From Here to Eternity (1953)
86%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Won 8 Oscars
25 wins & 9 nominations total
It has perhaps aged poorly, but this languidly paced WWII romance remains an iconic, well-acted film, featuring particularly strong performances from Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift
From Here to Eternity is the kind of movie that makes you want to enlist in the army just so you can be a part of the drama. The cast is so good that you’ll feel like you’re right there in the barracks with them, experiencing all the brutality, tenderness, and amusement firsthand. And let’s not forget about that compulsive musical score – it’s the perfect accompaniment to this towering dramatization. Plus, who knew Sinatra had it in him to deliver such a likable performance? All in all, this movie is a triumph and definitely worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Hideout Pictures, Shout! Factory Shout! Studios,
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Halona Beach Cove, O’ahu, Hawaii, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
Year of Release
1953
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 5, 1953 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 4, 2003
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine, Philip Ober, directed by Fred Zinnemann, written by James Jones, Daniel Taradash, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Marjory Adams, Mildred Martin, Helen Bower, Emma Green, Mae Tinee, Jane Corby, Frank Morriss, Jay Carmody, Roger Ellingson, Hortense Morton, MPAA rating, Columbia Pictures, Buddy Adler, WWII, Pearl Harbor, Army barracks, boxing champion, bugle player, punishments, clandestine affair, military camp personnel, Honolulu, military drama, human themes, love, vulnerability, soldiers, intimate character drama, powerful performances, iconic, well-acted, languidly paced, well-defined structure, melodramatic, heavy-handed dialogue, contrived characterization, subtlety issues, sharp, solid dialogue, well-paced, compelling, powerful, moving, formulaic, uneven, thin narrative, lavish locations, noble subject matter, effective direction, strong performances
Worldwide gross: $36,416
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $458,946
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,757
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,049
US/Canada gross: $36,416
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $458,946
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,348
US/Canada opening weekend: $18,176
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $229,070
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,613
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $1,650,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $20,794,737
Production budget ranking: 1,345
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $11,197,966
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$31,533,756
ROI to date (est.): -99%
ROI ranking: 2,015
Montgomery Clift – Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt
Deborah Kerr – Karen Holmes
Frank Sinatra – Pvt. Angelo Maggio
Donna Reed – Alma Burke (Lorene)
Ernest Borgnine – SSgt. James R. Judson
Director(s)
Fred Zinnemann
Writer(s)
James Jones, Daniel Taradash
Producer(s)
Buddy Adler
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 8 Oscars
25 wins & 9 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (96) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (84) | Rotten (12)
It is the film of the year from its professional production to its smallest characterization. It has authority and style as well as an entertainment value for every filmgoing adult.
March 17, 2022
Marjory Adams
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
The power, toughness, pathos and brutality of James Jones’ sprawling 858-page novel, From Here to Eternity, emerges triumphantly in Columbia’s towering dramatization.
March 17, 2022
Mildred Martin
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
The buttering-up of the Army, doubtless so as to obtain permission to use Schofield Barracks and soldiers in the scenes… is entirely too obviously done. Above all, there is in Daniel Taradash’s screenplay no connected central idea.
March 17, 2022
Myles Standish
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Aristocratically beautiful as ever, Miss Kerr employs a subtlety I’ve never before noted In her performances.
March 16, 2022
Helen Bower
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
Every single member of the cast emotes just the way you’d want them to emote — brutal, tender, amusing or tempestuous.
March 16, 2022
Emma Green
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Trying to pin down the elements of its impact, I find it resists analysis, perhaps because it is so real and utterly human.
March 16, 2022
Mae Tinee
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
James Jones’ book, From Here to Eternity, has been made into Oscar-bait movie, superlatively written for the screen, ingeniously directed, brilliantly cast and acted and dramatically photographed.
March 17, 2022
Jane Corby
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Unlikely as [the novel] seemed for consumption by a censor-ridden motion picture audience, a film has been evolved that is tough-fibered and compassionate. It has been stunningly acted, superbly directed and skillfully photographed.
March 17, 2022
Frank Morriss
Winnipeg Free Press
It represents the screen at its best in every department, including one of the most compulsive musical scores.
March 17, 2022
Jay Carmody
Washington Star
[From Here to Eternity] accomplishes its punch without any reliance on any extra dimension or other gimmick.
March 17, 2022
Roger Ellingson
Fresno Bee
Startlingly fine performances throughout are the measure of the film. Clift scores as the sensitive private whose professional life is no more complicated than his personal life.
March 17, 2022
Hortense Morton (Screen Scout)
San Francisco Examiner
The surprise of the film is Sinatra, as the likable Private Maggio. The scene you won’t forget is Montgomery Clift sounding taps for him.
March 17, 2022
Lillian Blackstone
Tampa Bay Times…
Plot
It’s 1941. Robert E. Lee Prewitt has requested Army transfer and has ended up at Schofield in Hawaii. His new captain, Dana Holmes, has heard of his boxing prowess and is keen to get him to represent the company. However, ‘Prew’ is adamant that he doesn’t box anymore, so Captain Holmes gets his subordinates to make his life a living hell. Meanwhile Sergeant Warden starts seeing the captain’s wife, who has a history of seeking external relief from a troubled marriage. Prew’s friend Maggio has a few altercations with the sadistic stockade Sergeant ‘Fatso’ Judson, and Prew begins falling in love with social club employee Lorene. Unbeknownst to anyone, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor looms in the distance.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features strong performances from Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift.
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