1953, 104 min., 35mm

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018 at 7:30pm

The massive James Jones novel is brought forth in a powerful portrait of pre-WWII enlisted men, the women they loved, and the destiny that overtook them in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film is less a study of military life than a male soap opera, with love affairs involving an officer's wife and an enlisted man (Deborah Kerr, Burt Lancaster) and a military outcast and a prostitute (Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed). All the stars (including Frank Sinatra) give Oscar-caliber performances. Nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, the film won eight, including Best Picture and Best Director.