 In this landmark film, passion and tragedy collide on a military base as a fateful day in December 1941 draws near. Private Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is a soldier and former boxer being manipulated by his superior and peers. His friend Maggio (Frank Sinatra) tries to help him but has his own troubles. Sergeant Warden (Burt Lancaster) and Karen Holmes (Deborahh Kerr) tread on dangerous ground as lovers in an illicit affair. Each of their lives will be changed when their stories culminate in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Winner of eight Oscars®, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting awards for Sinatra in a career-defining role and for Donna Reed as a not-so-wholesome "club hostess." 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. Written by Ed Sutton Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on September 24, 2013 -- Author James Jones' From Here to Eternity, a fictional tale loosely based on his experiences in pre-World War II Hawaii, was once deemed impossible to film, not because of any sort of technically unachievable scope required to translate it to the screen but rather for its frankness, heavy adult themes, language, and incorporation of subjects deemed too racy, too amoral, too controversial to be included into a 1950s film. And that's even considering that it was a toned-down version of Jones' book that was first released in 1951, not the story Jones had originally penned. Nevertheless, the film was green-lit at Columbia, attracted an all-star cast, found commercial and critical success, and won numerous Oscar statues in 1953, amongst them Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Though certainly rather "tame" by today's standards -- there's sometimes more morally and socially questionable content during the halftime show of the Super Bowl than anything found in this film -- it's easy to see why the film, and its source material, generated controversy more than sixty years ago but also why it was awarded with commercial and critical praise on its way to enjoying a number of Academy wins and nominations. It's beautifully constructed, impeccably acted, and an incredible story of real, raw, uncomfortable life on the unknowing brink of disaster. Army Private and bugler extraordinaire Robert Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) has transferred to Hawaii's Schofield Barracks, some time in 1941. He's transferred in for a personal matter, which he reveals to his Sergeant, Warden (Burt Lancaster), and his Captain, Holmes (Philip Ober), to be the result of a bruised ego when an inferior bugler was promoted above him at his last posting. But his bugling skill is of no concern to either Warden or Holmes. Instead, it's his boxing skill that has Prewitt on their radar screens. Prewitt's commanding officers attempt to persuade him to join the regimental boxing team and immediately become the top middleweight on the island. More, he's promised fast promotion within the Army's ranks in exchange for lacing up the gloves. Prewitt refuses, steadfastly. He has his own reasons, but his refusal his met with not only disappointment, but anger and a longing for revenge. Warden and Holmes proceed to make Prewitt's life a living hell, tasking him with extra duty, added physical fitness routines, and general verbal bullying. Meanwhile, Warden carries on a secret affair with Holmes' wife, Karen (Deborah Kerr). From Here to Eternity's story deals in everything from marital infidelity to what amounts to military sanctioned bullying. Within those story arcs are themes almost too numerous to explore both within the film's structural and dramatic context and its place in the greater society from which it hails, not to mention how it holds up by today's cultural standards and within today's film industries, two entities which, of course, are certainly not mutually exclusive. Delving into everything the picture has to offer beyond its superficial story would require more than the space afforded to and the time allotted for this review. Choosing even one is no easy task, considering not only the various story lines and the perspectives offered of them throughout the film, but also its aforementioned controversial elements which, of course, tie directly into the film's most fascinating areas worthy of further study. Subjectively, however, the film's most interesting story arc is that of Private Prewitt, a character who endures unimaginable brutality -- and brutality if not openly approved by his highest-ranking commanding officers, certainly not dissuaded -- for holding firm to his own ethical and personal code. Prewitt, like his fellow soldiers, is offered promotion for participating in his outfit's boxing league. His refusal is met with harsh punishment, forced extra duty, and increased physical activity that slowly morphs into more a personal combativeness as his peers become frustrated with his refusal to break. Prewitt never backs down, nor does he ever shy away from confronting those who would do him wrong. Yet, to a point, he performs his required extra duties, even as they grow more unfair, more challenging, more humiliating, and more blatant. Is Prewitt a man to be admired for steadfast convictions, or a man who may be labeled as overly stubborn and willingly self destructive? The answer to that question is best examined through the prism of the film's final minutes and the character's completed arc, which brings about another set of questions on the role and place of morality, duty, friendship, determination, war, and fate in life. Suffice it to say this is a complex, challenging film but a rewarding experience that will leave viewers not only satisfied with its fascinatingly ambiguous themes but also the excellence of its more superficial characteristics. From Here to Eternity constructs at a slow pace, and very occasionally to the point of ambling. Despite a few slower stretches that feel a little repetitive but that nevertheless serve to build the character arcs and dynamics -- chiefly the repeated abuse Prewitt suffers throughout the film -- the film proves tight and absorbing. It flows between its primary story arcs and the development of its secondary characters with an effortlessness that's largely absent in today's bigger blockbuster-driven pictures. The slow reveals of the "whys" in the characters' decisions only further reinforce the pull into their stories and, with the biggest ones, redefine everything that's come before, to the point that a second viewing proves just as absorbing as the first, allowing the audience to see it from a different perspective right from the start. It's superb writing and filmmaking both, a picture that needs to be seen not for its then-controversial subject matter but for the way it's so smartly assembled. The cast is uniformly fantastic, too. There's not a poor choice throughout and not a hint of a bad performance. These are carefully constructed but effortlessly executed works of performance art that capture the subtleties of the characters, both inwardly and outwardly, and are most deserving of the numerous Oscar wins and nominations afforded them. From Here to Eternity is one of the best films of the 1950s and a landmark picture for a number of reasons. It may not be so scandalous now as it was then, but it remains a near faultless cinema experience, blending together incredible storytelling, captivating narratives, and superb acting in what is certainly one of the classic, unforgettable pictures of its, or any, time. Sony's Blu-ray release of From Here to Eternity features standout video, excellent audio, and a high quality assortment of extras, headlined by a fantastic picture-in-picture experience. From Here to Eternity earns my highest recommendation. Cast Notes: 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).
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