From Here to Eternity Blu-ray Review

Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Black & White, Dolby, Dubbed, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled

Subtitles: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish

Dubbed: German

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: October 1, 2013

Run Time: 118 minutes

 

        From Here to Eternity is a film filled with old Hollywood legends and rumors, some true and other not, but all have had an impact on the film’s longevity beyond the cinematic story. Shot in a mere 41 days, this Fred Zinnemann adaptation of the James Jones novel became a surprise hit that swept the 1953 Academy Awards with eight wins and revitalizing effects on the career of its stars. Frank Sinatra was at a low point in his career at this point, and the non-singing role earned him a Best Supporting Actor award. There were a lot of unexpected casting choices within From Here to Eternity keep this film a beloved classic even sixty-years later.

 

        The film follows the melodrama unfolding on a Hawaiian military base in December of 1941, leading up to the inevitable attack on Pearl Harbor. Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) treads dangerous water when he begins a passionate affair with Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr), the wife of the sinister Captain Dana Holmes (Philip Ober). Captain Holmes is too distracted attempting to bully former boxer Private E. Lee Prewitt into fighting again. Private Prewitt also fall for a social club employee named Lorene (Donna Reed) and befriends another soldier being bullied by superiors, Angelo Maggio (Sinatra).

 

        With Zinnemann refusing to shoot in color or widescreen as to not trivialize the material, From Here to Eternity is still a sharp looking film in full-frame black-and-white. Even with the limited willingness to adhere to technological advances in film, the high definition presentation is notably sharper than the DVD. The Blu-ray exclusive special features include a playback feature which allows historical information graphics to pop up. The other special features include a commentary track from Tim Zinnemann and Alvin Sargent, as well as a making-of featurette and an excerpt from “Frad Zinnemann: As I See It.”

       

Entertainment Value: 8/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 9/10

Historical Significance: 10/10

Disc Features: 9/10