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.
