From Here to Eternity

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Romance, War
1953

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In the days leading up to the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, American soldiers stationed there adjust to military life while trying to develop relationships with various women.

Review:
Tim: From Here to Eternity is an incredible movie. I have to say that I loved just about every aspect of this movie. It was such a beautifully crafted film on every level. It features an incredible cast, remarkable performances, terrific writing, drama, action, romance, and some very humorous parts. It has just about everything you could ask for in a movie. It was excellent.

I was blown away by the cast. Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr are very good as two people struggling with keeping their affair a secret. They have the film's most famous, iconic moment in the kissing scene on the beach. Even though I've never seen this movie, I was familiar with that image- it is certainly the most powerful, lasting single image of the film. I thought they worked well together. Montgomery Clift was incredible as Prewitt. He gives one of the most enjoyable performances I've ever seen. His stubbornness and his determination to walk his own path are inspirational. He worked well with his love interest, Donna Reed. I liked Reed, who matched up well with Clift. This movie also features a career salvaging performance by Frank Sinatra and a memorable performance by Ernest Borgnine. The cast is one of the best I've seen.

It's pretty amazing that this film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, and won 8. Frank Sinatra won Best Supporting Actor and Donna Reed won Best Supporting Actress. In addition, Montgomery Clift was nominated for Best Actor, Burt Lancaster also received a Best Actor nomination, and Deborah Kerr was nominated for Best Actress. That's 5 acting nominations and 2 wins. Pretty incredible.

The movie features all these different storylines revolving around different soldiers stationed in Hawaii in the 1940s- each one compelling and fascinating in its own right. We have the romantic affair between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. We have Montgomery Clift being put through hell in the army for refusing to join the boxing team, all while trying to develop a relationship with Donna Reed. We have the friendship between Clift and Frank Sinatra, and Sinatra's growing tendency to get himself into trouble, especially with his enemy, Ernest Borgnine. All these stories are weaved together in a incredible way. I found the film to be entertaining, funny, emotionally powerful, and memorable. It was very enjoyable to watch.

From Here to Eternity is one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time. I believe it's the first movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a terrific, entertaining, incredible movie. I loved it.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Pearl Harbor, I Confess