Dir. Fred Zinnemann (1953).
This quintessential service drama, set on an Oahu army base in late 1941, exemplifies something that ended with The Godfather—a sprawling bestseller transformed into all-star Oscar-bait. The acting bonanza includes Frank Sinatra’s comeback turn, cast-against-type perfs by Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed, Burt Lancaster’s tough first sergeant and Montgomery Clift’s tragic company misfit. Nearly everyone gets a drunk scene as the movie juggles multiple romances and a sense of impending doom all the way to the big Pearl Harbor blowout.
Sun., March 14, 2 & 6:30 p.m., 2010