From Here to Eternity

REVIEW
A brilliant cast brings to the screen James Jones' novel of pre-WWII life in an outstanding adaptation in which everything clicks -- from the multi-layered screenplay to director Zinnemann's focused eye to a gallery of indeliable performances. Set in Pearl Harbor just before the Japanese attack, the film follows the lives of a group of soldiers stationed in Hawaii. Lancaster excels as the impassioned sergeant involved with commander's wife Kerr. In what is the performance of his career, Clift plays a trumpet-playing G.I. whose soul-searching is at odds with military sensibility. Sinatra and Reed both won Oscars in support as, respectively, a private and a dance-hall hostess. Lancaster and Kerr appear in one of the most famous lovemaking scenes of all time: sand, saltwater and seaweed never looked so good.