Montgomery Clift, who completely won me over with his acting ability in 1951’s “A Place in the Sun” plays Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt, an Army bugler who is so good he was once asked to play “Taps” at Arlington National Cemetery on Armistice Day. However as he arrives at his new unit, an infantry brigade he asked to be transferred to despite having none of the relevant skills, we discover he once had an even greater talent; boxing. Despite urging from his new chain-of-command he refuses to sign up for the company boxing team. Soon the urging turns to bullying when the Company Commander, Cpt. Homes, persuades his men to torture Prewitt to the point of breaking down and joining the team, as he would surely lead them to victory in an upcoming Army-wide boxing tournament. Throughout the film there are subtle, almost unnoticeable reminders as to the time frame; late 1941… oh yeah, and the base is in Hawaii…
Despite his status as the unit’s black sheep, Prewitt does find an ally in another Private, Maggio (Frank Sinatra, who plays up every Italian stereotype in the book but in a very unexaggerated way) who is also something of an odd-man-out because of his “whatever” attitude towards military life. The two spend whatever free time they can get when they aren’t being punished with shit-jobs at a local nightclub near the base that employs many “hostesses” to keep the men company. It is at this club that Prewitt meets another person he can connect with who is also struggling to find an identity; “Lorene” (played by Donna Reed) is the stage name of one of the prostitutes on the club’s payroll.
In a candid and emotional conversation with Prewitt she reveals that her real name is Alma and that she left a small Orgeonian town (always love a shout-out to the Pac N.W.) to become rich but found that she had to turn to prostitution to make ends meet. I don’t like this “girl-leaves-a-small-town-to-strike-it-rich” plot contrivance and feel like Alma’s character really suffers because of it. This concept had been played out as far back as 1931 with “Waterloo Bridge” so I can’t even really forgive it for being unique and edgy for its time. I also think the concept as a whole is sort of a cop-out in that it explains that a character who might be fringe or outcast didn’t used to be that way- thus not having to actually devote any time to showing a decline or change in character.
Alma learns that the reason Prewitt does not want to be a fighter anymore is because of the heart-wrenching guilt he feels over having accidently blinded an opponent. The revelation that the two were merely sparring serves two very important purposes; first, it shows that Prewitt was never overly hostile but simply didn’t know his own strength, which immediately establishes him as a good person without having to insult the viewer’s intelligence. Secondly it indicates just how powerful he must be and hence why Cpt. Holmes is so aggressive in his attempts to lure Prewitt onto the boxing team.
As strange as it seems, the iconic beach scene and the entire Deborah Kerr/Burt Lancaster storyline is actually merely part of the film’s subplot. Burt Lancaster plays Milton Warden, the Company First Sergeant who resents Cpt. Holmes because of the fact that Holmes not only makes Warden do all his bitch work but also expects him to cover for his superior when his wife Karen comes to the base looking for him. Despite rampant rumors of her promiscuity from other NCO’s as well as first-hand accounts, Warden begins an affair with her. Scenes depicting the home life of Holmes and his wife indicate just how much of a sham their marriage is. They even openly discuss his extramarital affairs as if they are something that is just accepted.
The two subsequently plan for the possibility of a future together that involves (at Karen’s insistence) him getting a commission and becoming an officer. Though she touches on the fact that she can’t divorce her husband and marry him without Warden going to military prison I couldn’t help getting the feeling that Karen’s gold-digging nature was also a motivating factor. Further evidence of this is unconsciously demonstrated by Karen in her constant referral to Warden as “Sergeant” which shows us exactly how she sees him. Despite the fact that Cpt. Holmes is ultimately a douchebag and probably deserves to be cheated on, Karen’s well-documented sluttiness makes the beach scene, which even though adulterous still could have been a thing of artistic beauty and a representation of uninhibited passion, just plain sleazy.
Though the two break up when Warden admits he has no interest in being an officer, there is a subtle brilliance to the scene depicting their parting. The two end their conversation agreeing that they will see each other again someday and, as Karen walks off she makes an abrupt right turn off camera just as a road sign becomes visible above her head indicating that the left road leads to Pearl Harbor; meaning that fate is about to take them down two entirely different paths soon as the attack on the US occurs not long after this scene.
