From Here To Eternity (1953)

Or at least Hawaii

Genre: War Romance Drama

Starring: Montgomery Clift (The Heiress • I Confess), Burt Lancaster (Sorry, Wrong Number • Birdman of Alcatraz)

Directed By: Fred Zinnemann (The Day of the Jackal • High Noon)

Overview: This is the story of two soldiers in Pearl Harbour - one a private, constantly punished for refusing to join the boxing team, one a Sargeant, falling in love with the Captain's wife.

Classic

The cast: all familiar faces, all proven in their field and giving performances worthy of the awards they've been given: Frank Sinatra for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Donna Reed for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Add Deborah Kerr and Ernest Borgnine to the existing leads listed up top and we have a solid lineup. 

From Here To Eternity is a war story that isn't really about war, a love story that's more than being about love, and the story of one man's pursuit of happiness among a self-imposed chain of duty, suffering for what's right.

You don't have to believe me this time, it's got a proven record, given that it won the Oscars for best Editing, Sound, Cinematography, Writing, Director and Picture on top of those supporting role Oscars.

"...I caught Dixie wide with this no more than ordinary solid cross... Dead weight, square on his face. He didn't roll over. He was in a coma a week. Then he finally came out of it. The only thing was that he was blind. I went up to the hospital to see him. Twice. Then I couldn't go back. We got to talking about fighting the second time. And Dixie cried. Seein' tears comin out of those eyes that couldn't see..." - Drew

For me though, all about the Clift

Performance: 10 Cinematography: 8 Script: 8 Plot: 8 Mood: 8

Overall Rating: 84% (Timeless Classic)

Aftertaste:

Certainly the kind of drama / love story you'll enjoy watching with your mom. Personally I found it just a little too out of my purview to have it be the kind of story that moved me the way Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolfe? did (to compare to another awesome tale with multiple Oscar winnings). Personally, everytime the love story came into being, that Burt Lancaster side of the plot, I mourned being taken away from our tortured private played by Montgomery Clift. It's a far more dramatic, more 'injustice explored' kind of plot with naiveté, brotherhood and violence thrown in for good measure.