User reviews

Love in War

This is a movie about war and some challenges that people face there. The events unfold in Intaly during World War I. Ernerst Hemingway, the main character, is a young man who serves as a reporter. War is always connected with risk, so one day Ernie appeared in the hospital. Here he mets his love, Agnes von Kurowsky. She is a beautiful and talented nurse who can't stay indifferent for this handsome and charming youth. I can not say that this movie became my favorite one, but I like it. This is a romantic story. However, «In Love and War» touches many issues that are actual even now days.

There are a number of positive moments for me. As it was already mentioned, the problems appeared in the movie can be interested for many people. Such topics as friendship, love, bravery, betrayal and pride are reflected in the movie. And now a few words about the way the film was shot. I like the director's work. The movie contains many interesting foreshortening. There are a lot of scenes with nature and we can enjoy different landscapes. The choice of actors is good. The main character, Agnes von Kurowsky, is created by a brilliant actress, Sandra Bullock. She is so aristocratic and realistic in the film that I believe her for 100%. Besides, the ending of the movie is unexpected.

Nevertheless, there are some negative moments either. The beginning of the movie is overextended and some scenes seem unnecessary. My strongest disappointment is in the fact that this movie does not cause any strong emotions. Of course, it makes you sympathize with the main characters but you are not immersed in the atmosphere entirely. As a result, the movie won't stay in memory for a long time.

Despite of the boring beginning, the film is worth watching. It is a thought-provoking and touching love-story. Moreover, it is based on the real events. So we can get some details about Hemingway's life. If you want to create your own clear impression of this story, I would recommend you to read a book ''A Farewell to Arms'' at first.

Based on the true story, a 19 year-old Ernest Hemmingway (Chris O'Donnell) falls for an older nurse (Sandra Bullock) after being wounded in Italy during WW1.

"In Love and War" (1996) is a solid historical drama/romance similar in spirit to "Legends of the Fall" (1994). As presented in the film, young Hemmingway has a likable, respectable side, but we also see evidence of his immense flaws, such as self-serving lying and exaggeration of his exploits.

At least one important scene is fictitious, and another one probably is as well, but I don't want to give them away. Look up the facts after watching. Nonetheless, it's clear that Hemingway's relationship with Agnes von Kurowsky deeply affected him as he included elements of it in several of his stories, including A Farewell to Arms.

The film runs 1 hour, 53 minutes and was shot in Veneto, Italy, and Québec, Canada.

GRADE: B

In this surprisingly sweet romantic drama, audiences are treated to a young Ernest Hemingway as he falls in love with his nurse during World War One. Usually, the films about Hemingway are after his fame, turning him into a caricature of wordiness and blunt emotion, but this one shows him as a regular soldier who falls in love.

Chris O'Donnell and Sandra Bullock are the unlikely pairing, and even if you don't think they'll make a convincing couple, they have great chemistry together. They both know that wartime romances are fragile and might not work out, but they can't ignore the calling of their hearts. This is a Hollywood version of the story, but in real life, Hemingway did fall in love with his nurse in Italy and continued to write about her throughout his career. If you've ever seen or read A Farewell to Arms, watch this movie to see the inspiration! I'm not even a very big Hemingway fan and I enjoyed this movie. It's sweet and romantic without being vulgar, and it's dramatic, hopeful, tasteful, and shows why Hemingway would continue to write about this part of his life.

The film "In Love and War" is based on true story of Earnest Hemmingway, who wanted to fight in World War I, but didn't manage to get into regular army because of poor eyesight. However he became a journalist and was lucky enough to be near the front lines. But there once, saving a wounded Italian soldier, he was wounded too. In the hospital he met 26 year old nurse Agnes von Kurowsky. She helped him to save his leg from amputation, and he fell in love with her.

On the whole I liked the film. At first it seemed too slow and boring, but then I noticed that I watch it with interest. The final scene was very intense and moving, I could not help sympathizing with the main characters. Also seeing the work of nurses, doctors in the hospital, I could not but admire their courage, endurance, devotion to their job. It says a lot about a person.

