#52: From Here to Eternity (1953)

Emily says:

"From Here to Eternity" follows the relationships of Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) and Warden (Cliff Lancaster), two members of the same army company stationed in Hawaii before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Warden, a lieutenant, pursues a relationship with the captain's wife. Prewitt's relationship is with "Lorene," a woman really named Alma who works in a club in town as a kind of escort for the army men who visit the club.

When Alma ("Lorene") declares to Prewett that her plan is to save up some money and go back home, buy a house, join the country club and be "proper" I cringed a little bit, but her next declaration was the one that really floored me: "proper people are safe." The 1950's morality in this movie trumped any interest that I had in the development of the characters and their relationships with one another.

One final observation: it sometimes concerns me that in 1950s movies I can't tell when the characters are madly in love with one another and when they are angry with one another.