Raetsonwe
Redundant and unnecessary.
ChanBot
i must have seen a different film!!
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
LeonLouisRicci
As if on cue, when the New Decade and the Year 1960 Clicked Over, Hollywood Suddenly, almost Subconsciously started to Defy the "Hays Code". "Hell to Eternity" was Not an Ordinary "War" Movie. The Neo-Realistic Films started to Emerge in Genre after Genre.In this Gritty Phil Karlson Film there are Sequences of Raw Sex and Ultra-Violence (squibs). Up Close and Personal Battle Scenes that were Visceral and "In Your Face". Even a bit of Off-Color Language can be Heard now and then.Add to that, previously only Sam Fuller seemed to Showcase and Care about Minorities Involved in War-Time Settings. But here, the Director makes it the Center Point of the Film. Some Hedging and Changes were made to the "Real Life" Story of Guy Gabaldon (Jeffrey Hunter), but the Core Message Remains.The Movie is too Long, with some Scenes Extended beyond Tolerable, mainly the Marines Drinking and Sexing, but there are others. The whole First Half of the Film is a Setup and Pre-War Family Bonding, that was Needed but it goes on Way too Long. There are other Small Missteps like No Subtitles in the Long Japanese General's Speech to His Men.It's Not a Perfect or Great Film, but Overall, it is Karlson's Edgy Direction of a Story Worth Telling that makes this a Remarkable and Memorable Movie.Part of its Reputation is because in 1960 it was an Anticipatory Style that Prefigured the Decade and Beyond and there just wasn't anything like it at the Time. It Stood Out and Got Noticed by Fans of War Movies and those with a Social Conscience.
Theo Robertson
This is a war bio-pic about Guy Gabaldon of the USMC . It's a strange film featuring two distinct halves . One of Gabaldon newly arrived in the Marine Corps and the second half concentrating on the battle of Saipan . When I say strange what I mean is that it's heavily clichéd but for someone reason it manages to hide the clichés very well The first half features those loud American who constantly feature in these type of movies . They're drinkers , gamblers , womanisers and heaven help anyone who has no concept of the alpha male . What makes this part of the film interesting is that there's a nightclub scene that has rampant sexuality featuring a female character and Gabaldon played by Jeffrey Hunter which must have seemed somewhat explicit at the time The second half features the bloody battle of Saipan and one interesting thing about the landings is that Japanese characters speak to Japanese characters in Japanese without the benefit of subtitles . Compare this to films at the time had Germans speaking to one another in English and characters speaking in their native tongue must have appeared unusual back in the day . The battle scenes are relatively graphic though little children turning reminded me of THE GREEN BERETS The problem with this movie is that for something that is marketed as a war film it takes a long time to reach its destination of the battlefield and with the exception of the nightclub scene the film is very talkative with little in the way of incident which stops it from becoming a great film . As it stands it's okay though it helps if you watch it of the era of when it was made
texohio
I remember seeing this movie many times in the 60's and 70's at the theater, on television, and on VHS. I grew up watching WWII movies and remember this as one that had a special appeal to me. I guess because I lived in Japan in the 1950's and visited some of the locales from the movie. The acting was well done and the story was well told and realistic. It is interesting to view the cast when they were relatively new to movies. David Janssen and Vic Damone stand out in my memory and Jeffrey Hunter was always a class act in films. I highly recommend seeing it if possible. I do find it hard to believe that it is called a "lost classic" and runs so high for a copy. Anyone know where I could get a cheaper copy, I would like to hear from you.
junobuggo
I have had the privilege of viewing this movie on numerous occasions. Back when I was growing up, war movies, such as this, were shown on TV quite often. This movie was one of the many small bits and pieces of how I view certain events and human behaviors that make up my personality (in a positive way). Fortunately, even thought the movie takes some liberties with the truth about the life of Guy and his life, the more important moral messages about war, human emotions, race relations and the Japanese Internment controversies more than make up for these inaccuracies. For whatever reasons, this movie, I believe, has allowed me to become a more accepting/open human being of other cultures and races. It taught me family values and the frailty of the human condition (not to mention the horrors of war). Given this was a "war movie", it is a credit to the director, actors and writers that I was affected in other more important areas of my makeup than that of just history and/or war. I salute this endeavor. I highly rate it. Particularly for those who have problems with the issues I mentioned above. May Guy rest in peace (1926 - 2006)
