Rating: 
Summary: 6 great stars in a 5 star movie
Review: This wonderful movie was based on a novel by James Jones,which was so controversial for it's time that it had to be toned down.
It was a harsh look at military life in the days shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The story revolves around 5 main characters, who live in and around the base at Pearl Harbor. Robert E. Lee Prewitt ("Prew") played by Montgomery Clift is a boxing champion, transfered to the base on the whim of the Captain. But "Prew" refuses to fight anymore because of an unfortunate incident and he pays the price for his refusal. His buddy "Maggio" played by Frank Sinatra is scrappy and ill fated. "Lorena"(Alma) played by Donna Reed is the girl "Prew" falls for. She's a "working girl" but forms a deep attachment to him. Sargent Warden who is played powerfully by Burt Lancaster, is always looking out for his men, but has an affair with his Captains wife, Karen Holmes played by Deborah Kerr. Karen by the way is no stranger to stepping out on her husband. It is in this film that we see the famous love scene on the beach with them.
"Prew" and "Maggio" are both treated indecently by the military but to Prew the army is his home and he sticks by his loyalties.
There's another character that needs to be mentioned here and that is "Fatso". Played brillantly by Ernest Borgnine. He is the guard in stockade and is brutal in his treatmentof the G.I.s.
The story draws you into to the lives of these characters and culminates with the attack on the Pearl Harbor base. It was directed by Fred Zinnemann, shot in Black and White, in Hawaii. It won 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture(1953) Best B&W cinematography, and both Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed won Best Supporting that year.
The DVD is a GOOD transfer. There are though some spots where it's a little grainy but this does not take away from the enjoyment of this film. It only ocassionally reminds us that this IS a film that was made 50 years ago but is still one of the finest ever. The sound is great, the full screen, is the original theatrical presentation.
If your looking for extras there are several goodies with this DVD. My favorite was the interviews with Fred Zinnemann, we get to see a little of his personal home movies made during the shooting of this film (and in COLOR!). I also enjoyed seeing the theatrical trailers for this and The Guns Of Navarrone, and The Bridge on The River Kwai which are included.
This is one of those movies where you just don't want it to end!
so kick back and enjoy.....Laurie
Rating:
Summary: The Peacetime Classic !
Review: "From Here to Eternity" is a Hollywood classic. It may be the finest film ever about the military in peacetime. The background is Schofield Barracks, Hawaii in the Fall of 1941. That was the old "brown boot" Army! This reviewer is a Vietnam era vet, so I can't address the realism of the setting. Judging by the crisp dialog and snappy khaki uniforms, I'm giving the director the benefit of any doubt. I always thought it fascinating that an Austrian born Director could be at the helm of such classics as "High Noon" and FHTE -in consecutive years no less. What did Mr. Zinnemann know of the Old West or the American Army? The male lead is Burt Lancaster as First Sergeant Warden, a tough but fair NCO that any enlisted man would want for his "top". The second male lead is Private Prewitt, played by Montgomery Clift. Prewitt is a top bugler who isn't allowed to bugle and a top boxer who reuses to box for the company team! How that automatic conflict plays out is the heart of the movie. Another conflict is between Frank Sinatra, a happy go lucky but harmless enlisted man who trouble seems to follow and an evil Ernest Borgnine, the top MP at the Schofield stockade. Their "dispute" plays out too, with Clift a surprise key figure in its' "resolution". This reviewer believes that far too much attention has been lavished on the affair between Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, the wife of the Company Commander. I found it hard to swallow that any serious career man would run around openly with an officer's wife. Lancaster was one step away from a bust down to the lowest private and a trip to the stockade. The real female star here was Donna Reed, a bar "hostess' who would be a prostitute in real life. Her sensitivity toward Clift produces some of the best scenes in FHTE. Someone must have agreed because Donna walked off with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar- and promptly fainted after receiving it. The interplay between Lancaster/Kerr and Clift/Reed caused some huge challenges for the Director in making the bawdy best selling novel "clean" for the silver screen in the still conservative, prudish America of 1953. FHTE also contains some of the sharpest dialog and one liners this reviewer can remember. Two favorites: "Never disturb a man when he's drinking" (Lancaster) and "No one lies about being lonely"(Clift). In addition to Reed, Oscars were awarded for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Film Editing, Cinematography and Supporting Actor, (Sinatra). The last two are important: FHTE revived Frank's career. Many believe that "pressure" was applied to Harry Cohn and Columbia Pictures to hire Sinatra. Do we remember the "horses head in the bed" scene from Godfather I? Others claim that his then wife, Ava Gardner, supplied the "influence". Finally FHTE is yet another example of why black and white classics should not be colorized. If there is such a thing as "beautiful black and white", it is this one. ....
