From Here to Eternity

After requesting a transfer, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) is stationed at an army base in Hawaii 1941.   There, Officer Dana Holmes (Philip Ober) hears of his boxing reputation and wants him to represent his unit.  Robert refuses and tries to hide his haunting past about his time in the ring.  In order to break him into boxing again, Holmes makes Robert’s life a living hell and puts him on the most grueling details.

Robert’s friend, free spirited Private Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra), helps him blow off some steam in their free time by taking him to a social club where Robert falls in love with one of the employees (Donna Reed).  While there, Angelo gets in fights with  ‘Fatso’ Judson (Ernest Borgnine), the stockade Sergeant.  When Angelo goes AWOL, Fatso makes sure he’s severely punished, but things go too far.

Behind all of this, Sergeant Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) starts a romantic relationship with Officer Holmes’ wife, Karen (Deborah Kerr).  We learn of her strained marriage filled with tragedy and begin to approve of this affair.  As the two become deeper in love, Karen hatches a plan for Milton to become an Officer and be stationed back in the states where she’ll follow after divorcing.  It all seems so perfect, until the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.

The film is based on the novel by James Jones, who witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor.  From Here to Eternity is considered the first of his life’s war experience trilogy, The Thin Red Line and Whistle complete it.

The most memorable scene of this film is when Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr are in the throws of romance in the Hawaiian surf.  There is swelling music and the sounds of waves crashing over the two as they embrace.  It really pushed to the limit of romantic scenes in the 1950’s.   The way Deborah suddenly runs, throws herself on her back in the sand, I feel like today that quick burst of passionate energy and motion would only be replaced with a cheap boob-shot.   Burt’s naturally awesome hair is dripping all over, he’s got nothing but those tight little trunks on and he just falls to his knees beside her, surely some prudent mothers urged their daughters to avert their eyes.  To this day, the scene still holds it’s merit in sex appeal, simply because it is so iconic and classy.

While From Here to Eternity is not the sort of Oscar winning picture that I personally found in the realm of greatness, it is very good and, in my opinion, the best of the 1953 nominations.  The film won the Oscars for screenplay, sound, cinematography, editing, director and picture.  Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra also picked up Supportive Acting Oscars.  Next time you feel the itch to watch Pearl Harbor, let me suggest From Here to Eternity instead.  There’s less mush and more compelling story, even with lines like this:

“Nobody ever kissed me the way you do.”

Anchors Aweigh

Usually, I don’t use the phrase “It’s cute” as as praise in my reviews, but Anchors Aweigh is different.  There’s a charming mix of fantasy, romance, song and dance in this story about two sailors, their quest for dames and the obstacles that help them find love.  With all the good laughs, fun song and dance scenes and sincere motives that move the plot, cute isn’t belittling, but a real compliment.

Decorated sailors Joe Brady (Gene Kelly) and Clarence Doolittle (Frank Sinatra) are given a four day leave in Hollywood.  Joe, with his reputation as a wolf, plans to have a good time with a sultry sounding lady, Lola.  Clarence is more timid and inexperienced and asks Joe to help him find a girl.  Meanwhile, Donald (Dean Stockwell), a little boy wanting to run away to join the Navy, has just been found by the police, but they can’t get him to tell them where he lives.  Joe and Clarence are brought into the station, hoping that the boy will talk to his idolized sailors.  Donald is thrilled to meet them, warming up especially to Joe and lets them take him home.  They get stuck watching Donald until his Aunt Susie gets home, to which Clarence doesn’t mind but Joe is missing his big date with Lola.  Turns out, Aunt Susie (Kathryn Grayson) is a beautiful young woman, struggling to become a singer and Clarence wants Joe’s help in wooing her.  Instead, they promise Susan an impossible audition with José Iturbi, a famous conductor and pianist working in Hollywood.

To most classic film fans, a movie with Gene Kelly dancing and Frank Sinatra singing is pure gold.  Though this was their first of the three films they would be together in, the two collaborate so well and are a real treat to watch.  In the scene where they improvise a song about Susie, their sailor-buddy antics peak enough to scare off a prospective suitor for Susan and keep the audience in stitches.

