Some of the Greatest Acting You'll Ever See

Rating: Null/10 (24 December 2013)

From Here to Eternity (1953)
**** (out of 4)
Eight Oscars went to this Fred Zinnemann drama about a group of GI's stations on Hawaii shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some of the stories include a man (Montgomery Clift) being abused because he refuses to box. Another (Frank Sinatra) having to battle an abusing brute (Ernest Borgnine). Then there's a Sergent (Burt Lancaster) who begins having an affair with his boss' wife (Deborah Kerr). The most amazing thing about this picture is how many talented actors they managed to get in it. Not only do you have Clift, Landcaster, Sinatra (Oscar-winner), Borgnine and Kerr (Oscar-winner) but there's also Donna Reed giving one of the best performances of her career and even Jack Warden. Needless to say but the performances are without question the greatest thing in the picture as everyone is at the top of their game. Clift really gives a tremendous performance in the role of the man being abused because he refuses to do something. I really liked how Clift played this part and especially when you consider this type of character had been done countless times in movies. Another standout is Lancaster who packs some real anger in his role here. Both Kerr and Reed were going against the types they usually played and both of them nailed the parts perfectly. I also think this here was Sinatra's greatest moment on screen as the usual tough guy managed to be so soft and fragile here that it shows what a strong actor he could be. The story of all of these people is one that just grabs you and doesn't let you go. I think the film does a very good job at giving everyone enough of the story to where you can care about them and it perfectly holds everything together before the eventual Pearl Harbor attack. The attack sequences are quite good and I thought the way it concludes all the personal stories was quite good. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY is without question one of the greatest films ever made when it comes to an ensemble cast. You're just not going to find many films out there with so many great talents giving so many great performances. The movie has several landmark scenes including the one on the beach but the entire movie just works flawlessly.