From Here to Eternity (1953)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Chris W

  
  Set in the weeks leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, this is an easy paced (re: leisurely) melodrama focusing on several people at and around the Schofield Army Barracks in Honolulu. It's based on an acclaimed novel (though the film was heavily toned down) and won a ton of… More
  Set in the weeks leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, this is an easy paced (re: leisurely) melodrama focusing on several people at and around the Schofield Army Barracks in Honolulu. It's based on an acclaimed novel (though the film was heavily toned down) and won a ton of Oscars, including Best Picture. It's a fair enough film, although I think it's mostly carried by the performances rather than the story lines, and also the performances probably stand out as better overall than the film as a whole. I wasn't sure I'd like it, what with all you ever seem to hear about it being in reference to the legendary scene where Lancaster and Kerr embrace on a beach as waves crash around them. There's some macho guy type stuff, and that's good, but I could have used more of that, and just an uncompromised adaptation in general. The cast is notable, with appearances from Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank SInatra (in a great, Oscar winning role), and the wonderful Ernest Borgnine as an antagonist of sorts. They all do a great job, and Sinatra I feel did really deserve his Oscar. All in all, a decent enough film. Zinnemann knew how to tell a great story, and it is shot well, but I don't think it's as good as it's made out to be. Still though, I was entertained, and it is better than the similar stuff that Michael Bay did in his infamous account of Pearl Harbor, so take that as some sort of recommendation.

• Anthony L

  
  I think the reason that From here to Eternity is such a classic is down to the performances rather than the film itself. The story is actually quite wishy-washy and the characters, excluding Burt Lancaster's Private Robert E. Lee, aren't particularly well written, that is as… More
  I think the reason that From here to Eternity is such a classic is down to the performances rather than the film itself. The story is actually quite wishy-washy and the characters, excluding Burt Lancaster's Private Robert E. Lee, aren't particularly well written, that is as far as the film is concerned. I feel a lot was sacrificed in the adaptation of book into film but that said, I never really thought that much of the book anyway. Where the film does improve on the book however, is in the classic scenes - particularly the 'Beach' scene with Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster. Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift are the two shining stars of this film though and the two most convincing performances for sure. I don't think Deborah Kerr was given half the screen time she deserved and the film is all the worse for it. Overrated but still great.

• ♥Robyn

  
  an oldiie but a goodie a real "classic"~!!! just look at the cast...Burt Lancaster Deborah Kerr Ernest Borgnine Donna Reed Frank Sinatra...wow~!!! The film (and the book before it) tells the story of bored soldiers stationed in Hawaii in the six months or so before the… More
  an oldiie but a goodie a real "classic"~!!! just look at the cast...Burt Lancaster Deborah Kerr Ernest Borgnine Donna Reed Frank Sinatra...wow~!!! The film (and the book before it) tells the story of bored soldiers stationed in Hawaii in the six months or so before the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. the actors all played there parts well in this one.Its a Romantic Masterpiece and more of a chick flick than a war movie in my opinion.

• AJ V

  
  An absolute classic fifties movie about love and war. Highly dramatic, highly exciting, and highly romantic. A terrific movie.

• Mark H

  
  Leisurely paced WWII story about the months preceding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Best remembered for the romantic rendezvous between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr embracing on the beach as the waves crash over them. Be that as it may, this… More
  Leisurely paced WWII story about the months preceding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Best remembered for the romantic rendezvous between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr embracing on the beach as the waves crash over them. Be that as it may, this film is better appreciated as an acting powerhouse featuring one of the greatest casts of any film. Montgomery Clift is memorable as a private whose life is made miserable by an army captain when he refuses to fight in the regiment's boxing team. Burt Lancaster is also excellent as a sergeant involved in an affair with his commander's wife. Too emotionally sentimental to be a war movie and too macho to be a romantic drama. This entertaining (albeit overrated) literary adaptation fits somewhere in the middle. Received thirteen Academy Award nominations and won eight, including Best Picture.

