With this coming Wednesday being the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about From Here to Eternity, the sensational wartime romantic drama from 1953. This fabulous film, directed by Fred Zinnemann, won a total of eight Oscars that year, including best director and best picture. All five of the movie's major stars---Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, and Donna Reed---received nominations for their roles; Sinatra and Reed, both nominated in the supporting actor/actress category, walked away with statues for their work. Lancaster and Clift, both of whom were nominated in the lead actor category were upset by William Holden's performance in Stalag 17, while Deborah Kerr was upset by newcomer Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Despite not taking the lead actor and actress categories, though, From Here to Eternity was the big winner for 1953, and, I think, rightfully so...it is a blockbuster of a movie.
There are several storylines going on in this film, which is set at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii only weeks before the Japanese attack. First, there's Sgt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt, otherwise known as Prew (Montgomery Clift). As the film begins, Prew, a bugler who has played "Taps" at Arlington on Armistice Day, has transferred in from another unit.
A very good boxer in his former unit, Prew is being pressured to take on that role in his new regiment...something he does not want to do. The regiment's captain, however, won't take "no" for an answer, and he begins piling on extra duties in the hopes of breaking Prew and causing him to give in.
There's Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr), whose marriage to the regiment's captain is in shambles. Despising her unfaithful husband, she has been involved with a number of men through the years, but she now finds herself falling in love.
Sgt. Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) is the man with whom Karen Holmes is falling in love, and the feeling is quite mutual. Despite the career damage it could do for him to be discovered with his superior officer's wife, Warden cannot stay away from her.
Private Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra) is a good-natured, fun-loving guy who, simply because he has an Italian name, gets on the bad side of the stockade sergeant (Ernest Borgnine); when Angelo skips out on guard duty one night and is sentenced to the stockade for punishment, the sergeant is determined to destroy him.
Finally, there's Lorene, also known as Alma (Donna Reed), a hostess at one of the local clubs. Though Prew loves her and wants to marry her, Lorene won't let anything deter her from her plans of making alot of money and marrying well. Marrying a soldier is simply not on her radar.
On top of all these stories is the arrival of the "Day of Infamy." As bombs are dropped on Pearl Harbor, lives will be changed. Who, if any, will survive?
From Here to Eternity is a really terrific film, with superior acting by all the leads. The chemistry between everyone was great too. Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr were wonderful together...really the passion between them was totally believable. Also, the chemistry between Montgomery Clift and Donna Reed was just as fabulous as the chemistry Clift had with Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun. Frank Sinatra, who I really like as an actor, was sensational as well. I know there are many people that think Sintra couldn't act...I am definitely not one of those people. He is easily in my top-15 list. I think he was fantastic in several films, and I wholeheartedly believe he deserved the Academy Award he received for this role.
No surprise...TCM will be airing From Here to Eternity on December 7th, at 8:00 p.m. If you have never seen this film, I highly recommend trying to catch it then. Or look for it on DVD. It's really a blockbuster of a movie.
Happy viewing!!!
