From Here to Eternity is a 1979 American three-part, six-hour television miniseries and a remake of the 1953 film From Here to Eternity based on the 1951 novel of the same name. All three conclude with the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The miniseries originally aired in three two-hour installments on three consecutive Wednesdays on NBC on February 14, 21 and 28, 1979.
The story details the men and families of G Company, 24th Infantry Division, United States Army. There are two main sub-plots: First Sergeant Milt Warden’s (William Devane) ongoing affair with Karen Holmes (Natalie Wood), the wife of his commanding officer, and Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt's (Steve Railsback) affair with Lorene Rogers (Kim Basinger), a local prostitute.
Plot
It is April 1941 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt is new to G Company. He is a skilled boxer who unintentionally severely injured a fellow soldier in an exhibition boxing match. As a result he refuses to be a boxer anymore. This places him at odds with his company’s commanding officer, Captain Holmes, who uses the reputation of many of the sergeants in his company as skilled boxers to further his military career. Facing pressure from the fascist-minded Gen. Barney Slater, who argues that the Army needs to control soldiers by fear of authority, Captain Holmes has many of his sergeants harass and abuse Prewitt in an attempt to pressure him to join the company's boxing team. Prewitt is tough and refuses to bend to the pressure. The company's First Sergeant, Milt Warden, attempts to help Prewitt, but there is only so much he can do.
Plot
It is April 1941 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt is new to G Company. He is a skilled boxer who unintentionally severely injured a fellow soldier in an exhibition boxing match. As a result he refuses to be a boxer anymore. This places him at odds with his company’s commanding officer, Captain Holmes, who uses the reputation of many of the sergeants in his company as skilled boxers to further his military career. Facing pressure from the fascist-minded Gen. Barney Slater, who argues that the Army needs to control soldiers by fear of authority, Captain Holmes has many of his sergeants harass and abuse Prewitt in an attempt to pressure him to join the company's boxing team. Prewitt is tough and refuses to bend to the pressure. The company's First Sergeant, Milt Warden, attempts to help Prewitt, but there is only so much he can do.
Prewitt becomes involved with Lorene Rogers, a local prostitute. Prewitt’s friend Private Angelo Maggio is sent to the stockade after being court martialed for getting drunk and fighting with MPs. Things take a turn for the worse when Pvt. Prewitt is sent to the stockade for a few months of what turns out to brutal mistreatment at the hands of the Sergeant of the Guard at the stockade, Sgt. Fatso Judson, a bully and a sadist. While in the stockade, Prewitt reunites with Maggio and finds that he has been nearly beaten to death by Judson. Maggio dies after panicking and falling out of the ambulance on his way to the hospital. After Prewitt is released from the stockade he tracks downs Judson and kills him in a knife fight. Prewitt is wounded in the fight and he takes refuge at Lorene’s house while he heals.
Captain Holmes is promoted to major and leaves the company. The new company commander does not care about the boxing team. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and Schofield Barracks. First Sergeant Warden organizes the men of his company. He and the other sergeants of the company go to the armory and get Browning Automatic Rifles (B.A.R.s) and .30 caliber Model 1919 machine guns and return fire to the attacking Japanese warplanes. Warden and his men shoot down one of the Japanese "Zeros".
Wanting to join in on the upcoming war, and with Warden promising to help smooth things over regarding Fatso’s murder if he reports back, Prewitt attempts to rejoin the company but is mortally wounded by a nervous sentry that same evening. As he lies dying, he says he knows that Sgt. Warden will take care of his body (make sure his death is marked “line of duty”) and makes sure that it gets a military burial. After he dies, Warden assures the guilt-ridden sentry that Prewitt’s death was going to happen one way or another. When asked by the other soldiers if Prewitt was a good soldier in his company, Warden replies, “Hell, he was the only soldier.”
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From Here to Eternity (1979)
Remaking James Jones’ “From Here to Eternity” had to be a big risk back in 1979. The seaside kiss between Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster alone is part of movie history and the film is widely regarded as a classic. But, since the great American Miniseries thrives on war, especially World War II, here is a readily-accessible property that was bound to spark interest.
