From Here to Eternity: The Breakout Role

After playing the role of the boyish, innocent, and fairly oblivious sailor multiple times, Frank Sinatra proved himself to have the talent and depth necessary for taking up a role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity. He was established as a kind-hearted yet hot-headed little guy who loved his drink and cringed at flagrant injustice. His character added a hint of comedy to the film, playing a believable best friend in the service. His portrayal allowed the audience to find him endearing and fall in love with him again after abandoning him and believing his star had fallen. Perhaps, more than his excellence in portraying the drunkard and funny guy parts, his small stature but strong character and resolve made this a stand out role for Sinatra. His previous characters in Anchors Aweigh, It Happened In Brooklyn, and On the Town all lacked the toughness and masculine (even though at times comedic) qualities that were so evident in From Here to Eternity. Instead of trying so hard to follow other people's rules and playing the system straight like he tended to do in his aforementioned films, Sinatra's internal moral compass, his sense of right and wrong, governed his behavior.

One very stark difference between this film and his musicals is his complete lack of singing or association with music. Even though there were several scenes which incorporated a song, Sinatra did not sing. He also did not have a significant female interest, even though he adopted the role of being very interested in girls--chasing girls for the first time as he had at the club. Since Sinatra did not sing, he lacked the secret weapon to woo his women. His costars, Burt Lancaster and Montgomery Clift, were much more physically appealing than Sinatra, which is highlighted in the film when they appear shirtless or are wearing tank tops. This acceptance of Sinatra as a scrawny guy next to the muscular stars epitomised the supporting actor role; he was used as a prop to show the audience the superior characters of the other men and proved himself to be tough in the meantime. He was still clearly meant to be Italian and also donned the uniform, so there remained some similarities between his past films and From Here to Eternity.

The real testament to his acting was that he made the plot line believable. In the film, Maggio almost gets into a fight with the prison warden and then ends up secretly getting beat up to the point of near death. His escape attempt led to his death. His death led to the murder of the prison warden by Burt Lancaster's character and also indirectly led to Burt Lancaster's death. Only a serious and respected character could be the cause of so much upheaval and have the audience believe that the revenge for his death was necessary--even in hindsight. Sinatra's character was too good of a person and too valuable to see die without repercussions.