From Here to Eternity (1953)

FROM HERE TO ETERNITY is a very mature and touching drama about the lives of American soldiers. Intended brutality and a few vulgar in the film gives a realistic dimension. The film deals with the problems of soldiers, who are stationed in Hawaii during the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Trumpeter was transferred from the music division into unit "G" in Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu. When local captain learns of his reputation as a talented boxer, problems arise...In the story are woven 'empty' lives of professional soldiers, their love woes, selfishness and past. The film realistically points out the problems related to military career, personal frustration and sexuality. It's tough to be a soldier, but worse was to be a soldier's wife, or just a girl. I would never describe this movie as a tragic drama, but as quite realistic relationship in which a sick sense of belonging to something wins over life. Revolt and rebellion is certainly evident, but is repressed in the military system. What is interesting. Protagonists in this film you can not admire, but they are persistently trying to be understood.The director was somewhat restrained. I believe that Mr. Zinnermman did not want to answer the questions in the movie, but scratch the surface of the sensitive topic. In this he succeeded.The cast performance is generally good. Burt Lancaster as First Sergeant Milton Warden is married with army. The protagonist who is not able to accept anything that would undermine some of his concept of life, and above all duties. This is not solely about honesty. Sergeant rejects love. Deborah Kerr as Karen Holmes is a classy lady and passionate slut at the same time. A woman who was defeated between unsuccessful marriage and love in vain. The famous scene on the beach. Making love or is she touched his lips. The incoming tide.Montgomery Clift as Private Robert E. Lee "Prew" Prewitt He is sensitive protagonist. The young man haunted by the past, abused in the present and for him the future is uncertain. That his attitude that he has nowhere to go except into the army is quite bizarre. One has to follow its own path, even if it leads to destruction. Donna Reed as Alma Burke / Lorene looks more like the girl next door than the dangerous seductress in "fun club". However, it does have its moments through the monologue of smoothness or loneliness.Frank Sinatra as Private Angelo Maggio is the most colorful protagonist. Aware that such a life of soldiers does not make sense, but it now has to accept and want to enjoy every moment outside the military base. He is an "island" of true pathos.

'From Here to Eternity' is a film set at Pearl Harbor in the weeks or months preceding the Japanese attack of 1941. The title is awarded a great performance by Montgomery Clift as the 'Cool Hand Luke'-esque Robert E. Lee Prewitt, and Clift manages to project a level of complexity that I haven't seen since I watched Laurence Olivier in 'Rebecca'. The character of Prewitt, after transferring to the Schofield base, is urged by his superior, well-played by Philip Ober, to replicate his allegedly remarkable boxing talents and champion his new company. Prewitt is reluctant, and consequently a large portion of 'From Here to Eternity' charts the character's awkward integration into the new company. In the film, Clift is joined by Burt Lancaster; his performance is equally solid, but not quite mesmerising. I feel that this reflects the design of the characters, though, as opposed to Lancaster's acting. Another enjoyable performance to look out for is Ernest Borgnine's, who lends his easily menacing talents to this title, and his role as Sgt '(don't ever call me) Fatso' Judson is very enjoyable. Most of all, I didn't expect to find a Frank Sinatra performance so impressive. The only other films I've seen (so far) starring the swing legend are 'Ocean's Eleven' and 'The Devil at Four O'Clock', and I think he was outperformed in both of those films, by Dean Martin and Spencer Tracy respectively. However, one could consider him in the same league as the likes of Bogart and the aforesaid Tracy in this title as the live-hard-die-young Angelo Maggio. Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed similarly enhance 'From Here to Eternity' with their performances, but they rarely get a chance to shine given the "life in the barracks" focus of this title. (However, there is one brilliant, even iconic, scene featuring Kerr, alluded to by the cover poster of the film.)The cast is far from the only winning quality of the film; another of the title's incredible traits is its framing of its fictional story in the larger context of the all-too- real war. At one point, the film employs some real footage from the Second World War, and it is absorbed within 'From Here to Eternity' excellently, feeling both symbolic and convincing. One of the messages I take from this film is that history is often, to its detriment, acknowledged only in response to great events, and this is amplified in times of war. 'From Here to Eternity' doesn't chart the Schofield troops' unfathomable plight against the invading forces, and the Pearl Harbor that people know and remember (i.e. the bombings), whilst integral to the story, doesn't dominate the film. It brings the characters to life, and shows that the people in history aren't represented by lists of achievements, statistics and the like; they were often very ordinary, doing very human things. I rarely give ten stars to a film, but I felt compelled to do so in this case. I was absolutely amazed by 'From Here to Eternity', and I currently rank it as one of my top five films.

I never saw this movie until just a few years ago, and, again, over the 2015 Memorial Day Weekend, because I thought it was just another love story...but, it's much deeper and much more complicated than that.It 'is' a love story of new, dangerous, and, impractical love, but, it's also about personal problems; playing favorites and manipulation in the military; people finding themselves in places and situations they hadn't intended on and don't like; and, all at a time when the world was about to change forever.The star-studded cast is superb, although, ironically, 'many of them' were not first choice by the studio head. The characters are solid and each has just the right type of personality to make the story believable when they interact and create intriguing situations.I feel kind of silly for having missed out on this terrific movie for all these years (as I also did with "The Bridges of Madison County" - another I thought was 'just another love story.'). From now on, I'll watch a movie when advised to.This is a great classic movie that 'everyone' should see at least once.

Its power may have waned a little bit since it first came out over 50 years ago, but FROM HERE TO ETERNITY still remains one of the classic war films as well as an interesting look into military life circa 1941. The story follows a handful of characters whose lives all intersect in Hawaii during the months prior to the bombing at Pearl Harbor. You have Montgomery Clift as Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt: a loner with a troubled past, Burt Lancaster as Sgt. Warden: a tough, but understanding NCO, Deborah Kerr as Karen Holmes: the company commander's wife, and Frank Sinatra as Angelo Maggio: a wiry Italian fellow who befriends Prewitt and loves to drink. As was typical for films of the period, there is a romantic/melodramatic element which forms the basis for the story and informs the way we see the characters. This aspect was kind of dated, but it allows the casual viewer a window into these characters' lives the way a straight military picture couldn't have done. The two main romantic narrative threads are between Montgomery Clift and a girl, Loreen/Alma (Donna Reed) who works at a club he frequents, and Burt Lancaster with Deborah Kerr. Both of these couples lament the situation that life has put them in and desire to get away from it all. Montgomery Clift has become the target of cruel treatment based on his decision not to join the company's boxing team, while Donna Reed's character has grown weary of her employment at a gentleman's club where she has to entertain service members. Parallel to that, Burt Lancaster romances the wife of his CO, a philanderer who has lost interest in her. One common element is the desire to return to the States and get married, which would provide the stability that they all want. However, fate has other plans as the bombing at Pearl Harbor throws their somewhat stable world into chaos and the men of the Army must put aside petty differences to fight the bigger enemy. These are rather heady themes to be tackled in a film that could easily have been a fluff piece for the Armed Forces, yet FROM HERE TO ETERNITY never feels like propaganda. The biggest thing on its mind seems to be portraying what happens when something unexpected throws our best-laid plans into disarray. When that happens, the best we can do is to band together and make the best of a bad situation. In the end, our commitment to each other will outlast any temporary plans that we have. Overall, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY does feel "of its time" but it's also the only Pearl Harbor film worth watching.