• First L

  
  From Here to Eternity is an old-fashioned blockbuster of a movie. Set in Hawaii, 1941, at the Schofield barracks (as the opening caption informs us), the ultimate destination of this film is Pearl Harbor, but Pearl Harbor is incidental in this movie to the story of the soldiers'… More
  From Here to Eternity is an old-fashioned blockbuster of a movie. Set in Hawaii, 1941, at the Schofield barracks (as the opening caption informs us), the ultimate destination of this film is Pearl Harbor, but Pearl Harbor is incidental in this movie to the story of the soldiers' lives leading up to that point. Montgomery Clift plays Pvt. Prewitt, a young "Rebel Without A Cause"/ James Dean (or "Cool Hand Luke", which this movie is reminiscent of)-type who's transferred to Sgt. Warden's (Burt Lancaster) division. He's a multi-talented kid, and one of those talents happens to be the very coveted talent of boxing. So it's much to his great misfortune that his new home is under the command of Capt. 'Dynamite' Holmes, a slimy officer obsessed with winning another boxing trophy for his mantle. He and the other boxers in the division make things rough indeed for the pacifist Prewitt. Meanwhile, The Captain's wife (Deborah Kerr) is trapped in a loveless marriage, and since Sgt. Warden "hates to see a good woman go to waste", the two have a steamy affair (and roll around on the beach). George "Superman" Reeves is there to make sure the Sgt. knows he's not the first soldier she's been with, though. Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra play the friends of Prewitt, but are there mainly to be in awe of him and his greatness, it seems. The soldiers all seem to spend their time getting blind drunk everyday (if that was the case, it's no wonder the Japanese caught us offguard!), and carousing in whorehouses. Years later, a carbon copy of this film will be made, an almost carbon-copy of it in fact, right down to main plot being a love story and the ending having a climatic battle scene. But where 2001's "Pearl Harbor" featured computerized graphics that had all the emotional impact of one set of trans-formers fighting another set of trans-formers, From Here To Eternity's battle scenes seem real (and not just because they incorporated actual battle footage into the movie) and tense. For a movie made in the 1950s, you'll find no evidence of Leave it to Beaver's "gosh oh golly" innocence here. This movie, though, is about love not war (even if both end in tragedy), and the men who chose war over love.

• xGary X

  
  From Here To Eternity is something of a classic and relaunched the career of Oscar winner Frank Sinatra who allegedly got the part because a friend of the family made an offer that couldn't be refused...It's a rather soapy affair as it follows the trials and tribulations of… More
  From Here To Eternity is something of a classic and relaunched the career of Oscar winner Frank Sinatra who allegedly got the part because a friend of the family made an offer that couldn't be refused...It's a rather soapy affair as it follows the trials and tribulations of a group of soldiers posted at a base in Pearl Harbour in the days leading up to the Japanese attack. To be honest, it's not really the kind of film I usually enjoy; the love scene between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr is one of the most famous ever filmed, but I personally much preferred the on base drama between he, stubborn conscientious objector Montgomery Clift and likable sidekick Sinatra than the romantic melodrama that punctuates it. But that's probably just because of that pesky Y chromosome. The plot could easily have descended into corn territory, but strong performances from all the main characters keep it just the right side of cheese, and it's infinitely more sophisticated and mature than the cinematic war crime that is Pearl Harbor.

• danny d

  
  this film deserves its reputation as a piece of classic cinema. great performances, excellent character development, and solid build up to the war scenes at the end. clift's storyline specifically made the film. there was a glaring flaw in the final scene of the film, but… More
  this film deserves its reputation as a piece of classic cinema. great performances, excellent character development, and solid build up to the war scenes at the end. clift's storyline specifically made the film. there was a glaring flaw in the final scene of the film, but every moment until then was fantastic.

• Tim S

  
  As my grandfather said, "Clift was depression personified."

• Red L

  
  When we visited Hawa'ii, we were told about the famous Burt Lancaster-Deborah Kerr scene on the Hawai'i beach, so I had to see this movie when the opportunity arose. Who knew it was another Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbour movie? It won eight Oscars in 1953

• jay n

  
  great performances by all especially Donna Reed.

• Michael G

  
  Amazing film. Great performances. This is the film that Johnny Fontaine in The Godfather wound up making.

