Hell to Eternity

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Hell to Eternity

Released Aug 1, 1960

2h 12m

War

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83%

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6 Reviews

44%

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100+ Ratings

Guy Gabaldon (Jeffrey Hunter) is an orphaned Latino youth raised in Los Angeles by an adoptive Japanese-American family. With the dawn of conflict in the Pacific, Gabaldon enlists in the military as a translator. Fighting in the Battle of Saipan, he's horrified at the carnage. So, disobeying orders, he goes behind enemy lines and talks the Japanese into willful surrender, saving thousands of lives on both sides. The film is based on the true story of the decorated World War II veteran.

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Mae Tinee

Chicago Tribune

The film is handled with a fair amount of sensitivity, which frequently saves it from going overboard and the cast Is a capable one, led by Jeff Hunter. However, the picture is almost stolen by an appealing, elderly woman, playing mama Une.

Jun 18, 2020

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Howard Thompson

New York Times

[It's] no great, soaring World War II drama. But as a sturdy anti-war sermon, trimly told and performed with realistic compassion, this medium-sized picture is tough, thoughtful and, especially in one extended battle sequence, tingling.

Feb 7, 2020

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Fred Taomae

Shin Nichibei/New Japanese American News

Although the film ran for two hours and twelve minutes, it did not seem that long as suspense was carried throughout.

Feb 7, 2020

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Though evidently based on fact, the martial exploits of the soldier hero (Jeffrey Hunter) are difficult to believe. The story, however, has some unhackneyed elements that deserve attention...

Oct 23, 2019

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Earns its stripes by painting the Japanese-Americans during World War II in a positive light and for its relentless attack against racism.

Rated: B-

May 27, 2014

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Powerful anti-war drama, with a unique point of view on Japanese-American relations.

Aug 9, 2007

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Steve D

Important story poorly told.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/16/23

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Audience Member

love old war movies I could only concentrator 1/4 of them

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

War drama with plenty of merit, but never really attempts to emphasise its message.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

A touching story, especially for a war movie. The hero is an interesting mix of red-blooded soldier and a tender heart. The portrayal seems realistic especially compared to some other movies of that era. It also has some nuanced treatment of the moral questions around the existence of Japanese internment camps at the same time that many of Japanese descent were also patriotic Americans and even servicemen.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

Hell to Eternity (1960) I know, a Memorial Day full of war movies. Maybe I've seen far too many of them in my life. It was kind of refreshing to see this movie starring child actor, Richard Eyer, as young Guy Gabaldon, an orphaned child who gets adopted by a Japanese American family and later, as grown up Jeffrey Hunter, becomes a Marine who can speak Japanese. It covers a lot of the hazards of Nisei families during the second world war; being sent to concentration camps while many young Japanese American men joined the Army and fought in Europe. Since Guy can speak Japanese and is aware of Japanese culture he's perfect to talk the Japanese soldiers and civilians to surrender safely, and is nicknamed the pied piper of Saipan. Veteran silent actor Sessue Hayakawa plays the Japanese General Matsui who is trying to talk his men into doing a suicide Banzai charge.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

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Audience Member

One of the first films to address the injustice of the WWII internment camps for Japanese Americans. Poorly named <i>Hell To Eternity</i> is a Hollywoodized version of the true story of Guy Gabaldon, a Hispanic boy who was adopted and raised by a Japanese family during the Great Depression. Gabaldon served as an interpreter in the U.S. Marine Corps, ultimately saving many American lives. This film struggles to find it's identity. It seems as though it can't decide whether it wants to be a socio-political drama or an action-packed war picture. The two concepts never effectively merge. They just seem stacked, one on top of the other. The result is a film that sometimes flows, sometimes flounders.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Phil Karlson

Director

Jeffrey Hunter

Guy Gabaldon

David Janssen

Sgt. Bill Hazen

Vic Damone

Cpl. Pete Lewis

Patricia Owens

Sheila Lincoln

Richard Eyer

Guy, as a boy

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Synopsis

Guy Gabaldon (Jeffrey Hunter) is an orphaned Latino youth raised in Los Angeles by an adoptive Japanese-American family. With the dawn of conflict in the Pacific, Gabaldon enlists in the military as a translator. Fighting in the Battle of Saipan, he's horrified at the carnage. So, disobeying orders, he goes behind enemy lines and talks the Japanese into willful surrender, saving thousands of lives on both sides. The film is based on the true story of the decorated World War II veteran.

Director: Phil Karlson
Producer: Irving H. Levin
Screenwriter: Ted Sherdeman, Walter Roeber Schmidt
Production Co: Allied Artists, Atlantic Pictures
Genre: War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 1960, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Runtime: 2h 12m

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