Synopsis of When the Bell Tolls

A group of partisans fought a fierce battle against the German invaders during the Second World War. The priest Don Vincenzo tries to stop the killing, but standing can do little against the trigger-happy Nazis. He has to watch helplessly as prostitute Dorina, who played a double game, is murdered before his eyes. By blowing up an important tunnel, Tego sabotages a German supply route, but when his family is killed in an air raid, he loses his mind. Wrapped in rags, he roams the country until he makes friends with the little shepherd Gino. But Tego is wanted for murder because he had to fend off a greedy prowler.

With When the Bell Tolls, Luigi Batzella, who thanks to bangers such as Nuda per Satana or SS Hell Camp should have a firm place in the heart of every genre lover, shot a somewhat mixed-up war film like the ones made in Italy in the late 60's and early 70's. On the positive side, Brad Harris can be seen in the role of the priest. In an at first opaque frame story, he serves up old war stories to his friend while they are walking through a village. The central character of the film, however, is the partisan Tego, who doesn't like to kill, but prefers to blow up tunnels before he goes to the priest. He can't cope with the loss of his family due to an airplane bomb and suddenly the film turns black and white after half of it and we accompany a prowler who is talking crazy stuff and makes friends with a boy. Anyone who wonders what this is all about has to wait until the end when Brad Harris finally shows up again and announces in his role as a priest that the wacko is poor Tego, who just went crazy. A remarkably silly ending that doesn't really make up for the fact that you actually wanted to see a war movie and not a drama about a lonely man roaming the mountains.

However, even the first half of the movie is easy to forget. The film jumps back and forth between Tego, the partisans or Don Vincenzo, completely disoriented. Brigitte Skay (Isabella, Duchess of the Devils) as Dorina, who is despised by the local village youth because she gets in bed with the German soldiers, drops out of the movie surprisingly early, although her character could have provided a little more depth. All of the more appealing shootings or explosions are from a different film, as the change in color and contrast of the respective scenes makes clear. The newly shot effect scenes are at times laughably bad. Be it the model airplane that is supposed to be sold to us as low-flying or the pathetic explosion scenes.

Unfortunately, the bottom line is that When the Bell Tolls isn't good for much. The many shortcomings, the stiff acting, the poor effects and the completely bizarre second part of the movie make for some trashy good entertainment. Anyway, the movie is of immense importance in terms of film history, because most of the first half was recycled by Batzella for his Naziploitation flick SS Hell Camp. That is an absolute grenade for friends of bad taste.

It's complicated with the cuts

The film was released in Italy on DVD by Surf Video. The quality of the release is very good, but due to a presumably bad material situation, there are often short film tears. The moment when Doriana is shot by the soldiers is missing. The German VHS by Trend Video is about 4 minutes longer than the Italian DVD, but it seems that the distributor has expanded the film for the German market. The many short missing parts of the Italian DVD are included here. Towards the end of the film, the VHS shows another flashback in which Tego and the partisans storm the German headquarters. This scene is from SS Hell Camp. The oversized, red swastika makes the assignment clear, especially since the scene makes little sense in the context of the film.

Furthermore, there are several segments on the German VHS, which obviously come from another film. Since the German distributor has already cut a scene into the film, the question arises whether this material might also be special extensions for the German market. Since parts of these scenes are also in SS Hell Camp, they are probably part of the original version and therefore simply missing on the Italian DVD. However, the German VHS is not complete. Some of the action scenes are missing, be it the fight at the fire or some dialogue between Tego and Gino, which are included in the Italian DVD.

Like the love life between Erol Sanders and Caroline Goddet, When the Bell Tolls' love life is also complicated when it comes to the question of releases. The Italian DVD has many flaws, but the quality is quite good. The German VHS version has been extended by a scene from SS Hell Camp, but also has a handful of action cuts.

Image comparison:

Italian DVD:

German VHS:

Runtimes: Italian DVD: 74:03 min. / German VHS: 78:00 min.

Only film tears of 1 second or more are listed in the report.

The Italian DVD by Surf Video was compared to the German VHS by Trend Video.

[00:00:29][00:00:43]

The German VHS already shows the title in the first shot.

No time difference.


