The greatest movie ever!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is ostensibly a film about life before war breaks out - the climax (not a spoiler I don't think) is the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 - but it's also about how much it sucks to be a man. And a woman. Actually it is not something that is too appealing it would seem to be a part of an army base during peacetime from the looks of this. The women in this world are in miserable marriages or at miserable jobs, and the guys are stuck in the same super-masculine patterns: do some boxing, trust me, Pruitt, it'll be good for you (nevermind that he blinded a guy by accident in a fight years before), and make sure to have plenty of booze when it's the nighttime.Even the setting is deceptive: the beautiful beaches and sweet presence of Hawaii (those shirts!) are masking how if a person cant take being around other a-holes it doesn't change anything. Through this it makes for a compelling batch of stories; you have Lancaster as a sergeant who falls for the Captains wife (Deborah Kerr in a performance that is so intense at times it nears going into being too much, but she always keeps a scene and her delivery of these lines in check) and the conflict in whether to go for it in the 'after all this' thing; Pruitt (Clift), who this feels like the movie is more about than its top billed star, is filled with guilt and angst and should also be too much to take, but also finds those lines of keeping it compelling and interesting, full of pain and fury and all that, but also not going too far.The only one who may be having 'fun' up to a point is Sinatras Maggio, who becomes the brunt of racist remarks (damn you Ernest Borgnine, who's great in his few scenes by the way and cuts a mean impression), and is the first to drown himself in booze when it becomes clear life is being much too oppressive. Though one knows how this story is leading up to its eventual conclusion, it feels more like a post war story (and it is by way of it being filmed in 53) while coming before. A guy like Maggio would've faced likely the same sort of bullies and pricks in post war life as pre, but in this world he has no escape from what this BS tough guy male world has to do to people. Or does it have to? Yeah, it does.There are points where it likely has dated, where the hopes and aspirations for the women especially (or some of them men too) are different than it would be today or even like 20 years after the pre Pearl Harbor days. What were the options then, one has to ask, and it leads to having to take things on the context when it was made. What makes it work today from being dated is the power of the performances and that the writing is smart enough to recognize everyone as flawed to varying degrees, and that Zinneman keeps a strong hold on the dramatic tone scene to scene. If there's anything flawed its minor, like leaving the Lancaster-Kerr relationship to the wayside for a good part of the run-time until returning to that in the third act.So if you only expect like the romance of that iconic bit on the beach you may be in for not so much disappointment but a heavier and more empathetic tale of soldiers and women and the problems in trying to be true to feelings when its not possible. Sure its a melodrama, but so what? If its done this well its worth embracing to this day, and Sinatra, Clift and Jean Arthur are worth noting for their terrific acting.

Its power may have waned a little bit since it first came out over 50 years ago, but FROM HERE TO ETERNITY still remains one of the classic war films as well as an interesting look into military life circa 1941. The story follows a handful of characters whose lives all intersect in Hawaii during the months prior to the bombing at Pearl Harbor. You have Montgomery Clift as Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt: a loner with a troubled past, Burt Lancaster as Sgt. Warden: a tough, but understanding NCO, Deborah Kerr as Karen Holmes: the company commander's wife, and Frank Sinatra as Angelo Maggio: a wiry Italian fellow who befriends Prewitt and loves to drink. As was typical for films of the period, there is a romantic/melodramatic element which forms the basis for the story and informs the way we see the characters. This aspect was kind of dated, but it allows the casual viewer a window into these characters' lives the way a straight military picture couldn't have done. The two main romantic narrative threads are between Montgomery Clift and a girl, Loreen/Alma (Donna Reed) who works at a club he frequents, and Burt Lancaster with Deborah Kerr. Both of these couples lament the situation that life has put them in and desire to get away from it all. Montgomery Clift has become the target of cruel treatment based on his decision not to join the company's boxing team, while Donna Reed's character has grown weary of her employment at a gentleman's club where she has to entertain service members. Parallel to that, Burt Lancaster romances the wife of his CO, a philanderer who has lost interest in her. One common element is the desire to return to the States and get married, which would provide the stability that they all want. However, fate has other plans as the bombing at Pearl Harbor throws their somewhat stable world into chaos and the men of the Army must put aside petty differences to fight the bigger enemy. These are rather heady themes to be tackled in a film that could easily have been a fluff piece for the Armed Forces, yet FROM HERE TO ETERNITY never feels like propaganda. The biggest thing on its mind seems to be portraying what happens when something unexpected throws our best-laid plans into disarray. When that happens, the best we can do is to band together and make the best of a bad situation. In the end, our commitment to each other will outlast any temporary plans that we have. Overall, FROM HERE TO ETERNITY does feel "of its time" but it's also the only Pearl Harbor film worth watching.

