Even if you've never seen From Here to Eternity, I can guarantee you've seen one very famous scene. You know the black-and-white makeout scene on the beach that's been spoofed and referenced hundreds of times since? The two actors kissing are Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity.
This is a WW2 movie, and one of the best classic war films, even though there are no scenes on the battlefield. Montgomery Clift, a recent transfer to the Hawaiian army base, has a reputation for being a good boxer, but he refuses to continue fighting at his new base. To punish him for his refusal, the captain makes his life miserable to hopefully wear him down. If you want the captain to "get his", read on. The captain's wife, Deborah Kerr, has an affair with a sergeant, Burt Lancaster. In the meantime, Monty and his army pal Frank Sinatra frequent a nightclub on their nights off. While Monty finds love with a prostitute, Frankie manages to anger the very mean and violent Ernest Borgnine.
See, there's plenty of drama without stepping foot on the battlefield! From Here to Eternity is a very famous movie, but it's also a fantastic one. Deborah Kerr bleached her famously red locks and tried on an American accent for the role, a seductive type she wasn't used to playing. Donna Reed, as goody-two-shoes as it gets, plays the hardened hooker Monty falls for. She won an Oscar for her against-type performance, paving the way for other good girls like Shirley Jones, who also won an Oscar when she went against type and played a prostitute in Elmer Gantry. Frank Sinatra also won an Oscar for this movie, but it's far from his best performance. He himself always said he should have won his Oscar for The Man with the Golden Arm. Montgomery Clift and Burt Lancaster, while in very different situations in the film, both fall in love with women they shouldn't, and try to stand up for their convictions even when it's difficult. It's great to see the different acting styles: Monty with the word "conflicted" tattooed on his forehead, and water boiling beneath his sensitive reserve, and Burt with gritted teeth and lava simmering beneath his strength.
At the 1953 Oscars, the film swept Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Sound, Editing, Cinematography, and Supporting Actor and Actress awards. While Burt and Monty were pitted against each other for Best Actor, William Holden beat them out in the overrated Stalag 17. Deborah Kerr, who never won a competitive Oscar, lost to the ridiculous performance of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.
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