[00:00:40][00:00:55]

A little later, the English title and opening credits appear in the German VHS, while the Italian VHS has the English title and opening credits. The DVD shows the original title and opening credits.

No time difference.


[00:03:25][00:03:40]

The partisan can be seen a little earlier.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:05:03][00:05:19]

The hill can be seen earlier as Marisa and Rizieri are walking around.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:06:13][00:06:31]

Rizieri can be seen a little longer, the next shot starts a little earlier.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:06:43][00:07:03]

The Italian DVD briefly shows a different shot of the soldier at the bridge.

IT: 1 sec.


[00:09:08][00:09:28]

The tunnel is visible for a longer time.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:11:51][00:12:12]

There is no cut on Dorina in the Italian DVD when she is hit on by the boys.

Dorina: "But only if your sister does it, too."

After that, we see the boys a little earlier.

German VHS: 4 sec.


[00:12:27][00:12:51]

The boys lift Dorina up into the air. She resists and tells them to let her down again.

German VHS: 15 sec.


[00:18:35][00:19:15]

The camera pans from Marisa to the partisan running down the hill.

German VHS: 2 sec.


[00:18:52][00:19:33]

The partisan has been lying in wait longer. We see Marisa earlier in the next shot.

German VHS: 2 sec.


[00:19:30][00:20:13]

After the partisan drags himself away injured, a stock footage of German soldiers in the terrain follows.

German VHS: 28 sec.


[00:19:47][00:20:58]

When the German soldiers march in, a short shot is missing in which a group of soldiers is shot with a submachine gun.

German VHS: 5 sec.


[00:20:12][00:21:28]

After the partisan beats the German soldier with his submachine gun, we see hand grenades being thrown at German soldiers.

German VHS: 6 sec.


[00:20:31][00:21:55]

Two further shots can be seen in which German soldiers are put out of action by hand grenades.

German VHS: 3 sec.


[00:31:06][00:32:34]

How Dorina is shot by the Nazis is missing.

German VHS: 4 sec.


[00:34:08][00:35:38]

The destroyed building can be seen a little longer.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:36:18][00:37:49]

After Tego has pulled away, the next shot starts a little earlier in the German version.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:41:13][00:42:45]

After the fight with the German soldiers, Tego is seen earlier in the next shot. The shot is blurred at the beginning.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:41:17][00:42:50]

Jump cut in the Italian DVD. On the German VHS, we see Tego longer.

German VHS: 3 sec.


[00:41:47][00:43:24]

Tego walks longer across the square.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[00:48:59][00:50:36]

Some of the skirmish between the two men is missing in the German version.

IT: 9 sec.


[00:49:35][00:51:03]

A flashback is missing when several soldiers are shot when Tego is seen.

German VHS: 34 sec.


[00:50:47][00:52:49]

On the German VHS, a cut is missing on the man who drinks the water, then a cut on the boy. The next shot starts earlier.

IT: 9 sec.


[00:51:00][00:52:54]

Another flaw in the German version. The boy Gino and Gaspare are talking after the man has drunk the water.

IT: 30 sec.


[00:54:33][00:55:56]

Another flashback by Tego is missing on the Italian DVD. A bridge is blown up, a soldier is pursued and finally more explosions can be seen.

German VHS: 23 sec.


[00:57:49][00:59:35]

The man can be seen a little earlier.

German VHS: 1 sec.

[01:03:29][01:05:16]

The Italian DVD is missing a longer sequence. A group of partisans are waiting for Tego to show up at their place. After a while, he appears and tells them that Dorina was shot by the Germans. The group wants to go and storm the German headquarters.

They sneak into the camp, but then there is a violent firefight.

[img-087. jpg]

German VHS: 3:15 min.


[01:09:17][01:14:20]

The Italian DVD shows longer how the dead Gaspare is carried through the village on horseback by the soldiers. Gino follows them.

IT: 34 sec.


[01:12:07][01:16:36]

The blurred shot of the tree starts earlier in the German version.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[01:12:53][01:17:23]

Don Vincenzo can be seen earlier in the German version.

German VHS: 1 sec.


[01:13:37][01:18:08]

In the German version, "The End" is displayed.

The Italian DVD freezes the picture at the end and "Fine" is faded in.

IT: 26 sec.
German VHS: 7 sec.