Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Brilliant and touching

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's rare that I like the idea of a remake. Normally, the original film is MUCH better and remakes almost never stand up to the original movie. However, "Hell to Eternity" has an exceptional story--and with only a few small but obvious changes, it could be a great story...because it's true.This film is about a Marine named Guy Gabaldon. He was a Mexican-American who was orphaned and subsequently taken in by a nice Japanese-American family in the 1930s. When WWII came, his adoptive family was placed in an internment camp and two of his new adoptive brothers went to fight in Europe for the Army. Gabaldon volunteered to fight with the Marines in the Pacific and became an interpreter, since he could speak Japanese fluently. On the island of Saipan, like so many other islands occupied by the Japanese, folks committed suicide in huge numbers to avoid being captured by the Americans--a waste and a serious human tragedy. However, Gabaldon was able to use his skills to save many lives--making him a very unusual hero to say the least! As I said, there were a few problems with the film. First, although the movie was VERY progressive in dealing with anti-Japanese prejudices, the film was also prejudiced in its own way--having the VERY non-Hispanic Jeffery Hunter play the lead. Yes, his acting here was fine--but it also whitewashes the contributions of a minority member--and odd omission to say the least. Second, the middle portion of the film SERIOUSLY loses momentum and the entire stripper portion is very inappropriate. I am NOT anti-sex--but the this actually distracted the viewer and much of this portion is pretty dull. But, with these changes, it is a wonderful story! Well worth seeing.

Outstanding war film. Based on a true story from WW II, of Guy Gabaldon, who single-handedly brought in more than 1,500 Japanese prisoners and civilians in the Battle of Saipan in 1944. Jeffrey Hunter and the entire cast are excellent. The movie is excellent also because of the portrayal of emotional conflict of Gabaldon. He was raised by Japanese Americans as an orphan, then had to fight and kill Japanese who killed his Army buddies. The film is a rare one in also showing the concern and care by the American combatants for the innocent Japanese civilians. And, it portrays well the conflicted psyche of the grunt Japanese soldiers and civilians who had been told by their leaders that the Americans were cruel barbarians, and that the Japanese must fight to the death or kill themselves and their children rather than surrender.Wikipedia has an interesting piece on Guy Gabaldon. It's always good to read some biographical info about a real person from the movies. It sounds as though he may have been a little more street tough than portrayed by Jeffrey Hunter. And, that he was a little more threatening of the Japanese soldiers holed up in caves. But, Hunter gives a great portrayal of the hero. Gabaldon must have liked the job Hunter did since he named one of his sons, Jeffrey Hunter Gabaldon. The only distraction in this great film is the night out the three main characters have with women before they go into combat. The heavy drinking and implied lovemaking probably represented what some GIs, Marines and Sailors did before going to war, but it surely didn't represent most. Few in the Army had such a chance -- once you were in battle you were there for the duration. Some units may have been moved back into reserves in Europe or the Pacific, but there sure weren't bars and girls for all-night parties there. So, this piece adds nothing to the film whatsoever. But, the main film and story, with excellent acting and action overrides any detraction to the film by this usual Hollywood gratuitousness.

When the United States of America went to war with Imperial Japan, many a Japanese national joined the armed forces and served the U.S. with distinction and honor. Among those who stood out was this story of a young Chicano from Los Angeles. Good looking Jeffrey Hunter, plays Guy Gabaldon who was raised by a Japanese foster family. Despite the discredit of government officials who interned Japanese/American citizens at the beginning of World War II, the people endured their imprisonment with dignity and patience. Gabaldon, turned down by his own draft board, nevertheless, joins the Marines and meets two close friends, played by David Janssen and Vic Damone. The three make this story touching and believable and their combat experience creates a worthwhile saga. The movie centers on the volatile hard fought conflict on the island of Saipan, where a determined enemy refuses to surrender. Interestingly enough, Guy Gabaldon risks life and limb, saving the lives of thousands of America soldiers and Japanese civilians, yet fails to be nominated for the Medal of Honor. A great and Noble film which has since become a war-time Classic. ****

It's not the exact true story of Marine Private Guy Gabaldon that you see in Hell To Eternity, but you've got enough of the story to appreciate what a remarkable thing he did at the Battle of Saipan. Something was left out and something was added in for box office.What was left out was Gabaldon's Mexican background, presumably you were supposed to guess that from the name. An Anglo kid, Richard Eyer plays him as a juvenile and later Jeffrey Hunter as an adult. I think the impact might have been so much greater had an actor like Perry Lopez taken the part. If the story were done today, you can be sure a Latino actor would be in the role.What is true is that as a kid Gabaldon is taken as a foster child and raised by a Japanese American family, learning the customs and language in the best of schools. Even though initially rejected by his draft board, his language skills got him into the Marines.I'm betting that the good folks at Allied Artists decided just the story of what Gabaldon did on Saipan was not good enough to insure box office, so a sex angle was thrown in. Before the battle we see Hunter and buddies David Janssen and Vic Damone on leave in Hawaii where they meet up with sexpot Patricia Owens. Owens is first an uptight war correspondent, later with a few drinks she steams up the screen with her seductive ways. I well remember as a lad, the ads for Hell To Eternity were all about her character to make sure folks plunked down their money to see this film.As if Gabaldon's Sergeant York like heroics weren't enough. His upbringing enabled Gabaldon to communicate with the Japanese and save a few hundred lives, a lot of them women and children. The Japanese had been fed a steady diet of what to expect from American capture, a lot of that inspired no doubt by what they did with their prisoners.When Gabaldon brought in his charges, his commanding officer immediately dubbed him the Pied Piper of Saipan and the nickname stuck the rest of his life.Despite having the wrong background Jeffrey Hunter delivers a fine performance. Also take note of the part Sessue Hayakawa plays as the Japanese general. They even had the same last name as his character in The Bridge On The River Kwai. Imagine Colonel Saito the commandant in combat in Saipan and you have some idea of his role.The film also deals with the fact that Gabaldon's foster family was interred as many Japanese Americans were, Hell To Eternity was one of the first films dealing with that issue. One of his foster brothers is played by a young George Takei and he fought with the Nisei division in Italy.Despite the steamy sex angle, Hell To Eternity is a good enough war film without it and a real tribute to a genuine American hero. And a hero who saved lives rather than took them.