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Hell to Eternity

Play trailer Poster for Hell to Eternity 1960 2h 12m War Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter 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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Hell to Eternity

Critics Reviews

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Mae Tinee Chicago Tribune 06/18/2020
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. Go to Full Review
Howard Thompson New York Times 02/07/2020
[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. Go to Full Review
Fred Taomae Shin Nichibei/New Japanese American News 02/07/2020
Although the film ran for two hours and twelve minutes, it did not seem that long as suspense was carried throughout. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 10/23/2019
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... Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 05/27/2014
B-
Earns its stripes by painting the Japanese-Americans during World War II in a positive light and for its relentless attack against racism. Go to Full Review
Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television 08/09/2007
Powerful anti-war drama, with a unique point of view on Japanese-American relations. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Steve D 07/16/2023 Important story poorly told. See more 11/12/2013 love old war movies I could only concentrator 1/4 of them See more 10/07/2012 War drama with plenty of merit, but never really attempts to emphasise its message. See more 09/10/2012 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. See more 06/06/2011 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. See more 02/10/2009 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. See more Read all reviews
Hell to Eternity

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Movie Info

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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