Memorable, crazy movie

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

From Here To Eternity..4 Out Of 5From Here To Eternity is a plot driven feature about multiple characters with a thing in common and that is their judgement on right and wrong. The tale depicted in here is way too subtle for a cinematic experience, there isn't enough crisp and loudness for it to flaunt, and yet it still manages to leave a heavy impression on the audience, as it allows homework for them which when the curtain drops, pays off. It is rich on technical aspects like costume design, editing, songs and background score. The script in here is smarter for it doesn't compromise its quality for any commercial or in fact any aspects of the feature, delivering its own independent track that is, on beat. The adaptive screenplay Daniel Taradash knows the characters from the book well enough to offer them enough range and room to factor in effectively to the bigger picture. Fred Zinnemann; the director, as always has delivered it without flinching on going deep into the inner politics among the soldiers and has molded an art worth exploring through his brilliant execution skills. The star cast being aware of the magnitude of the opportunity on telling the tale, has given their all in which is clearly visible where Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra stands along with stellar performances. From Here To Eternity is a justification to the title for its bold and gutsy move on following the story and not worry about the structure or format of the script.

I suppose that FROM HERE TO ETERNITY can best be described as the FULL METAL JACKET of the 1950s. It stars the eternally youthful Montgomery Clift (fresh from playing the role of the tormented priest in Hitchcock's I CONFESS) as a raw army recruit based in Hawaii during World War 2 who is subjected to endless bullying and bad behaviour for an unlikely reason: in peacetime Clift was an amateur boxing champion, and his superiors want him to join the army boxing team, but he refuses due to personal circumstances.It's a slight premise but as a film FROM HERE TO ETERNITY works very well indeed, in fact achieving the status of something of a classic. That's because it has real narrative depth and various sub-plots that interact in ways both expected and unexpected. The film boasts from a gritty realism and a lack of sentimentality that means not all of the characters are going to have happy endings. Frank Sinatra shines in the role of a brash young recruit who falls foul of Ernest Borgnine in a star-making performance as a bully. Burt Lancaster is the weary sergeant trying to hold everything together. The story climaxes with the attack on Pearl Harbor, portrayed in a way that is just as powerful as you could hope for.

I watched this movie again today (maybe 5th time over the years) and it still stands up as an excellent character-driven movie. All of the actors, including those with small parts, perform so well, but the leads are just superb. Sinatra made a number of great movies, but I think Maggio was one of his best characters. It's how you think Sinatra might have been had he actually been in the Army back then for real. The final scene on the boat with Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed is very poignant. Both have major regrets, but for such different reasons. Even in her grief, Lorene talks up Prewitt's military role and the cause of his death, demonstrating her real feelings for the man. Very moving.

I find it interesting that after watching this movie last night I am giving it 6 stars when I might have given it 8 or 9 years ago. I find that it has lost it's luster over the years. You just can't beat Burt Lancaster. Even if I just watch the movie to see his very strong personality and body movements it would be worth the time. He was such an unusual and interesting actor.Some of why the movie doesn't draw a higher score from me is because the pace of movies has sped up over the years, making this one seem slow. Also older movies tend to have a lot more dialog than new ones; whether that is good or not is subjective. But I find this movie lacked action.The morals of this movie must have stunned audiences back in 1953; perhaps that is what made it such a big hit.All in all it's still worth a watch.