Britannica Sources used in this answer

How does the attack on Pearl Harbor affect the ending of From Here to Eternity?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Fred Zinnemann stands between Marlon Brando, left, in a suit, and Montgomery Clift, right, in a tank top, on the set of From Here to Eternity, with lockers in the background. — Fred Zinnemann (From left to right) Marlon Brando, Fred Zinnemann, and Montgomery Clift on the set of *From Here to Eternity* (1953).

In the 1953 film From Here to Eternity, the Pearl Harbor attack serves as the climactic event that dictates the tragic conclusion of the protagonist, Robert E. Lee Prewitt.

After killing Sergeant Judson in a knife fight to avenge his friend Maggio, Prewitt is recovering at the home of his love interest, Lorene. When the Japanese attack begins, Prewitt hears the news on the radio and attempts to return to his company to join the defense. Tragically, as he tries to slip back into camp, a guard mistakes him for an enemy invader and shoots him dead. The film concludes with a final scene on an evacuation ship, where Karen and Alma meet; Alma reveals that her fiancé was a bomber pilot who was killed during the same attack, underscoring the devastating personal impact of the event on the characters' lives.1