In fact, this version is much closer to Jones’ novel than the movie, which had to tame things down for 1950s audiences. Donna Reed’s prostitute is certainly not as obvious as Kim Basinger’s.
Steve Railsback is Prewitt, who wants to be part of the force amassing in Hawaii in the run-up to World War II (you know, that top-secret run-up that no one was supposed to know about, the one that lasted from 1939 until 1941 when it could finally be made official). He’s a great bugler, but he’s an even better fighter, and that’s what his superiors want of him. They want to win the intra-military bouts, but Prewitt has turned his back on fighting. You can take the performance of Steve two ways: incredibly lazy, or inspiringly lazy. Though he’s the lead character, he surrounded by some wild over actors. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in this context, which is essentially a war-time potboiler and hardly the great piece of literature some have made it out to be.
Va-va-va-voom Natalie Wood, in one of her spiciest roles, is Karen Holmes, the neglected wife of Roy Thinnes, a big cheese at the naval base. Her very entrance into the movie is racier than the entire 1950s (the decade not the movie). Karen shows up in a barely-there shirt that has William Devane and everyone else slobbering. Everyone except Roy, that is. William follows his Superior’s moves carefully (especially when he’s off boozing it up with Andy Griffith and a couple of Hawaiian hookers, which is downright strange) so he knows just when to launch his own secret attack on Natalie. Fortunately for him, Natalie succumbs without a second thought. Hell if she’s going to be a nun during a war that has nothing to do with her! She nags at Roy an awful lot, but she’s trapped in Hawaii with lecherous soldiers and a wardrobe that runs the gamut between slips and slips-off.
The main plot comes down to whether Prewitt will fight or not. He’s hazed mercilessly and still refuses. In fact, the only friend he makes is Maggio, played by Joe Pantoliano (and, with Frank Sinatra safely dead, I can openly avow that Joey Pants is far better than Frank in one of Oscar’s most questionable wins). Maggio gets Prewitt drunk and takes him to Madame Salome Jens’ abode where he meets Kim Basinger, fresh off the boat from the mainland to actually be a hooker. Good for her, she has career goals. Salome runs a classy joint for the sailors, not tolerating drunks very well. Prewitt is a sweet drunk, but completely smitten when he meets Kim’s Lorene. But, she’s a businesswoman, and she knows paying clients are better than the nice guys.
Meanwhile, William Devane and Natalie Wood’s affair goes from passionate to torrid to volcanic. Every time he goes to leave the room, Nat goes into a wailing fit, but at least she does it wearing not much more than a towel. Three years from her untimely death, she is still one of Hollywood’s greatest lookers ever and her fiendish performance is fitting. “From Here to Eternity” seems to have a budget only for beloved Natalie. She and William Devane are forced to meet outside in the night, and the outfits, make-up and lighting lavished on Natalie make for a ravishing sight. And considering the only other dames in the movie are sloppy Kim Basinger, Salome Jens and a bunch of un-named Hawaiians (of course they are, this is Hollywood in 1979, if they were named, they would have names like Clip Clop or Ho Chi Sin), why shouldn’t Natalie get the star treatment?
Clueless Roy Thinnes is too preoccupied with getting Steve Railsback to fight for his unit to notice what’s going on, especially since William Devane, as his second-in-command, make sure Roy is always in the wrong place at the right time for his affair with Mrs. Roy Thinnes. For nearly an hour, not much happens other than Steve being put through arduous paces by Roy and his goons, hoping to break him. He has to bike up every mountain on the island (multiple times) and still he doesn’t crack. If you are getting the idea that he’s going to make a “damn fine soldier” because his will is so iron-clad, you know your movie cliches!
As much as I prefer this version of “From Here to Eternity” over the snoozy original, it must be said that the middle few hours are awfully repetitive. Natalie and Billy Devane run from tree to tree and bed to bed making love and then throwing all but the coconuts at each other (they can’t throw the sheets, because Natalie is usually wearing them). Maggio gets the stuffing beaten out of him (and eventually dies) as Steve continues to get hazed while falling in love with Kim. Oh, we know Kim is in love with him too, because she does her hair if he’s around. Even if they are just in bed. When she’s in hooker mode, it always hangs down seductively.