"A man should be what he can do." 'From Here to Eternity' (1953) embodies a whole new glimpse on U.S. history film all on its own. Shot in glorious black and white with a sharp, savvy screenplay and directed by the great Fred Zinnemann, (who had directed High Noon a year prior,) does this picture accurately capture the life of the soldiers that are stationed on the Schofield Barracks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in late 1941? Let's take a look. Entering into the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, thus beginning World War II and while waiting around on the island, it is revealed to the viewer the soldier's emotions of boredom and utter loneliness. The film stars many popular actors of the day. Montgomery Clift plays Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, transferred to the barracks of Oahu. There, Captain Dana Holmes, played by Philip Ober, learns of his talent as a talented boxer and pressures him into joining a regimental boxing club in which Prewitt stubbornly rejects. 1st Sergeant Milton Warden, played by Burt Lancaster, agrees to change Prewitt's mind by making his life as difficult as possible. Prewitt is also supported by his friend Private Angelo Maggio throughout, played by Frank Sinatra.In discussing the history portrayed, it tells the viewer that it was designed to show a world that, even though tropical and lush, would soon unfold near the end into traumatic chaos and destruction. It was shown at a time just before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor where young soldiers were sent off to be stationed far away, and not one of them really knew what was going to happen or what the next day would bring forth. World War II was indeed on the deadly brink of a surprise attack, and every American soldier knew that they had to be on their guard nonetheless.In prevailing attitudes/prejudices that were noticeable, one example would be the constant squabbling and rough-necking between Maggie and the bigoted Staff Sergeant James R. "Fatso" Judson, played by Ernest Borgine. One night, Prewitt and Maggio are in a bar and Maggio is so inebriated that, according to him, "Fatso" is playing the piano too loudly in the background. This ensues into Maggio and "Fatso" almost having at it in the middle of the bar, only to be broken up by Prewitt. But their bantering does not end there. Later on in the film, their disdain for each other unfolds into a knife fight in a back alley, in which Maggio winds up in the stockade by "Fatso" for antagonizing him. "Fatso" beats the new prisoner repeatedly until Maggio escapes to find Prewitt and then tells him of all the pain he has endured and then dies in his arms. Prewitt sets out to find "Fatso" and kills him in revenge with a knife fight, and Prewitt receives a sharp slash across the stomach in return. He is later shot by a sentry after coming out of hiding.In describing historical accuracy, it probably comes close as to where the soldiers and recruits are just marching or hanging out and enjoying the paradise around them. Many of them back then may as well have done that. However, the locations was a beautiful oasis, and the surprise attack neat the end of the film comes very close to an accurate depiction. The side-angles of the planes zooming in or overhead dropping bombs were amazing effects, as well as guns being fired by the soldiers and the loud explosions of shells going off everywhere on the island. The air once filled with a tropical breeze was now choked in the thick black smog of war. The time period itself was quite accurate too, even though it was twelve years after the actual event had occurred. And the barracks looked just like they would have that the soldiers were stationed in. Nonetheless, great accuracy and detail throughout the picture.My overall reaction towards this film is that it is one of Zinneman's best. His directorial persistence and settings in this film are as only he can do them. The film was indeed worth watching. Some parts were slow and mushy, including the famous love scene on the beach portrayed by Lancaster and Deborah Kerr laying on the sand as a wave crashes over them, to brutish as Maggio and "Fatso" duel it out with a knife fight at night in a black alley. The most action is near the end of the film with the famous surprise attack on Pearl Harbor itself, when air raid sirens are blaring and gun shots and explosions light up the tropical sky. It is, after all, a classic World War II movie masterpiece, with intriguing action, fight scenes, romance and explosions. How I reacted to the film as a moviegoer was for me, quite a unique experience. I really had no idea what I was in for. I actually felt the hardships and loneliness of the soldiers being stuck on the island, not knowing what would happen or when they would return home. I also felt the horrors of the surprise attack when the bombs where booming and the blood was flowing. All in all, a great movie experience.'From Here to Eternity' was one of the greatest films on U.S. history that I had the privilege of viewing. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the actors and actresses and the beautiful settings portrayed, filled with action, flair and horrific atrocities and aftermath of war. The film had thirteen nominations and won eight Academy Awards. Every detail and precision in this film paid off magnificently. A film unique among films, this truly is a must-see for all U.S. history film buffs or for anyone who wants to experience the same pleasure and gratification I had personally gained from watching this wonderful classic motion picture about friendships, romance and war, thanks to Mr. Zinneman and Mr. James Jones novel-turned-feature as well.

It's 1941 Hawaii. Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) transfers to Schofield Barracks from a bugler company dropping down to Private. Private Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra) is his only friend. Captain Holmes (Philip Ober) wants Prewitt to box for him but he refuses after injuring his best friend. Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) is the real backbone of the company who tells Prewitt to smarten up. The whole company under Holmes is pressuring Prewitt to fight. Warden starts an affair with Captain Holmes' wife Karen (Deborah Kerr). Prewitt meets hostess Lorene (Donna Reed) at the New Congress Club.It's a big romance melodrama epic. My biggest problem is that there are too many leads. Montgomery Clift is the supposed lead but he gets overtaken by Burt Lancaster. There is a little too much going on in this movie and feels overcrowded. Lancaster is terrific. Clift is a bit too pensive. He could do better with a more damaged suffering personality. I just think the various story lines keep stepping on each other.