One of the best and most famous song and dance scenes, many people have already seen without even knowing it.  When Joe is telling Donald and his classmates a fictional story about how he got his medal, the film goes into a fantasy world where Kelly sings and dances with cartoon animals, including Jerry the mouse from Tom and Jerry.  It’s a very well done scene showcasing Kelly’s moves and mixing live action with animation seamlessly.  The scene was ripped off by Family Guy, inserting Stewie over Jerry.  Just mimic the original choreography and you’ve got three less minutes of creative thinking to do.  I doubt many viewers realize how many classic dance scenes Family Guy shamelessly parodies.

Overall,  Anchors Aweigh is a really fun musical comedy with great actors, thought out characters and an interesting plot to the end.  This would make for a great classic movie night with the kids.  The sailor’s plight to find women and keep up appearances keep adults snickering while the singing, dancing and antics with Donald will keep kids connected.

“-These men have other things to do.
–No they haven’t, they’re on leave.”

Around the World in 80 Days

There are two ways that people can travel.  Whether you’ve gone across the world or across town, you can probably distinguish the two.  There are those who will eat McDonalds wherever they can and listen to their all important iPod on a tour bus.  They will read or snooze while traveling through beautiful new lands, rather than enjoy the view and insist on keeping their daily schedule wherever they are.  But there is the other side of the coin, those who can turn any travel into a real journey.  These people willingly immerse themselves within the new lands.  They will dance with the natives, marvel at more than the regular tourist stops and try all the new flavors around them.  In Around the World in 80 Days which sort of traveler would you become?

The film based on the Jules Verne novel begins in England with Phileas Fogg (David Niven) in need of a new butler, one who can keep up with his eccentric requests like taking the temperature of toast.  Young Spanish Passepartout (Cantinflas) is willing to take the job, but his fist day of work isn’t as expected.  Fogg has just taken a bet, over a card game with his other well-to-do friends, that he can travel around the entire world in just eighty days.  So they pack up, load a carpet bag with cash and set out immediately only to learn that their original train plans have been slowed by an avalanche.  With some quick wits and helpful connections they’re soon soaring over Europe in a hot air balloon.

In Spain, Passepartout gains them a ride on a ship by showing off his bullfighting skills.  Through India, his daring wit saves a young princess from being burned alive with her dead husband.  And in America he’s a regular wild west cowboy trying to save the train as Indians attack.  All the while, Fogg is reading the newspaper, enjoying his usual tea time or trying to tell brave tales about his card games.

There is more than the physical obstacle of basic travel that hinders Fogg and Passepartout.  It seems that just before their departure, the bank of England was robbed.  Suddenly Fogg is a prime suspect and that trip around the world is a great way to avoid arrest.  Soon Mr. Fix (Robert Newton) is on their tail pretending to befriend and help them, but wants to make sure Fogg loses the bet as well as his freedom once he’s back in England.

One great thing this film did for cinema history is popularize the cameo appearance.  There are dozens of cameos throughout the film.  There’s Buster Keaton, Frank Sinatra, Andy Devine, Ronald Colman and Cesar Romero just to name a few.  My favorite (and one of the few I actually noticed) was Red Skelton as the drunk American in a saloon.

What more can you ask from a film than a fun filled adventure around the world?  We’re taken from stuffy old England (no offence to my Brit readers), to the lively dances of Spain, through the Indian jungle on an elephant’s back, to the mystical land of China and across wild west America.  All that, from one studio, in such a convincing way is amazing.  And the whole adventure is a great ride just from your couch.  Sure, it deviates from the book a little, but some of those first flights in the hot air balloon are fabulous.  Who wouldn’t want to snatch some snow from a mountain peak to chill some champagne?

In the end, I do believe this tale is about opening yourself up to new surroundings.  Poor Fogg went all around the world, but could hardly deviate from his tea time.  But Passepartout can now revel about his adventures and never feels the need to mention a card game.

“Mr. Fogg, why must you be so… so British?”