Once controversial, still an impressive piece of filmmaking

Rating: 8/10 (6 June 2020)

Fred Zinneman's From Here to Eternity is based on James Jones' lengthy and controversial novel of the same name, but with a screenplay that toned down the source material to get past the Production Code Office (all references to homosexuality, gonorrhoea and prostitution, for example were removed). Despite that, it still managed to be quite controversial, partly because of prudish Conservative objections to the extra-marital affair it depicts and Burt Lancaster's famous beach romp with Deborah Kerr, and partly because of its harsh depiction of bullying in the army which resulted in the US Army refusing to be associated with it. This being the case, the fact that it not only met with critical and popular acclaim on its release but also that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture might seem surprising, but instead simply reflects the fact that it remains an assured piece of film-making.
The story focuses on the lives of a group of American servicemen in an army base in Hawaii in the run up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and intertwines several parallel subplots. One concerns newly-transferred Private Prewitt's refusal to join the boxing team and subsequent persecution by his commanding officer Captain Holmes; another concerns First Sergeant Warden's affair with Holmes' wife Karen; and a third concerns Private Maggio's enmity with the thuggish Staff Sergeant "Fatso" Judson. These three subplots all converge, making for a satisfying narrative. The film looks like a Hollywood romantic drama for much of its length, but anyone who is expecting a happy ending will be disappointed: whilst Holmes and Fatso get their comeuppance, Maggio and Prewitt end up dead, and Karen rejects Warden, realising they have no future together. On top these personal tragedies, the inevitable attack on Pearl Harbor - and the army base - catches the characters by surprise and shapes the end of the story.
Daniel Taradash's screenplay provides believable characterisation for the cast to work with (even those with limited screen time are convincing, at least enough to sustain the needs of a narrative that asks us to sympathise with multiple characters) and the actors assembled by Zinneman uniformly impress. Montgomery Clift, a Method actor, is as naturalistic as Pewitt as one might expect, but we also get impressive performances from Burt Lancaster, Donna Reed, Deborah Kerr and Ernest Borgnine, as well as Frank Sinatra, who is totally believable as Maggio, the only soldier who stands by his friend Pewitt and who loses his life as a result. Lancaster and Kerr's on-screen chemistry is palpable, which undoubtedly fuelled the rumours of an off-screen romance between the pair during filming. Occasionally, the actors have to exceed the limitations of the script, since the screenplay strays into melodrama at times. During the beach scene, the dialogue between Warden and Karen doesn't sound remotely like anything people would say in real life, even though Lancaster and Kerr just about manage to make it sound otherwise, especially when Karen bluntly tells Warden about her miscarriage and hysterectomy.
Zinnemann, with his documentary background, isn't a flashy director, and has an understated style that allows the audience to pay attention to his actors almost without noticing his skilled workmanship. He works well here with cinematographer Burnett Guffey, who favours medium and long-shots over close-ups. There are of course exceptions: Warden's first kiss with Karen is filmed in close-up, after which the camera pulls away through a window, giving them their privacy. Guffey also uses lots of both wide angle- and deep shots, which make good use of both the Hawaii locations and the convincing sets. Zinnemann's direction gives the cast room to move about in front of the camera and it pays off; it also requires the crew to pay attention to detail in the use of props and the performances of extras in the often roomy backgrounds. Zinnemann also makes the best use of George Duning's soundtrack, which is an effective blend of the non-diagetic and the diagetic; the latter predominates and generally works better, especially since Duning is prone to sentimental tendencies which are played over the film's romantic moments.
The film's finale is notable for its use of real-life stock footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which jars with the film stock used for the rest of the film but adds powerful historical authenticity. It neatly serves to illustrate that the lives of ordinary people, on which most of the movie focuses, can be unexpectedly and mercilessly be disrupted by the broader events of history. It's a message that remains as relevant today as it did in 1953, which helps to explain From Here to Eternity's lasting presence on lists of great American films.