in Hollywood films. As a blonde, pale skinned, Caucasian woman, as the majority of my compatriots (remember, we're Europeans),I think Bergman's appearance fits perfectly her part.