by Chris Marshall:
Sometimes I know a lot about a movie before I watch it, and
sometimes I just think I know a lot
about a movie before I watch it. From
Here to Eternity falls into the latter category. Most people who haven’t
seen it, I would imagine, know about only the scene that I did: Burt Lancaster
and Deborah Kerr lying in the waves.
This scene alone makes it seem like the movie will be a
romance, and it’s true that there are romantic elements involved. That being
said, though, the film as a whole is certainly not a romance.
Well, what is it then? I’d argue that it’s just a straight
drama, like so many of the Oscar winners that came before it. It skirts the
line between many different possibilities. There are the romantic parts, but
you could also make an argument that it’s a war movie. Most of the main
characters are soldiers, and it takes place (mostly) six months before the
bombing of Pearl Harbor. And yes, all of the action occurs in Hawaii.
Nor is the movie necessarily “about” Lancaster and Kerr. It’s
just as much the story of Montgomery Clift and Donna Reed[1],
a soldier and a dancer who are brought together (and driven apart) by the hand
of fate. Oh, and Frank Sinatra is in it too; he won the Oscar for Best
Supporting Actor for his performance.
There are a lot of things going on here, but here’s a brief
summary. Clift has recently transferred to a new unit; he was a boxing champion
in his previous unit, but he decided to quit the sport forever after
accidentally blinding an opponent. His reputation has preceded him, though, and
he is constantly badgered into joining the new unit’s team. He steadfastly
refuses, and he is repaid for his convictions by constant, unrelenting
punishment from Captain Holmes, his incompetent and possibly sociopathic
superior officer.
You know what? If you really want to know the whole story,
just click here. I’m running out of space, and there are more important things
to talk about. Namely, I’ve been constantly surprised, for whatever reason, at
how unsentimental the portrayals of the military have been so far. I always
pictured sort of a fawning, unquestioning support for the armed forces during
this time period, but it hasn’t been the case at all.
 |
| This is more like what the movie is about. |
There was nothing sentimental about war in All Quiet on the Western Front or even Cavalcade, the latter of which all but
put a death sentence on the head of anyone who went off to fight. The Best Years of Our Lives was often a
grim reminder of both the horrors of war (Homer’s missing hands) and the harsh
realities of life after the war (everything else that happened in that movie).
Similarly, From Here
to Eternity portrays the military experience very realistically (I assume).
There are plenty of nice, friendly people who are there for all the right
reasons, but there are also several who seem to have joined just for a taste of
power or the opportunity to be cruel for no reason. Ernest Borgnine’s character
in particular was a real sadist, a stockade guard who knew just the proper
method to beat his prisoners without anybody learning about it.[2]
Perhaps after World War II it was easier than ever before to
fully understand the tragedy of war, and these movies are an outgrowth of that.
Many of the actors who appear in this film were actually fighting in the war
(and the Korean War ended a mere nine days before From Here to Eternity premiered). I doubt many of them would have
been receptive to a portrayal that completely whitewashed the truth.
Long story short: this is much more of a military movie than
a love story. If you come into the film expecting a romance, you’ll find
yourself disappointed. That moment on the beach between Lancaster and Kerr lasts
only a few seconds, a fleeting memory of a love gone wrong. Then December 7
comes around, and everybody’s priorities change. All’s fair in love and war,
they say. But it’s hard to have both at the same time.
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