From Here to Eternity
Directed by Fred Zinneman. US. 1953. NR. Running time: 118 min.
- Sun, Mar 21, 2:00 pm
Yes, this is the film that saved Frank Sinatra’s career (though, to our knowledge, no horse’s heads actually found their way into the producer’s bed.) And yes, this is the film with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr wrestling on the beach as the waves roll in. But it is also one of the finest films made during the 1950s, garnering Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor (Sinatra, of course, as a feisty little scrapper who won’t give up), and Best Supporting Actress (Donna Reed, as a dance-hall “hostess” no less!) The story, based on James Jones’ best-selling novel, circulates around Montgomery Clift (also Oscar nominated), as a young bugler and prize-fighter dealing with immense pressures from Army higher-ups, set in Hawaii on the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Filled with powerful scenes of compelling emotion and action (films of the actual bombing of Pearl Harbor are used to excellent effect), this is truly one of the best American films of its time, or any other. (Bill Roth)