"Nobody ever lies about being lonely."
I'm not the biggest western fan, so if I have to name one of my favourites I'm usually in trouble, and answer automatically: High Noon. I do
n't know why but Fred Zinnemann's deadline-story (gave a lot to Delmer Dave's original (1957) and Mangold's remade Yuma) showed me more than usually the westerns used to give. First of all its biggest merit is the perfectly drawn psychology. And at this point we arrive to his another movie which was made only one year after it: From Here to Eternity.
Zinnemann takes care of psychology for sure. The movie showes Hawaii in 1941, so it could have been another Pearl Harbour-American-heroic tale, but the history almost disappears behind the personal drama. Just like in the case of High Noon: Will Kane (Gary Cooper's best performance what I've seen from him until now) is waiting and preparing for the drama, namely the promised train at 12 o'clock full with bandits planning revenge on him. The threat is there every minute but the drama isn't connecting directly, physically to the train but to the psychological reactions of those people who are waiting for it.
Prowitt (the early died talent, Montgomery Clift with his face mixtured from Elvis and Schwarzenegger:) is like Will Kane: he could choose easier ways but he is - luckily for us - stubborn enough not to run away from the situations. Prowitt, you know, 'prove it'. Another 'James Dean'. As his sergeant said:
"Looks like a good man. I know this type. He is a hardhead."
So, 1941, Hawaii, Schofield Barracks, Prewitt transferred to the island. The reason 'why?' is our first question, but we know, it is actually doesn't matter: the anwer's role is only to enrich our knowledge about Prew's character. At this point of the story more interesting is Karen (anybody can say anything, but Deborah Kerr is beautiful with her strict face and way of speaking), the bossboss captain Holmes' wife, who starts an affair with Prew's strict but human sergeant, Warden (Burt Lancaster). We have an interesting web of relationships immediately (with the traditional tension between army and private life), where there is a regular character, the funny second role, too. Maggio's (Frank Sinatra) figure doesn't so insignificant as it looks like: as we know already these characters used to be the catalysts, the last drops in the drama's glass... [Actually somebody should write a book about this second line-, but very important characters' appearence and importance in Hollywood. "The best friend as a dramatic fuel" or something like this...]
But back to Prewitt's conflict: he stopped boxing a year ago (with a reason, of course...), but Holmes, who as a fan runs an army box-team tries to convince him to return into the ring. The word 'convince' maybe not the right one, let's say he forces him different ways. But - as we know very well - Prew is a 'hardhead', who keeps his word, so he needs to suffer under 'the treatment', a continous tortures of the barrack. He is classic tough guy, can't break him with the army's physical tortures, but could he stand the life's psychological 'treatment' too? This is Zinnemann's - I dare to say - usual question, where all the real, physical, historical threats only colouring the unavoidable drama's background (the informations related to the historical moment are in the background as an "accidentally" shown calendar (6th December, 1941), a newspaper's head about the Japanese army's movements, or the traffic signpost which indicates Pearl Harbour at 8 miles away...).
Maybe not highly, but definitely recommended classic which avoids to show too many American flag and unnecessary heroism. The temporary films should learn about this moderate voice.
8/10
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