Set against the brutal backdrop of the Italian Front during World War I, the story follows Frederick Henry (), an American ambulance driver serving with the Italian army. While recovering from a battlefield injury in Milan, he falls deeply in love with Catherine Barkley ( Jennifer Jones ), a British volunteer nurse.
Released in the twilight of Hollywood's Golden Age, the 1957 adaptation of ( A Farewell to Arms ) stands as a grand, often polarizing attempt to capture Ernest Hemingway’s tragic romance on the silver screen . Directed by Charles Vidor and produced by the legendary David O. Selznick, the film was designed to be a sweeping epic, though it eventually became known as the production that prompted Selznick to leave the film industry entirely. Plot and Setting Addio alle armi [360p] (1957)
Facing execution by his own side during the chaotic retreat, Frederick deserts and flees to neutral Switzerland with a pregnant Catherine. Set against the brutal backdrop of the Italian