A Bell for Adano


A Bell for Adano is a 1945 American war film directed by Henry King and starring John Hodiak and Gene Tierney. It was adapted from the 1944 novel of the same title by John Hersey, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1945.
The story had been staged as a Broadway play in 1944 starring Fredric March.

Plot

The story concerns Italian-American U.S. Army major Joppolo, who is placed in charge of the town of Adano during the invasion of Sicily. The priest explains that the heart of the town's activities centered upon the ringing of a 700-year-old bell that was taken at the start of the war to be melted for weapons. Joppolo begins a long struggle to replace the bell. Through his actions, Joppolo also wins the trust and love of the people.
Short-tempered American commander General Marvin removes Joppolo from his position when Joppolo disobeys an order to prohibit mule-cart traffic in Adano. Although the carts have been disrupting Allied supply trucks, they are vital to the survival of the town.

Cast

The character of Joppolo is based on the real-life experiences of Frank Toscani, who was the military governor of the town of Licata, Sicily after the Allied invasion.

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther praised the script's fidelity to the original novel and wrote:
It is first a delightful chronicle of native character, of the naive and picturesque natures of most plain Italian folks. It is also a shrewd elucidation of contrasting men of ill will. But, more than that, it is a fine, inspiring picture of an "understanding man's" brave attempt to instrument true democracy in a community that barely knew the word.... In short, "A Bell for Adano" is a human, heart-warming film—the sort of picture that should do more for "understanding" than ten million moralizing words."

Adaptations

In addition to the Broadway play, there have been several other versions of John Hersey's book. In a 1955 Lux Video Theatre adaptation, Edmond O'Brien played the lead, with a young Charles Bronson in the part that William Bendix played in the film. Barry Sullivan and Anna Maria Alberghetti appeared in a 1956 CBS telecast, and John Forsythe played the major in a 1967 Hallmark Hall of Fame broadcast.