• Lanning :

  
  Superior acting from top to bottom. For his work in <i>Stalag 17</i>, William Holden beat out both Clift and Lancaster for best actor. What a freakin' great year for movies! If I had to pick Lancaster's best performance, I'd choose either this one or… More
  Superior acting from top to bottom. For his work in <i>Stalag 17</i>, William Holden beat out both Clift and Lancaster for best actor. What a freakin' great year for movies! If I had to pick Lancaster's best performance, I'd choose either this one or <i> Atlantic City</i>, I think. And maybe <i>The Swimmer</i> . . . <i>Elmer Gantry</i> . . . Well, this is right up there : ) Right or wrong emotionally, and trapped in a downward spiral, Clift is doomed after he avenges Sinatra's death by killing Borgnine. The taking of a life this way can never be justified; that's the way it seems to work in literature. It's hard to say whether Clift's damning flaw is actually his hard head, as Lancaster says, or the fact that he just never does fit in. A great tragedy played out against the perfect backdrop of the attack on Pearl Harbor. <p> Really, flixster friends, Lancaster must not be missed in this incredible performance as the emotionally constricted career military man who lives most comfortably by the book and by his blunted realism.

• Dillon L

  
  Kind of slow, but otherwise a modestly filmed WWII movie that isn't really about war at all, and I think that's what makes it work.

• Mike T

  
  A solid plot stems off into a whole lot of interesting subplots, with great performances all around. This is a landmark war film. Frank Sinatra is particularly fantastic, and Zinnemann's direction makes this an absolutely breathtaking epic.

• Ivan D

  
  A romance set in a year of arising conflict made effective by the all-star cast, particularly that of Montgomery Clift. If you look at film history, many war movies today borrowed a lot from this picture, romance in war-time, tragic heroes, and immoral superiors. Frank Sinatra was… More
  A romance set in a year of arising conflict made effective by the all-star cast, particularly that of Montgomery Clift. If you look at film history, many war movies today borrowed a lot from this picture, romance in war-time, tragic heroes, and immoral superiors. Frank Sinatra was also particularly good in this film, but Burt Lancaster gave a better performance. The Pearl Harbor bombing sequences used some stock footages, but it recreated the terror of the attack, although very briefly, as it's not the main focus of the film, but the inner and personal turmoils of the two central characters: Prewitt and Warden. The ethereal kissing scene on the beach, with the mighty waves hitting them as they do, was very short and sudden, and is better viewed in a still picture, giving it a more eternal quality. "From Here to Eternity" is a drama film set in army quarters, and despite the fact that it's considered a war film, the dramatic dynamics between all the characters are more important than the tides of war.

• Lord N

  
  I really liked this film. it was a really good view at the soldiers and the civilians who were forced to endure the horrors of Pearl Harbor (one of the most cowardly attacks in the history of warfare. we weren't even at war with the Japanese and we made it clear to all of Europe… More
  I really liked this film. it was a really good view at the soldiers and the civilians who were forced to endure the horrors of Pearl Harbor (one of the most cowardly attacks in the history of warfare. we weren't even at war with the Japanese and we made it clear to all of Europe we weren't going to get involved in WWII I know about the oil embargo but come on.) anyway, my Pearl Harbor rant aside, the acting was great, the plot was amazing, and the visuals were really good too. the best scene is where the Japanese attack. it was an extremely powerful and horrifying moment in the film. The iconic, beach making out scene was also really good too. I really liked Frank Sinatra's character (the supposed mob connections that gained him the role as the inspiration of the Johnny Fontaine and Jack Woltz part in The Godfather) as well and the sub plot involving him and Ernest Borgnine's character was really good. it was an excellent film with powerful visuals and an extremely well executed story. Final Verdict: right on. the Academy made the right choice with this one.

• Lizzy B

  
  Frank Sinatra was great!!

• monty h

  
  Top notch film with a super cast. It takes place at Pearl Harbor, a few weeks before the attack by the Japanese. Montgomery Clift who plays Private Prewitt, arrives at the base and immediately draws the ire of the commander, who wants him to be on the boxing team. Clift refuses and… More
  Top notch film with a super cast. It takes place at Pearl Harbor, a few weeks before the attack by the Japanese. Montgomery Clift who plays Private Prewitt, arrives at the base and immediately draws the ire of the commander, who wants him to be on the boxing team. Clift refuses and his life at the barracks becomes a living hell. A truly emotional and epic film with a cast that features Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, and Frank Sinatra. All give Oscar caliber performances especially Reed as a floozie who Clift falls for. And Sinatra is perfect as Private Maggio. A must see. Karen: "If you're looking for the captain...he ain't here" Sgt. Warden: "And if I ain't looking for the captain?" Karen: "Then he still ain't here"

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