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, so-so DVD
Review: While the digital transfer is good and I enjoyed the movie for the first time without all the white noise and sound pops, all the special features that it boasts are disappointing.
For people who enjoy classic movies, you really can't do better than this. The movie is able to stand well enough on it's own without really needing these "features" to back it up and I recommend this DVD version only for that reason.
However those who love collectors edition DVD's, especially ones on Oscar flicks may feel slighted. There are two lackluster featurettes. One being a "Making Of" that is more or less a rehash of the production notes found inside of the case. The other focusing on Fred Zinneman, the movie's director, is slighlty more interesting. But both have more footage of the film itself than behind the scenes and both run under ten minutes. What they should have done was combine the two. The Commentary by the son of the director also leaves much to be desired. The only reason why I harp on these is that I know what Columbia is capable of doing better. Take a look at "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Bridge on the River Kwai"However, I'm glad I got this and recommend it despite my gripes. Just be aware of the its shortcomings. It's a great film that speaks for itself and after having the DVD for a few years now, I still find myself taking this off the shelf from time to time.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic film about the peacetime army of 1941
Review: This classic film still has a lot going for it although it seems somewhat dated by today's standards. It won the academy award in 1953 for Best picture, and most of the cast either won or were nominated for Oscars. Having read the book way back then and also seeing the picture, I think that some of my memories are from the book, not the movie, because as far as I can see, the movie didn't quite get the richness of the novel. The story is about the peace time army in 1941, in Hawaii, in the few months before the historic Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The star is Montgomery Clift as Private Pruitt, a solder who refuses to conform because of his personal moral principles. He is every man's hero and, watching the video, I was impressed with the quality of his acting, and the complexities he adds to the character. Burt Lancaster is his sergeant who is having an affair with the captain's wife (Deborah Kerr). They have a famous beach scene where they are lying in the waves as they kiss. However, neither Lancaster or Kerr ever really come across well. Lancaster's performance is wooden, and Deborah Kerr seems to be an unhappy complainer. Their dialog is almost silly and sounds like a soap opera. They also smoke cigarettes constantly and this seems dated now. Donna Reed plays a dance hall girl. In the book there was a detailed account of her prostitution, but the movie glosses over that and makes it seem that all she does is dance with the soldiers. The part is a good one, however, and one that won her an academy award. Frank Sinatra is Montgomery Clift's pal, Angelo Maggio. I understand that this was a turning point in his career. The part is small but essential to the plot. Sinatra's performance shines with authenticity and really showed he could act. The audience is aware, of course, that all this is taking place in December of 1941, and there is a feeling of knowing something the characters don't -- that this is the end of an era. When the attack on Pearl Harbor comes, the climax reinforces this concept and everything changes. The movie has its faults. A little too much reflection of 1953 moral values. Offscreen violence in places that could have used more action. Shot in black and white which dilutes the natural beauty of Hawaii. However, It is a movie worth seeing. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: No Such Thing as the Good Old Days
Review: That's one way of looking at "From Here to Eternity"--this is the story of an army base on, uh-oh, Pearl Harbor just before December 1941. But even before the surprise attack finale, there's quite a lot of personal unhappiness in Hawaii. Take Deborah Kerr, for instance. She's trapped in a loveless marriage to the commanding officer, so she's gotten herself a reputation as a nymphomaniac to dull the pain. Now she's taking up with Top Kick Burt Lancaster. His cruddy superior didn't seem to bother him much before, but the course of the movie depicts his growing disgust with that individual, because of how he treats his wife, yes, but also because of how he treats the new bugler, Montgomery Clift. Clift has a reputation of his own as an excellent boxer, but the trouble is, he won't fight on the base's boxing team. Seems he killed someone in the ring accidentally and is bothered by that. The CO degrades him constantly so the only solace he gets is with a sad sack good-time girl, Donna Reed. And Clift's best friend Frank Sinatra really gets on Ernest Borgnine's nerves, so much so that he beats the living daylights out of him. Not a very pretty place, is it, this Pearl Harbor before the attack? Yet it is a very well-done movie, with many memorable scenes between Burt and Deborah, Burt and Ernie, and Frank Sinatra making the comeback of the century, crowned by an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. While I can't actually say I like "From Here to Eternity", I must respect its achievement as a depiction of the nasty world of the pre WW2 army.
