Must-watchWorld War II · Film · 1953
From Here to Eternity
In peacetime Hawaii, a stubborn bugler refuses to box for his captain, his sergeant falls for the captain's wife, and army life grinds on until the morning of 7 December 1941.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 4 places.
Stop 1: Schofield Barracks, Oahu
Prewitt transfers into Captain Holmes's company and is hazed without mercy for refusing to join the regimental boxing team.
Stop 2: Honolulu
On weekend passes the men drink in town, Prewitt falls for Lorene at a private club, and Maggio clashes with the stockade sergeant.
Stop 3: Hālona Cove, Oahu
Key location
Sergeant Warden and Karen Holmes meet in secret on a hidden beach and kiss in the surf.
Stop 4: Schofield Barracks under attack
Breakfast is interrupted by Japanese planes; Warden takes charge of the defence while Prewitt tries to get back to his company.
What really happened
Schofield Barracks, in central Oahu, was the largest US Army post in the 1930s and home of the Hawaiian Division. Novelist James Jones served there with the 27th Infantry Regiment and was on the base on 7 December 1941, when Japanese planes attacking neighbouring Wheeler Field strafed the barracks.
Jones's 1951 novel described brutality in the stockade and life in Honolulu's brothels; to secure the Army's cooperation, the film softened the stockade scenes and turned the brothel into a social club. The famous beach kiss was filmed at Hālona Cove on Oahu's southeast shore.
Where to watch
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Full details
- Original title
- From Here to Eternity
- Directed by
- Fred Zinnemann
- Countries
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Released
- 1953
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Pacific
- Themes
- Romance