Natalie and William go off for a mini vacation together, where William gets on stage and dances a hula with the locals, leading to a gigantic argument between the two. Natalie is just hating on him because she’s fallen passionately in love with him and he hasn’t asked her to marry him. She is married already and William has made no secret of the fact that he just wanted a casual, if passionate, fling with the local hottie. But, of course he loves her too.
Around the four hour mark, after Natalie and William have argued and made love in 60 different positions, all without anyone remembering she has a young son, and after Steve has defied every attempt at breaking his spirt, IT happens. Yes, IT. Did you think this would be done without the actual bombing of Pearl Harbor? Actually, this movie handles it very well. Rather than having everyone turn into John Wayne suddenly, we see mass confusion and a lot of quick death. William Devane, who has basically been running the outfit because Roy Thinnes is too much of a dunce, is quick to take charge and damn good at it. Steve, has missed it, caged up with Kim, but he feels terrible about it.
Our leads all survive the attack, but not for long. The twists of the plot eventually find poor Steve killed by his own men, but bravely and with a lovely death speech by William Devane. Now that the US is in the war, the wives and hookers are packed off to the mainland (all but Sharon Stone…oh, wait, that’s Pearl Harbor in “War and Remembrance,” sorry), meaning, natch, that Natalie and Kim happen to sit next to each other on the boat. Kim is dressed in her finery, so Natalie has no idea what she really is, and just as the movie ends, we wonder if perhaps this friendship might not just be the equivalent of the male bonding going on in the war.
The four hours and change of “From Here to Eternity” are infinitely preferrable to just the hour or so it takes in “The Winds of War” to achieve the same goal. This movie can be repetitive and overacted at times, but in context, none of that really seems to be objectionable. It may be the best performance William Devane ever gave, but then again, his career is filled with “I’m just here for the paycheck” acting, so maybe we just caught him early enough in his game.
The main point of contention and argument has to be Steve Railsback. And it’s a debate I encourage. At times I find his performance vapid to the point of fading out, but at other times, I think he’s mining some sort of genius, the only person in the whole of Pearl Harbor who has conditioned himself not to feel any emotion so that when war comes, he’s numb enough to fight it without any internal clouds. Of course, since he gets shot before having a chance to fight, perhaps that interpretation is a bit overzealous, but I’m sticking to it.
Oh, and how do Bill and Nat do with the famous beach kiss? It’s hard to tell because it happens at night and it’s dark. They are actually in the water and not on the sand, so the striking visual of the water sweeping past their bodies is left out, wisely. That belongs to Deborah and Burt. The love affair in this version is not at all pretty, just lusty and needy, so a picturesque romp would be inappropriate.
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From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity is a 1979 American three-part, six-hour television miniseries and a remake of the 1953 film From Here to Eternity based on the 1951 novel of the same name. All three conclude with the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The miniseries originally aired in three two-hour installments on three consecutive Wednesdays on NBC on February 14, 21 and 28, 1979.
The story details the men and families of G Company, 24th Infantry Division, United States Army. There are two main sub-plots: First Sergeant Milt Warden’s (William Devane) ongoing affair with Karen Holmes (Natalie Wood), the wife of his commanding officer, and Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt's (Steve Railsback) affair with Lorene Rogers (Kim Basinger), a local prostitute.
Plot
It is April 1941 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt is new to G Company. He is a skilled boxer who unintentionally severely injured a fellow soldier in an exhibition boxing match. As a result he refuses to be a boxer anymore. This places him at odds with his company’s commanding officer, Captain Holmes, who uses the reputation of many of the sergeants in his company as skilled boxers to further his military career. Facing pressure from the fascist-minded Gen. Barney Slater, who argues that the Army needs to control soldiers by fear of authority, Captain Holmes has many of his sergeants harass and abuse Prewitt in an attempt to pressure him to join the company's boxing team. Prewitt is tough and refuses to bend to the pressure. The company's First Sergeant, Milt Warden, attempts to help Prewitt, but there is only so much he can do.