Although the film is not bad, there are some things I didn't like. The description of the battle, when Ernest was hurt seemed to me quite unrealistic. I have seen worse in the movies. Also the behavior of the main characters was sometimes stupid. For example, Agnes was worried too much about the age difference between Earnest and herself. It is ridiculous. People fall in love despite this and live happily. Also in my opinion Earnie is too stubborn and cocky, it causes them both a lot of trouble.

I can say that acting of Sandra Bullok (Agnes) and Chris O'Donnell (Ernie) is absolutely amazing. They played their parts very convincingly, I believed them completely and it is one of the reasons why I liked the movie.

If you are a fan of love stories and historical movies, this film is for you. But if you are not it is still worth watching. However don't expect a very happy ending, the events took place at the war time after all. I rate it 7/10.

The film is based on the book Hemingway in Love and War by Henry S. Villard and James Nagel. In the movie Hemingway's real-life experience in WWI is reflected, what gives zest to the film. The story opens up with the appearance of a young energetic and craving for adventures war correspondent Ernest Hemingway. During one of the battles he gets wounded and then is sent to the hospital, where he falls in love with Agnes, an American Red Cross nurse, who saved his leg from amputation. So, their relationship is becoming to develop.

This romantic movie is rather of high quality. Good cast, very harmonious music, exceedingly picturesque setting (especially Venice), perfect cameraman's job. All this immerse you into another world and makes you believe that even hardships of war can't be an obstacle for true love.

Despite of the fact that my general impression was positive after watching this movie, I wouldn't like to watch it one more time, as I usually do, when a film impressed me very much. This film reminds me of a good fairy-tale, which is far from reality. The heroes are so beautiful, the war is so "clean", the setting is so romantic, everything is so, so, so… exaggerated. During watching the movie you just enjoy a good romantic story, you sympathize with the heroes, but you don't believe them.

So, the movie is quite impressive and touching. I think, those, who like emotional romantic stories, would enjoy watching it but I don't advice it to those people, who expect to see a war movie. This film is more about love, not war. I would give this film 7 out of 10 points.

I'm certainly no expert in pure romance novels or films but this film had my attention the entire time. It specifically is of interest as it is somewhat of a biography of a young Ernest Hemingway, who some consider to be America's greatest novelist and short - story writer. It tells a tale of a keen , young Hemingway ( Chris O' Donnell) looking to see action before the conclusion of the First World War . He is wounded quite badly and is assigned a nurse ( Sandra Bullock) who he becomes quite fond of to say the least.

From here the story takes you down a path you would expect of the ups and downs of what finding love means during a time of war. It also shows how decisions one makes can lead to consequences that cannot be undone.

Overall the film is quite simple and straight forward. It was enjoyable for me and provided an ending I was not really expecting which added to the experience. It is said to be a true story. I'm not sure how true it is, but if true, could provide some insight into Hemingway's later work.

I am a Hemmingway fan. I like Sandra Bullock, was very impressed with the cinematography. Production values are very high. Attenborough is a load of Emperor's clothes. I was interested to watch this film but it was --so--very--slow. Like many films and television programmes it seems to be made on the economic film principle, where, having got the cast and crew to a location/set the l-o-n-g-e-r the screen time that can be dragged out there, the cheaper the 'per minute' cost of the whole film. Whereas a single shot used to average about 3 seconds we now get 3 seconds establishing the characters in a place, a slow two shot sequence of slow moody conversation with pregnant pauses (nine months!?) and eventually one character leaves while the other pulls faces to the music, sometimes for as long as another 11 seconds.Having established the hospital we do not need to keep seeing it or people walking about it without advancing the plot.

The ironic thing with this film is that Hemmingway wrote like John Ford directed. Ford started the camera and the actor on the mark and put his fist over the lens as he shouted 'cut'. One take and no way for the studio to drag out the editing. Casablanca takes place 90% in a café'e, slow? No. Curtiz did not need 600 horses to get pace.

This film was based on the love affair between Ernest Hemingway and the nurse he met after being wounded in action during WW1. I doubt that it was very factual, but still remained entertaining. Their relationship was doomed from the start because of Hemingway's rotten attitude. If the man was like this in his real life, I would imagine all his relationships with women failed. He was a boozing, spoiled little rich boy.