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IMDbPro

From Here to Eternity

  • 19531953
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
47K
YOUR RATING
Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine, Montgomery Clift, and Donna Reed in From Here to Eternity (1953)
Home Video Trailer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:21
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Romance
  • War
At a U.S. Army base in 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his commanding officer's wife and top aide begin a tentative affair.At a U.S. Army base in 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his commanding officer's wife and top aide begin a tentative affair.At a U.S. Army base in 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his commanding officer's wife and top aide begin a tentative affair.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
47K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Fred Zinnemann
  • Writers
    • Daniel Taradash(screen play)
    • James Jones(based upon the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Burt Lancaster
    • Montgomery Clift
    • Deborah Kerr
Top credits
  • Director
    • Fred Zinnemann
  • Writers
    • Daniel Taradash(screen play)
    • James Jones(based upon the novel by)
  • Stars
    • Burt Lancaster
    • Montgomery Clift
    • Deborah Kerr
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 197User reviews
    • 125Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 8 Oscars
      • 25 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos1

    From Here to Eternity: WW II 60th Anniversary Commemorative Box Set
    Trailer 1:21
    From Here to Eternity: WW II 60th Anniversary Commemorative Box Set

    Photos115

    Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine, Mickey Shaughnessy, and Jack Warden in From Here to Eternity (1953)
    Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (1953)
    Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (1953)
    Burt Lancaster, Claude Akins, and Tim Ryan in From Here to Eternity (1953)
    Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, and Don Dubbins in From Here to Eternity (1953)
    Montgomery Clift in From Here to Eternity (1953)
    "From Here to Eternity" Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra
    "From Here to Eternity" Director Fred Zinnemann
    Frank Sinatra in dressing room on the set of "From Here to Eternity" 1953 © 1978 Bob Willoughby
    "From Here to Eternity" Marlon Brando visits Fred Zinnemann and Montgomery Clift on the set
    "From Here to Eternity" Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed
    "From Here to Eternity" Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr

    Top cast

    Edit
    Burt Lancaster
    Burt Lancaster
    • Sgt. Milton Warden
    Montgomery Clift
    Montgomery Clift
    • Robert E. Lee Prewitt
    Deborah Kerr
    Deborah Kerr
    • Karen Holmes
    Donna Reed
    Donna Reed
    • Alma - aka Lorene
    Frank Sinatra
    Frank Sinatra
    • Angelo Maggio
    Philip Ober
    Philip Ober
    • Capt. Dana Holmes
    Mickey Shaughnessy
    Mickey Shaughnessy
    • Sgt. Leva
    Harry Bellaver
    Harry Bellaver
    • Mazzioli
    Ernest Borgnine
    Ernest Borgnine
    • Sgt. 'Fatso' Judson
    Jack Warden
    Jack Warden
    • Cpl. Buckley
    Johnny Dennis
    Johnny Dennis
    • Sgt. Ike Galovitch
    Merle Travis
    Merle Travis
    • Sal Anderson
    Tim Ryan
    Tim Ryan
    • Sgt. Pete Karelsen
    Arthur Keegan
    • Treadwell
    Barbara Morrison
    Barbara Morrison
    • Mrs. Kipfer
    Claude Akins
    Claude Akins
    • Sgt. 'Baldy' Dhom
    • (uncredited)
    Vicki Bakken
    • Suzanne
    • (uncredited)
    Margaret Barstow
    • Roxanne
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Fred Zinnemann
    • Writers
      • Daniel Taradash(screen play)
      • James Jones(based upon the novel by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Montgomery Clift threw himself into the character of Prewitt, learning to play the bugle (even though he knew he'd be dubbed) and taking boxing lessons. Fred Zinnemann said, "Clift forced the other actors to be much better than they really were. That's the only way I can put it. He got performances from the other actors, he got reactions from the other actors that were totally genuine."
    • Goofs
      The impromptu bugle solo in the club includes notes that only a trumpet could hit.
    • Quotes