Plot
It is April 1941 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and Pvt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt is new to G Company. He is a skilled boxer who unintentionally severely injured a fellow soldier in an exhibition boxing match. As a result he refuses to be a boxer anymore. This places him at odds with his company’s commanding officer, Captain Holmes, who uses the reputation of many of the sergeants in his company as skilled boxers to further his military career. Facing pressure from the fascist-minded Gen. Barney Slater, who argues that the Army needs to control soldiers by fear of authority, Captain Holmes has many of his sergeants harass and abuse Prewitt in an attempt to pressure him to join the company's boxing team. Prewitt is tough and refuses to bend to the pressure. The company's First Sergeant, Milt Warden, attempts to help Prewitt, but there is only so much he can do.
Prewitt becomes involved with Lorene Rogers, a local prostitute. Prewitt’s friend Private Angelo Maggio is sent to the stockade after being court martialed for getting drunk and fighting with MPs. Things take a turn for the worse when Pvt. Prewitt is sent to the stockade for a few months of what turns out to brutal mistreatment at the hands of the Sergeant of the Guard at the stockade, Sgt. Fatso Judson, a bully and a sadist. While in the stockade, Prewitt reunites with Maggio and finds that he has been nearly beaten to death by Judson. Maggio dies after panicking and falling out of the ambulance on his way to the hospital. After Prewitt is released from the stockade he tracks downs Judson and kills him in a knife fight. Prewitt is wounded in the fight and he takes refuge at Lorene’s house while he heals.
Captain Holmes is promoted to major and leaves the company. The new company commander does not care about the boxing team. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and Schofield Barracks. First Sergeant Warden organizes the men of his company. He and the other sergeants of the company go to the armory and get Browning Automatic Rifles (B.A.R.s) and .30 caliber Model 1919 machine guns and return fire to the attacking Japanese warplanes. Warden and his men shoot down one of the Japanese "Zeros".
Wanting to join in on the upcoming war, and with Warden promising to help smooth things over regarding Fatso’s murder if he reports back, Prewitt attempts to rejoin the company but is mortally wounded by a nervous sentry that same evening. As he lies dying, he says he knows that Sgt. Warden will take care of his body (make sure his death is marked “line of duty”) and makes sure that it gets a military burial. After he dies, Warden assures the guilt-ridden sentry that Prewitt’s death was going to happen one way or another. When asked by the other soldiers if Prewitt was a good soldier in his company, Warden replies, “Hell, he was the only soldier.”
I LOVE this version!
This has become my favorite mini-series of all time. When it was first aired, I watched it only because of the previews and buzz talk surrounding it. I had never been much of a fan of the original, which was before my time, and that may have a lot to do with me liking this version, I admit. The performances, however, were outstanding. William Devane was excellent in a role I couldn't ever have imagined him in. And of course, there was Natalie Wood, who could NEVER do any wrong as far as I was concerned. I truly believe that she was the most beautiful actress to ever grace the big screen or small. Kim Basinger, in an early role, was absolutely gorgeous and angelic. Joe Pantoliano stepped into a much compared part with a very credible performance. And a young Steve Railsback was perfect for this part, at this time. I have been waiting almost 30 years for this to appear on Home Video, and I hope that it is out soon!
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La serie, estrenada con éxito en Estados Unidos por la cadena NBC (día 14 de febrero de 1979) viene precedida de la excelente acogida comercial que en su día tuvo la novela de James Jones (siete millones de ejemplares vendidos en Estados Unidos) y de la película homónima que dirigió Fred Zinnemann (1953), a los dos años de ser publicada la novela, con Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster (la escena amorosa de la playa fue el escándalo del momento), Montgomery Clift y Frank Sinatra, al frente del reparto. Largometraje que obtuvo Oscars para todo el equipo, entre ellos al guionista Dalton Trumbo.
La nueva versión, veinticinco años después, producida también por la Columbia, fue lanzada al mercado internacional con el eslogan publicitario de «La historia completa que Hollywood no pudo contar en 1953 ».