The single best piece of character development we see in this movie comes when Warden finally tires of seeing how harshly abused Prewitt is by order of Cpt. Holmes and sets aside his hostility towards him and even befriends him one night while the two are drinking. He declares his support for Prewitt and even discusses his relationship with Karen. Meanwhile Holmes’ career is destroyed when a military tribunal learns of his orders to dog Prewitt and every NCO involved is busted back down to a Private. To add insult to injury, Holmes’ beloved boxing club is all but shut down.
A third subplot running through “From Here to Eternity” is the conflict between Maggio and the Army, specifically a stockade guard he gets into a fight with at the nightclub. The tension between the two progressively increases every time they cross paths, culminating with a broken-up knife fight. Maggio unfortunately plays right into the guard’s hands when he skips guard duty one night (in a shift he is only given because his superiors don’t like him) and is declared AWOL. Even though he had no intention of fleeing he is given a harsh sentence where the guard is able to beat him to death.
“What do you want to go back to the Army for? What did the Army ever do for you besides treat you like dirt and give you one awful going-over and get your friend killed? What do you want to go back to the Army for?” (Alma Burke, “From Here to Eternity”)
We see a major change in Prewitt from this point on. Rather than being emotionally detached he is quick to display feelings, both of sadness (he openly cries while playing “Taps” in honor of Maggio) as well as rage when he follows the stockade guard into a dark alley and stabs him to death in an obvious back-reference to the knife fight that almost occurred between the guard and Maggio.
The assault on the guard is one of the best and worst aspects of the movie. The struggle between the two looks laughable on film however as they both amble into a blind spot in the dark alley, a well-done feeling of suspense takes place. Prewitt emerges but he has clearly been wounded also. He takes to hiding out with Alma once the investigation into the stabbing begins and seems as though he may finally have enough resentment for the Army to leave it behind once and for all. Given the fact that he has every reason to based on the level of abuse he has taken for his refusal to box, the murder of his only real friend and the disproportionate workload he see the rest of the lower-ranking soldiers are forced to take on , it is shocking that he still maintains a fierce loyalty to the military.
Though he has been AWOL for some time after his injury, Prewitt hears of the attack on Pearl Harbor and immediately decides he is going back to his unit, despite Alma’s pleas for him to stay. His departure from Alma’s life is flawless from a cinematography standpoint. Her apartment is shrouded in darkness because of the post-attack blackouts as Prewitt leaves her sobbing in the blackness. Like in the knife fight with the stockade guard, Prewitt emerges from the shadows after having decided to do what he believes is the right thing and leaving another life in pieces. Then of course there are the artistic implications of tragedy being associated with darkness. Despite his act of selflessness Prewitt is given the final middle-finger from the Army as he is killed by a sentry when attempting to rejoin his unit.
A sort of epilogue occurs on a ship sailing back to the continental US from Hawaii. Karen and Alma cross paths briefly and lament their failed love lives. Though the end result is left very ambiguous it is evident that the women are both going home with their tails between their legs, but are still courageously pushing forward with their lives. The two women epitomize the main character trait running through the film- isolation. They both leave Hawaii alone much the way Maggio, Prewitt and Warden lived their lives day-to-day.
Sadly I think the most important aspect of “From Here to Eternity” is the attention to detail in the dialogue. I say sadly because I think it is something that largely goes unnoticed. The banter between the troops is totally realistic and unique for a military film. I could never relate my own Army experiences to films like “Band of Brothers.” Soldiers talk about the women they’ve banged or are going to bang when they go on leave, the dialogue between the men in this film, especially the enlisted men, is the truest credit to its authenticity.
Though I do love me some anti-war movies, it is refreshing to see a war film that isn't necessarily preachy. It is very down-the-middle in showing the good and bad in relation to the military. Let me say this, if you are going to watch a movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor and your options are "From Here to Eternity" or "Pearl Harbor" and you chose the latter then you deserve everything you get...
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