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From Here To Eternity

Released 1953
Runtime 118
Category Drama
Language English
Director Fred Zinnemann

What it’s about

Based on James Jones's epic novel, this sprawling tale of love and fate at a critical time and place in our country’s history follows two intersecting story lines: first, disillusioned marine sergeant Milt Warden (Lancaster) begins a torrid affair with his commanding officer’s bored, neglected wife (Kerr); at the same time, the young, horn-playing Private Prewitt (Clift) finds romance in the arms of a club hostess (Reed), before becoming a tragic victim of his own past boxing prowess. Notably, all this intrigue takes place on Pearl Harbor, just as that naval outpost — and the United States itself — literally get bombed into World War II.

Why we love it

This stunning adaptation of Jones’s smash bestseller virtually swept the 1953 Oscars — and no wonder. All these years later, it remains a fascinating, multi-layered human drama set within the larger canvas of impending, world-changing conflict. The all-star cast is uniformly excellent, with Lancaster’s assured performance providing a solid counterpoint to Clift’s more sensitive portrayal of Prewitt. Also, Frank Sinatra's Oscar-winning turn as hotheaded, scrawny Maggio single-handedly revived his sagging career. (The normally wholesome Reed also won a statuette, playing against type.) Highlights: the torrid beach scene with Lancaster and Kerr, and that culminating Pearl Harbor attack sequence.

Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine Fred Zinnemann

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