Director Fred Zinnemann's 1953 Oscar-winning best picture 'From Here To Eternity' is a powerful portrait of a peacetime military camp stationed in Hawaii just before the attack on Pearl Harbour. Montgomery Clift is superlative in the major role of Robert Prewitt, while Frank Sinatra delivers an electrifying Academy Award-winning (1953, Best Supporting Actor) performance as Clift's buddy. Deborah Kerr's love scene in the Hawaiian surf with Burt Lancaster is enshrined as one of the most famous moments in cinema history.
Directed by
Fred Zinnemann
Written by
Daniel Taradash (screenplay); James Jones (novel).
Starring
Burt Lancaster (Sgt. Milton Warden); Montgomery Clift (Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt); Deborah Kerr (Karen Holmes); Donna Reed (Alma 'Lorene' Burke); Frank Sinatra (Pvt. Angelo Maggio); Philip Ober (Capt. Dana Holmes); Mickey Shaughnessy (Cpl. Leva); Harry Bellaver (Pvt. Mazzioli); Ernest Borgnine (Sgt. 'Fatso' Judson); Jack Warden (Cpl. Buckley); John Dennis (Sgt. Ike Galovitch); Merle Travis (Sal Anderson); Tim Ryan (Sgt. Pete Karelsen); Arthur Keegan (Treadwell); Barbara Morrison (Mrs. Kipfer - Owner of New Congress Club). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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Mainly Melancholic and Pushes the Envelope of Adultery
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Limited Recommendation
I thought I should watch 'From Here to Eternity' mainly on account of its somewhat cult status due to 'that' beach kissing scene. Having now watched the film I can safely say that had it not been for said scene this film would be one step closer to the annuls of the un-notable films archives. That may be being a bit harsh - the acting after all was very good as one would expect from such a star-studded cast, and Private Robert Prewitt's (as played by 'I Confess' Montgomery Clift) ethical stance against returning to the boxing ring did give the film some moral grounding to base the plot upon. However, the biggest issue with the film was its underlying sexually-charged atmosphere. The beach scene is a case in point but throughout the film the mood was constantly pushing the envelope - be it through dress or body language. Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) pursuing the married Karen (Deborah Kerr) was also given an air of justification purely on the basis that Karen was not happy in her marriage; ergo it's fine to have an affair. If this film was indicative of the mood at the time, I can see how things developed on to the 'sexual revolution' on the '60s.
