Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in "From Here to Eternity" at the Last Picture House -- September 24.
Wednesday, September 24, 6 p.m.
The Last Picture House, 325 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Winner of eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra) and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed), Fred Zinnemann's 1953 classic From Here to Eternity continues the “From Hitler to Hollywood” film series hosted by the German American Heritage Center. Enjoying a September 24 screening at Davenport venue The Last Picture House, the film will treat audiences to a riveting war-drama landmark that was a 2002 inductee in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.
As From Here to Eternity opens, it's 194, and Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) has requested Army transfer and has ended up at Schofield in Hawaii. His new captain Dana Holmes (Philip Ober) has heard of his boxing prowess and is keen to get the young man to represent the company. However, 'Prew' is adamant that he doesn't box anymore, so Captain Holmes gets his subordinates to make his life a living hell. Meanwhile Sergeant Warden (Burt Lancaster) starts seeing the captain's wife Karen (Deborah Kerr), who has a history of seeking external relief from a troubled marriage. Prew's friend Maggio (Sinatra) also has a few altercations with the sadistic stockade Sergeant 'Fatso' Judson (Ernest Borgnine), and Prew begins falling in love with social club employee Lorene (Reed). Unbeknownst to anyone, however, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor looms in the distance.
Opening to rave reviews, From Here to Eternity proved to be an instant hit with critics and public alike. Of the actors, Variety stated, "Burt Lancaster, whose presence adds measurably to the marquee weight of the strong cast names, wallops the character of First Sergeant Milton Warden, the professional soldier who wet-nurses a weak, pompous commanding officer and the GIs under him. It is a performance to which he gives depth of character as well as the muscles which had gained marquee importance for his name. Montgomery Clift, with a reputation for sensitive, three-dimensional performances, adds another to his growing list as the independent GI who refuses to join the company boxing team, taking instead the 'treatment' dished out at the C.O.'s instructions. Frank Sinatra scores a decided hit as Angelo Maggio, a violent, likeable Italo-American GI. While some may be amazed at this expression of the Sinatra talent versatility, it will come as no surprise to those who remember the few times he has had a chance to be something other than a crooner in films."
The film was number one at the United States box office for four weeks during September 1953, with a gross of $2,087,000. With a final gross of $30.5 million equating to earnings of $12.2 million, From Here to Eternity not only became one of the highest-grossing films of 1953, but also one of the ten highest-grossing films of the decade. Despite the positive response of the critics and public, however, the Army was reportedly not pleased with its depiction in the finished film, and refused to let its name be used in the opening credits. The Navy banned the film from being shown to its servicemen on its ships or Naval shore installations, calling it "derogatory of a sister service" and a "discredit to the armed services", although the Army and Air Force Motion Picture services did go on to purchase the film for screenings.
From Here to Eternity will be shown at Davenport's The Last Picture House on September 24, and guests are asked to check in at the German American Heritage Center table in the lobby. Admission is $15, guests will choose their seats upon arrival, and proceeds from ticket sales will go to Heritage Center programming, with $1 from every Twin Span draft beer purchase also going to the museum. For more information, call (563)322-8844 and visit GAHC.org.