La censura moral y militar del código Hays parcialmente pericitada, dicen que da paso a una obra más respetuosa con el original literario. Este telefilme que alarmó en principio, ante la posibilidad de que no quede a salvo el honor del ejército norteamericano. Los productores sin embargo, cuentan con la asesoría militar del teniente coronel John Markantonum; la película (excepto la escena amorosa de la playa, filmada en escenario natural de Hawai) se rodó en el cuartel militar de Fort Mac Arthur (Texas), con la participación de 250 marines en papeles de extras, la crueldad de algunos mandos militares y la azarosa vida sentimental de la base, han sido remitidas a su contexto: Pearl Harbour, en torno al fatídico día 7 de diciembre de 1941, cuando la aviación japonesa bombardea y Estados Unidos decide intervenir en la segunda guerra mundial. El novelista James Jones estaba allí, con diecinueve años para contarlo, y resultaría herido en acción de guerra. La crudeza de su lenguaje, sería acolchonada por la película y luego explicitada por el telefilme.
El soldado Robert Prewitt (interpretado por Steve Railsback; Montgomery Clift en la versión cinematográfica) llega en 1941 al cuartel de la compañia G., en Schofield Barracks (Honolulú). Prewitt se niega a formar parte del equipo de boxeo del batallón, ante el recuerdo de la muerte accidental en el ring de un rival. El coronel Dana Holmes (interpretado por Roy Thinnes; Philip Ober en la película) ordena se aplique "tratamiento especial al soldado que se niega a boxear". El sargento Warden (William Devane; Burt Lancaster en la pantalla grande) admira la postura de Prewitt, pero no impide las medidas del coronel para que éste no descubra sus relaciones amorosas con la esposa de su superior: Karen Holmes (interpretada por Natalie Wood; Deborah Kerr en la primera versión). Prewitt encuentra apoyo tan sólo en el soldado Maggio (Joe Pantoliano encarna el primitivo papel de Frank Sinatra) y en la joven Lorene (Kim Basinger), provinciana que viajó a Hawai para hacer fortuna como prostituta. Los dos soldados serán víctimas del sádico sargento Fatson.
La serie tiene también una segunda parte (no escrita por James Jones), no adquirida por TVE, que arranca precisamente con el ataque a Pearl Harbour (final de la novela) y reconstruye las futuras vidas de los supervivientes. Algunos actores, como Natalie Wood, no quisieron participar en esta segunda aventura. Natalie Wood dijo del telefilme: «No se trata de un remake. Es fiel al original y creo que resulta mejor que la película.»
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Natalie Wood's Golden Globe Winning Performance
Natalie Wood's Golden Globe Winning Performance makes this mini series worth watching. Natalie brings heart and sensuality to a complex character torn between desire and propriety, frustrated in a loveless marriage but unable to abandon the trappings of status.
What makes Natalie's performance most memorable is her subtlety. In an era where "over the top" acting seems to get the most recognition, Natalie keeps her tumultuous feelings simmering below the surface, like a volcano threatening to erupt, but controlled enough to simply "glow red." You can see the intense heat in her charcoal eyes. Natalie's ambivalence makes her moments with William Devane all the more powerful.
Try to see the uncut six episode version--you will miss a lot if you only see the 110 minute version.
What makes Natalie's performance most memorable is her subtlety. In an era where "over the top" acting seems to get the most recognition, Natalie keeps her tumultuous feelings simmering below the surface, like a volcano threatening to erupt, but controlled enough to simply "glow red." You can see the intense heat in her charcoal eyes. Natalie's ambivalence makes her moments with William Devane all the more powerful.
Try to see the uncut six episode version--you will miss a lot if you only see the 110 minute version.
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a bunch of talents
The majority opinion can be wrong, and I think this is the case here, because I find the series much better and armonious than the sober film of the 50's, and more close to the original novel. Besides, you can enjoy one of the finest interpretations offered by Natalie Wood (a though but romantic heroin) and supporter Joe Pantoliano -the great resurrection of Frank Sinatra's spirit- who made clear in this production good part of his fabulous acting way that all of us would appreciate years later- thereafter,Pantoliano will consolidate as one of the best character actors of his time.
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MY WEB PAGE TO NATALIE WOOD
