***When The Literary Titians Roared-Hemingway and Gellhorn-A Film Review

 

Gellhorn and Hemingway in China   
DVD Review

From The Pen Of Frank Jackman

Hemingway and Gellhorn, starring Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, HBO, 2012

A long time ago when after I had come of age, come of political age in my early twenties, an old socialist I knew and sought personal and political consul from told me after I had ended a fiery affair with a fellow women political activist that that combination did not mix. Meaning that between ego, the stress of high-wire political activity, and just the likelihood of long separations portended doom to two highly political types surviving together for long. (He did not mention the sexual temptations of being away a lot although if I had asked he probably would have added that as well, or as he well should have). Well, apparently, no, obviously, two literary types like Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn the subjects of this film under review, Hemingway and Gellhorn, are under the same constraints. From a long look (almost two and one half hours) at the film it sure looked that way.  

When you think about it the above comment makes sense. Take one high-powered manly man (from all appearances, inclinations, life-style and his own bravado) and a top-rated 20^th century author, Ernest Hemingway (played by Clive Owen), and one fetching fearless and feisty journalist, Martha Gellhorn(played by Nicole Kidman), and while sparks may fly in the bedroom they almost surely would fly when careers and other issues came up as well, and they did. From the first meeting in Hemingway watering hole Key West (among many others) when they began that dance that eventually led to the bedroom there was always a  one-ups-manship (oops personship) relationship between them from drinking each other under the table to vying for interesting and dangerous war assignments. War assignments that Gellhorn carried out for the rest of her long journalistic career well as the first women to do so, and do it well, after she split with Hemingway in 1945.

 Of course meeting in 1936, meeting at time that the Spanish Civil War was breaking out, a time when people, political people had to take sides, so they did her gathering an assignment as a war correspondent and he working on the film Spanish Earth which was produced to raise money for the Republican side. As a longtime interested party in the Spanish Civil, having written many pieces about the struggle, I will add here what I have expressed elsewhere-those who fought and defended the Republican side whatever else our political perspectives from the International Brigades to writer like Gellhorn, Hemingway, Dos Passos, Langston Hughes, and the like are kindred spirits. Kudos for Spain.

Naturally in a modern romance-centered drama the romance part (okay, okay the sex part) eventually gained center stage and while in Spain for important political business they were able to finally stop dancing around each other and ruffle up the sheets. Hemingway had a little problem though he was still married his second wife. Eventually that problem got resolved by his divorce and subsequent marriage to Gellhorn. That marriage (rather than living together. let’s say) proved to be a big mistake since Gellhorn had justified big ambitions to cover the impeding wars ahead in Europe and elsewhere after the defeat of the Republicans in Spain and that was a bone of contention throughout their five-year marriage. So, yes, my old socialist friend’s advice applies as well to the literati as well. Enough said.

Note: There are many steamy scenes (oaky, okay sex scenes) in the film between the pair (and why not with a fetching Nicole Kidman) as one would expect in a film using some cinematic license with the true story line. A recent Gellhorn biography and some of her own later comments on the men she had loved and her feelings about sex though would belie some of that torrid sexually displayed. Just so you know if you watch the film. But like I said that’s what cinematic license is all about.