Search - From Here to Eternity on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Adult Situations Movie Release: 1953 DVD Release: 10/23/2001 Format: DVD - Black and White Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 58 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 7 Genres: War, Romantic Drama, War Drama, War Romance, Ensemble Film See Also: From Here to Eternity [Superbit]

The scene is Schofield Army Barracks in Honolulu, in the languid days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, where James Jones' acclaimed war novel -From Here to Eternity brought the aspirations and frustrations of several people sharply into focus. Sergeant Milt Warden (Burt Lancaster) enters into an affair with Karen (Deborah Kerr), the wife of his commanding officer. Private Robert E. Lee "Prew" Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is a loner who lives by his own code of ethics and communicates better with his bugle than he does with words. Prew's best friend is wisecracking Maggio (Frank Sinatra, in an Oscar-winning performance that revived his flagging career), who has been targeted for persecution by sadistic stockade sergeant Fatso Judson (Ernest Borgnine). Rounding out the principals is Alma Lorene (Donna Reed), a "hostess" at the euphemistically named whorehouse The New Congress Club. All these melodramatic joys and sufferings are swept away by the Japanese attack on the morning of December 7. No words could do justice to the film's most famous scene: the nocturnal romantic rendezvous on the beach, with Burt Lancaster's and Deborah Kerr's bodies intertwining as the waves crash over them. If you're able to take your eyes off the principals for a moment or two, keep an eye out for George Reeves; his supporting role was shaved down when, during previews, audiences yelled "There's Superman!" and began to laugh. From Here to Eternity won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and supporting awards to Sinatra and Reed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Burt Lancaster - Sgt. Milton Warden
Montgomery Clift - Robert E. Lee Prewitt
Deborah Kerr - Karen Holmes
Donna Reed - Alma Lorene
Frank Sinatra - Angelo Maggio

Though not labeled a special edition, =From Here to Eternity does have a number of supplemental features. Unfortunately, the sum of the parts doesn't equal the whole. A two-minute "making of" featurette doesn't amount to much and a slightly longer excerpt from "Fred Zinnemann: As I See It" doesn't go into much detail about this talented director. It does feature some nice behind-the-scene shots in color, but the majority is simply sequences from the film intercut with interviews from Zinnemann. The main point of interest, though, is a thoughtful commentary track from Tim Zinnemann (the director's son) and Alvin Sargent, a collaborator with Fred Zinnemann and actor in this film. In addition, there are three theatrical trailers and incomplete filmographies for the cast and crew. The image, which is shown at the theatrical full frame ratio of 1.33:1, looks very good, but is far from perfect. The film, made in 1953, is showing its age, and it's possible a little more restoration work could have made it look even better. As for the sound, the English Dolby Digital track is in stereo and sounds adequate for this type of film. Granted, a little more range would be preferred, but isn't expected. In addition to English there are also soundtracks in French, Spanish, and Portuguese, with subtitles in those languages plus Chinese, Korean, and Thai. Overall, this Oscar-winning film has received a nice treatment on DVD. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide