From Here to Eternity (1953)

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.

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Daniel Taradash (screenplay), James Jones (novel)

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr

Won 8 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

It's 1941. Robert E. Lee Prewitt has requested Army transfer and has ended up at Schofield in Hawaii. His new captain, Dana Holmes, has heard of his boxing prowess and is keen to get him to represent the company. However, 'Prew' is adamant that he doesn't box anymore, so Captain Holmes gets his subordinates to make his life a living hell. Meanwhile Sergeant Warden starts seeing the captain's wife, who has a history of seeking external relief from a troubled marriage. Prew's friend Maggio has a few altercations with the sadistic stockade Sergeant 'Fatso' Judson, and Prew begins falling in love with social club employee Lorene. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor looms in the distance.

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Plot Keywords:

captain | hawaii | boxing | pearl harbor | sergeant | 

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Taglines:

The Original Pearl Harbor Story (2002 DVD Release)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1953 (Australia)

Also Known As:

De aquí a la eternidad

Filming Locations:

Diamond Head, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) 3 Channel Stereo

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fred Zinnemann was chosen to direct the project largely at the suggestion of screenwriter Daniel Taradash, who had been impressed with Zinnemann's handling of the previous war-themed movies The Search, The Men and Teresa.

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Goofs

When the crowd of soldiers is gathered around watching the brawl between Private Pruitt and Sergeant Galovitch, many of the men, including Private Pruitt, have the acorn cords on their campaign hats tied in knots. This is only done by combat veterans, and since the war hadn't started yet, none of the junior enlisted men would have served in combat. Therefore, nobody in that scene, and especially Private Pruitt, should be wearing their campaign hats with the acorn cord tied in a "combat knot".

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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 ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: Against the Grain (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Pennies from Heaven"
(1936) (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Johnston
Played offscreen on the piano at the club

User Reviews

See the Re-Release

I was a kid when I first saw the movie. All I remembered is the beach scene, and I thought it was a lot longer in duration than it actually is. I went to see the re-release this week. Wow! Has this movie held up! The few chauvinistic remarks directed at women would not be acceptable today but reflect how things were at that time. This is a top-notch film in every way! The acting by the stellar cast is close to perfection (Sinatra, Lancaster, Kerr, Borgnine, Clift--I rate them in that order, but they're all excellent). The plot has huge forward momentum, particularly when we see the page on the calendar. This is a classic! See it again!