From Here to Eternity (1953)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Daniel Taradash (screenplay)
James Jones (novel)

Release Date:

15 October 1953 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

Pouring out of impassioned pages...brawling their way to greatness on the screen!

Plot:

In 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second in command are falling in love.

Plot Keywords:

Captain | Hawaii | Boxing | Love | Stockade

Awards:

Won 8 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) | 3 Channel Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | South Korea:15 | Germany:12 | West Germany:16 (f) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #16582)

Filming Locations:

Diamond Head, O`ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The patch on the left uniform shoulder of the soldiers in the film was the Hawaiian Department insignia of the U.S. Army.

Goofs:

Continuity: When policing the grounds on his hands and knees, the box/can is inconsistently placed.

Quotes:

Sgt. Pete Karelsen: I'm getting sick and tired watching you being a stooge for Holmes.
Sergeant Milton Warden: You won't see it much longer. I'm getting sick and tired of it myself. I'm through, Pete. Any day now. And I mean it.
Sgt. Pete Karelsen: [laughing]
Sergeant Milton Warden: Listen, if Holmes let me, I'd transfer out of here tomorrow. Half a dozen companies in this regiment would grab me, and in grade, too.
Sgt. Pete Karelsen: Oh, sure. I could be Chief of Staff, too. Only I just can't think of leaving my old buddies.
Sergeant Milton Warden: Where're you going, Little Sir Echo?
Sgt. Pete Karelsen: To take my shower, if the stinking First Sergeant has no objections. Where do you think? To the movies in this towel?
Sergeant Milton Warden: Hurry up. We'll get some beer.
Sgt. Pete Karelsen: I wouldn't drink with you if it was the last beer in the world.
Sergeant Milton Warden: I'm buying.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Meatballs Part II (1984)

Soundtrack:

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Montgomery Clift shines From Here to Eternity

"From Here to Eternity" contains the best performance delivered by an actor of any gender on celluloid. Montgomery Clift is assertive, funny, tough, sensitive and charismatic in the pivotal role of Robert E. Lee Prewitt, the rebellious loner with the streak of nobility. It is easy to see why James Dean idolized him after seeing his portrayal in the film. It is also a shame modern actors don't mention his name more often when listing their influences. As often noted, he preceded Brando by two years (he first appeared in Red River, released in 1948; Brando bowed in The Men in 1950)and created the arch-type of the 1950's rebel. But due to his intelligence, Clift also informed his characters with a sense of purpose. He didn't simply rebel. For instance, in Eternity, he apologises after an angry outbreak at his girlfriend. Instead of appearing weak, he impressed me all the more for doing so. It makes him appear more mature than the typical rebel. In another instance, when he feels his friend Maggio is being unfairly attacked, he "stares down" the attacker proving he looks out for his friend, another attractive quality. When the non-coms dole out extra punishment to him to force him to box, he refuses to file a complaint but likewise refuses to comply to their demands. Such moments distinguish Clift from other, more typically macho Hollywood leading men of the era and contributed greatly to Eternity's long initial run at the box office and its status as a classic piece of Hollywood cinema. It is time someone set the record straight and restored Montgomery Clift's name to its rightful place in the pantheon of Hollywood's great leading men. For proof, look no further than From Here to Eternity.