FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

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FROM HERE TO ETERNITY is a 1953 Hollywood drama starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed. The film is about life on a military base in Pearl Harbor in 1941. Previously passed 'A' with cuts for cinema release in 1953 and then 'PG' without cuts on video in 1988, this cinema re-release has been classified 'PG' and contains mild violence, sex references and language.

At 'PG', the BBFC's Guidelines state that 'Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy)'. The mild violence seen during FROM HERE TO ETERNITY includes a bar fight in which a character is struck on the head with a chair, and a broken bottle is brandished before the fight ends. Later in the film, two characters also have a knife fight, during which one of the men is mortally wounded. Another scene features one of the soldiers being beaten up as he initially refuses to enter a fight, before retaliating and defeating his opponent. Such content was considered permissible at the 'PG' category due to the historical nature of the work and the fact that there is no dwelling on any stronger detail (such as sight of bloody injuries).

At 'PG' the Guidelines state that 'Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent' and that there may be 'Mild sex references and innuendo only'. The sex references in the film include innuendo-laced dialogue, such as "You picked a lovely spot for a meeting....I've been hit on three times...I never did go much for back alley living" and the comment from a soldier that a woman "took up with a lot of men...I was one of them". The film also features a famous sequence in which a couple kiss passionately on the beach after running from the sea. Such dialogue and activity was permissible at 'PG' due to its mild and discreet nature.

The film also contains mild language. At 'PG' the Guidelines state that there should be 'mild bad language only', and that 'Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of or in an educational or historical context'. The language present in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY exists within the historical scenario of the film and consists primarily of derogatory terms by a villainous character who would not appear attractive to children. The character refers to an Italian soldier as a "wop" on several occasions. However, such comments are clearly put into context by virtue of the fact that the character using them is odious and violent, with his behaviour condemned by other characters. On occasion there are also references to the Japanese as 'Japs', in both dialogue and newspaper headlines. Again, this reflects the language of the historical period in which the film is set.

The film also features cigarette smoking throughout, by male and female characters. Again, this reflects the age of the film and the period in which it is set. The film does not specifically promote cigarette smoking and is unlikely to have wide appeal to children.