From Here to Eternity

I have heard the title of this movie countless times, but I am still not exactly sure why I added to my list of movies to watch. It might have been from watching Hollywoodland, and hearing that George Reeves was in it, or maybe I heard the Ernest Borgnine was in it (though it was surprise to me when I watched the film). Perhaps it was since I have heard that the famous beach scene was filmed in Hawaii, but I was also surprised to see that the film was completely set in Hawaii. And I didn't know the film was about the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor (though I kind of guessed, since it was a film about soldiers in Hawaii) I was also surprised to find out that the whole film was black and white.

Anyhow, the film didn't leave a big impression on me. The story was good and the acting was excellent (basically meaning the characters made me interested in them), but I wasn't particularly impressed with the fate of the characters. Their fate were pretty much unjustified (but I guess that is how the author wanted it to be) as each character could have easily avoided their final circumstances. I was particularly troubled by the ending of the relationship between Karen and St Warden, as there was no reason for them to break up, especially as Karen was in a worthless relationship with her husband.

I have seen the beach where that famous scene was filmed, and I know how small it is, but I expected it would look larger on film. Perhaps to someone who hadn't actually seen the beach in person it may have seemed larger on film, but to me it just seemed cramped.

I guess it is understandable, since it is a film about soldiers in Hawaii, but he film completely neglected the local culture in Hawaii, giving me the impression that the film wasn't set in Hawaii. I commend the producers for actually filming in Hawaii, but if they had filmed it on a stage, I don't think it would have drastically altered the viewers perception of the film.