      Robert E. Lee "Prew' Prewitt: Nobody ever lies about being lonely.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: SCHOFIELD BARRACKS HAWAII 1941
    • Connections
      Edited from December 7th (1943)
    • Soundtracks
      Re-enlistment Blues
      (1953)

      by James Jones, Fred Karger, Robert Wells

      Sung by men in the barracks twice

      Played often in the score

    User reviews197

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    "Re-enlistment blues"
    It's often said that the simplest stories are the best. This isn't true. The simple stories are easy to get right, but a complex ensemble piece with multiple protagonists and numerous subplots can be just as effective, although it's a lot harder to pull off successfully. From Here to Eternity stands in the tradition of The Best Years of Our Lives, Seven Samurai and The Godfather, of pictures with interwoven plots that have become classics thanks to strong screen writing, intelligent direction and powerful acting performances.

    Part of the reason From Here to Eternity works is because it is very quick in establishing its characters and plot lines. It opens with a series of interlinking scenes, introducing us to Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Philip Ober, Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, giving us clues about Clift's past and hinting at the future relationship between Lancaster and Kerr, all in the space of five minutes. Director Fred Zinnemann, with a confidence that is lacking in his earliest features, shoots these scenes with subtle technique to give them maximum storytelling effect. For example, he gives Clift's character a superb introduction, walking at a right angle to the marching column until he is brought right into close-up. Once the dialogue begins he uses sudden changes of angle to highlight certain lines, for example the close-up of Lancaster telling Kerr "I'd be happy to help", at which point the audience know exactly what is going to happen between those two characters. Donna Reed is of course introduced a little later, but to compensate she is given a very distinctive first shot, framed on her own immediately after some busy crowd shots.

    But Zinnemann's direction isn't all pure functionalism. He makes sparing use of attention-grabbing stylisation when the moment demands it, such as the dolly-out through the rain-soaked window during Lancaster and Kerr's first kiss. And this stylisation even helps keep the narrative together, for example cutting from the roaring sea at the end of the famous beach scene to the smoke rising from Clift's cigarette. Throughout the various parallel plots there is a tone of melancholy and regret, and Zinnemann keeps this commonality with his consistency of style.

    Of course, you get the same problem or at least the same feature in From Here to Eternity as you do in They Died with Their Boots on or Titanic, in that the audience, knowing their history, know what is going to happen at the end. The strength of the non-combat story lines is such that we forget when and where we are, and as such it is important that we are eased into the finale of the Pearl Harbour attack so it does not seem such a surreal break in tone. This is done with characteristic subtlety, with two objects placed noticeably yet not obtrusively into the frame to jog our memories. The first is a calendar showing December 6th on the wall beside Burt Lancaster, and the other a signpost reading "Pearl Harbour" after his final meeting with Kerr.

    One of the biggest challenges for the makers of an ensemble piece is that you need a larger than normal pool of leading players, and yet you must ensure none of them will overshadow the others. This is another thing they got right in From Here to Eternity. Clift, Kerr and Lancaster are all competent performers without big egos, and they all give steady performances, even if they are far from career-bests. As to Sinatra, what's amazing is not the quality of his performance (it was always evident he could act) but that he was even allowed to play a dramatic, non-musical role. It just goes to show the increased flexibility of cinema in the 1950s, as well as the rising status of the musical genre. To give it some perspective, can you imagine Fred Astaire or Bing Crosby having done the same thing in the 30s? From Here to Eternity won 1953's Best Picture Oscar, and like all successful pictures was followed by a host of imitators. 1955's Battle Cry for example is another many-stranded story about soldiers at the start of World War Two, and even features a rather tepid knock-off of the famous beach scene. However, while Battle Cry has some nice moments, structurally it is an absolute mess, an example of how easy it is to do a botch job on a complex storyline. That's why From Here to Eternity is such a rarity, being an ensemble piece that really works.
    helpful•37
    3
    • Steffi_P
    • May 17, 2009

    FAQ1

    • Is 'From Here to Eternity' based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 28, 1953 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Od tod do večnosti
    • Filming locations
      • Halona Beach Cove, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,650,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $36,416
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $18,176
      • Dec 7, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $36,416
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

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