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Information

Year
1953
Runtime
118 min.
Director
Fred Zinnemann
Genres
Drama, Romance, War
Rating *
7.7
Votes *
35,263
Checks
6,769
Favs
358
Dislikes
40
Favs/checks
5.3% (1:19)
Favs/dislikes
9:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Gunness's avatar

    Gunness

    With all the awards and other honours bestowed on this movie, I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed. Sinatra was a standout, and Clift was terrific in the lead role, but both Lancaster and particularly Borgnine have done a lot better in other movies - and not all of the plot threads were equally interesting.
    Not bad in any way, just less that I expected.
    10 years 2 months ago
  2. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    What happens to soldiers tuned for war when it's peace time? From Here to Eternity, set in the weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor, shows them drinking, womanizing, and fighting, the tension they feel not so much because of some precognitive dread, but because of bad leadership. Their captain is also in shenanigans mode. In a way, this is a precursor to other war films on the margins of war itself, films like M*A*S*H and Jarhead. But there's frankly too much happening - the curse of adapting a novel - giving short shrift in particular to the female characters and their romances with key soldiers. Deborah Kerr is more hard-edged than I've ever seen her, even unrecognizable at times, and I believe this might have been one of her greatest performances if the film didn't forget about her for the length of a bible. Donna Reed is in the same boat. In the end, I know what the film's theme is - a soldier's listlessness when the role's ambitions are impossible to fulfill or corrupted to other goals - but I'm not entirely sure what it's trying to say about that. It either needed to be pruned or extended; I'm not sure which. 5 years 10 months ago
  3. TomReagan's avatar

    TomReagan

    I enjoyed this much more than I expected, mostly due to the fact that I had no idea what it was about, and that the only image I’ve had of the film is that stupid (yet iconic) shot of Lancaster and Kerr kissing on the beach. (I call it stupid because the shot is less than two seconds and that affair is only one of three storylines. ) I haven’t seen a lot of classic films that have intertwining storylines, and with a great cast like this. Add onto that, the negative side of the military that we still see in movies, today (specifically, abuse - reminded me of A Few Good Men and Full Metal Jacket). Very refreshing. 4 years 5 months ago
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In 13 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #20 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions
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    AFI's 100 Years...100 Pa…

    20
  2. This movie ranks #24 in 101 War Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    101 War Movies You Must …

    24
  3. This movie ranks #27 in Academy Award - Best Picture
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    Academy Award - Best Pic…

    27
  4. This movie ranks #43 in Academy Award - Best Cinematography
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    Academy Award - Best Cin…

    43
  5. This movie ranks #189 in Academy Award - Best Picture Nominees
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    Academy Award - Best Pic…

    189
  6. This movie ranks #229 in BFI's 360 Classic Feature Films Project
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    BFI's 360 Classic Featur…

    229
  7. This movie ranks #248 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1001 Movies You Must See…

    248
  8. This movie ranks #301 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
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    The New York Times's Boo…

    301
  9. This movie ranks #351 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
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    Library of Congress's Na…

    351
  10. This movie ranks #415 in Emma Beare's 501 Must-See Movies
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    Emma Beare's 501 Must-Se…

    415
  11. This movie ranks #458 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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    David Thomson's Have You…

    458
  12. This movie ranks #730 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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    Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…

    730
  13. This movie ranks #984 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    984
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