From Here to Eternity (1953)
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The story
In 1941, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a career soldier and former boxer, is stationed at Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu. He faces harassment from his commanding officer, Captain Dana "Dynamite" Holmes, who wants him on the regimental boxing team. Amidst the tensions of military life and the looming threat of war, Prewitt finds himself entangled in a complicated relationship with a woman named Lorene. Meanwhile, his close friend, Private Angelo Maggio, faces his own struggles within the ranks. The story unfolds in the tense months leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1941, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt is stationed in Hawaii. After refusing to join a boxing team, he is harassed by Captain Dana "Dynamite" Holmes. Prewitt finds a connection with Lorene at a social club, while his friend, Private Angelo Maggio, becomes embroiled in a conflict with Sergeant "Fatso" Judson. Meanwhile, First Sergeant Milton Warden enters into a complicated relationship with Holmes's wife, Karen. The narrative follows their intertwined lives as they navigate military discipline and personal desires. Following a series of escalating tensions, including a fatal confrontation between Prewitt and Judson, and the eventual resignation of Captain Holmes, the characters face the reality of the impending war. On December 7, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. In the chaos, Prewitt is killed while trying to reach his company, and the women, Karen and Lorene, find themselves on a ship to the mainland, both reflecting on their lost lives in Hawaii.
- First release year
- 1953
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Fred Zinnemann
- Writers
- Daniel Taradash · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Burt Lancaster · First Sergeant Milton Warden; Montgomery Clift · Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt; Deborah Kerr · Karen; Donna Reed · Lorene; Frank Sinatra · Private Angelo Maggio; Ernest Borgnine · Fatso Judson
- Genres
- romance; war drama
- Themes
- war; forbidden love; military life
- Premise and plot tags
- World War II; military drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1951 novel by James Jones
- Reception
- The film was a major critical and commercial success, praised for its performances and status as an iconic war romance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 88% · scale: 100% · review count: 100; Metacritic · score: 85 · scale: 100 · review count: 21
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · Win; Academy Award · Adapted Screenplay · Win; Academy Award · Supporting Actor · Win; Academy Award · Supporting Actress · Win
- Production trivia
- The title is derived from a Rudyard Kipling poem.; The film was selected for the National Film Registry in 2002.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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