Schlepp the cannon is what this film should have been entitled. It's not a totally bad film, the battle and crowd scenes are handled with great skill. Poor Frank Sinatra with a lousy Spanish accent and a wig that makes him look like Ish Kabibble just doesn't cut it as the Spanish guerrilla leader.
It probably helped their performances that Cary Grant and Sophia Loren were in a passionate affair during the production. Their romantic scenes have a definite credibility. And you got that 42 foot cannon serving as a giant phallic symbol.
Try as I might I couldn't really get into the story. Neither apparently could the players. Cary and Sophia had each other. Frank Sinatra allegedly signed for the film as an excuse to go to Spain and chase Ava Gardner. He didn't reconcile and was his most obstreperous on this set. He just didn't care and it shows.
For a much better film on the Peninsular war see MGM's The Firefly which was done 20 years earlier. It even has a nice musical score.
It probably helped their performances that Cary Grant and Sophia Loren were in a passionate affair during the production. Their romantic scenes have a definite credibility. And you got that 42 foot cannon serving as a giant phallic symbol.
Try as I might I couldn't really get into the story. Neither apparently could the players. Cary and Sophia had each other. Frank Sinatra allegedly signed for the film as an excuse to go to Spain and chase Ava Gardner. He didn't reconcile and was his most obstreperous on this set. He just didn't care and it shows.
For a much better film on the Peninsular war see MGM's The Firefly which was done 20 years earlier. It even has a nice musical score.