Hell to Eternity

goodspee-1

I saw Hell to Eternity when it first came out in 1960. It anticipated the newsreel quality of "Saving Private Ryan" and was very timeless in style. A must see movie about a real hero in a real war. Warning! Like "Ryan" very violent and graphic simulation of actual war battle scenes. Jeffery Hunter turns in an excellent performance of a man struggling to overcome rejection from joining the war effort because of his ethnic background. He finally overcomes the obstacles with his skills as an interpreter, knowing the Japanese language which also saves his life and helps bridge the gap with the Japanese high command of the occupied island where he eventually convinces the commander to surrender. Seeking vengeance for his slain friend (David Jansen) he turns to compassion upon witnessing a suicide of a young mother fearful of Japanese propaganda of anticipated American brutality to then convince the Japanese to peacefully surrender.

score 10/10

goodspee-1 16 April 2006

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1343286/