From Here to Eternity (1953)

In Hawaii in 1941, 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 (screen play), James Jones (based upon the novel by)

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	...	Robert E. Lee Prewitt
Deborah Kerr	...	Karen Holmes
Donna Reed	...	Alma aka Lorene
Frank Sinatra	...	Angelo Maggio
Philip Ober	...	Capt. Dana Holmes
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Sgt. Leva
Harry Bellaver	...	Mazzioli
Ernest Borgnine	...	Sgt. 'Fatso' Judson
Jack Warden	...	Corp. Buckley
John Dennis	...	Sgt. Ike Galovitch
Merle Travis	...	Sal Anderson
Tim Ryan	...	Sgt. Pete Karelsen
Arthur Keegan	...	Treadwell
Barbara Morrison	...	Mrs. Kipfer

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:

boxing | bugler | u.s. army | dysfunctional marriage | awol | 

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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:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

De aquí a la eternidad

Filming Locations:

Diamond Head, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,650,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$30,500,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The MPAA banned photos of the famous Burt Lancaster-Deborah Kerr passionate kiss on the beach for being too erotic. Many prints had shortened versions of the scene because projectionists would cut out frames to keep as souvenirs.

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Goofs

The soldier removing the boxing memorabilia from the captain's office walks toward the doorway where several other soldiers are gathered. He, apparently, vanishes before he ever makes it out the room, since the following shot is of the crowd of soldiers, and he is nowhere to be seen.

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Quotes

Sgt. James R. 'Fatso' Judson: Tough monkey. Guys like you end up in the stockade sooner or later. Some day you'll walk in; I'll be waiting. I'll show you a couple of things.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: SCHOFIELD BARRACKS HAWAII 1941

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Connections

Referenced in Happy Days: Fonzie the Flatfoot (1975)

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Soundtracks

Magic Hands
(uncredited)
Performed by Danny Stewart and His Islanders

User Reviews

The definitive Pearl Harbor film

Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor" is so inferior in every aspect of filmmaking to "From Here to Eternity" that the two films shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence together. "From Here to Eternity" boasts an absolutely legendary cast that delivers one of the finest composite performances of all time. Just try comparing Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift to Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett - not even close to a fair fight. Throw in Frank Sinatra in an Oscar winning supporting role and you've got a classic that truly stands the test of time. The tight script portrays real, fleshed-out relationships that are equal parts passionate and tragic. And both Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed are luminous. For some reason this film gets ignored or forgotten when the greatest films of all time are mentioned; all you need to do is watch it again after "Pearl Harbor" and you'll realize what a mistake that is. "From Here to Eternity" easily stands with the greatest films in history.