Rating:
Summary: A Superbit waste
Review: Yes, it's a good film but why release it in a Superbit version? It is filmed in full sceen (4x3), in black & white, and with a mono (DTS yet) soundtrack. This film certainly rates a dvd release with extras and all but to do a Superbit version? It's a total waste of the technology.
Rating:
Summary: So Many Oscars in a Single Film
Review: This movie is mostly about soldiers stationed at an army base in Honolulu before World War II. Above all the film features superb acting performances and an absorbing screenplay. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director (Fred Zimmerman), Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra) and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed). In addition Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and Deborah Kerr all received Oscar nominations for their acting in the movie. Fred Zimmerman is known for his direction of many other fine films including A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, THE DAY OF THE JACKAL and OKLAHOMA.
Rating:
Summary: A classic!
Review: First of all let me say that Montgomery Clift was phenominal in the role of Robert Prewitt, he was so good that it earned him an academy award nomination.
And this film is also superb for this time (as it seems that today some people don't even know how to make movies). There are so many classic moments such as Burt Lancasters and Debera Currs run through the beach (that's an obvious one), Montgomery Clifts bowing moment and his musical number in playing "Reenlistment Blues," as well as his knife fight with Fatso (making way for "Blackboard Jungle," "Rebel Without a Cause," and perhaps even "West Side Story").
You can see that the film is about walking the line or pay the price, and drama before Pearl Harbor. If you like love drama and action then don't miss the top 100 movies flick. (#52)
Rating:
Summary: Great acting in a story for its time--not TOP but near
Review: It is so tiring to keep hearing about a movie, not on its merits, but on how it fits the "political correctness," of today, and worse yet that the sexual portrayal isn't explicit enough. This is a real sickness as we move closer to pure pornography in the name of "realism." Of course Lancaster is "macho" as were men for centuries as a necessity. ANY movie should be judged on TWO BASIC THINGS. Was the acting good in the setting, and was it true to its time in story and presentation (given dramatic license). If these are true than it is somewhere from excellent to great. This film is both, most especially in the action between Sinatra and Borgnine. If you find this film "unacceptable" then you are doomed to miss many of the greatest films, and deserve pity for your ignorance and shallow understanding. Why four stars--it is VERY fine, but not quite great (watch 12 Angry Men and others). Of course, fantasy (Wizard of OZ, Disney cartoons, etc.) have a different standard--but that is another story.
Rating:
Summary: Daddy, how many Oscars did you say?
Review: OK, this is a fine film and by 1953 standards probably deserving of all the honors. But unfortunately this Peyton Place version of Pearl Harbor doesn't quite make it these days. Montgomery Clift is severely miscast as Prewitt-way too much introspection in my opinion. The producer's original choice was Aldo Ray, who would have been phenomenal in this role and I suspect his career would have been well established as a result. Oh well. And Burt Lancaster's performance was standout, thus renewing my respect for his work. But I suppose I'll never forgive Hollywood for casting the saintly Deborah Kerr in the role of the ..... loose moraled wife of the Company Commander. Talk about casting against type! The DVD has a few extras that fans will enjoy and the 2 channel Dolby is more than adequate. If you're working your way through the list of Best Pictures then you dont want to miss this one, especially if you're a fan of daytime soap operas.
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