MovieChat Forums > From Here to Eternity (1953) Discussion > There's one way Prewitt could have gotte...

There's one way Prewitt could have gotten Holmes off his back...

posted 13 years ago by kartoon-1
8 replies | jump to latest

He could have agreed to box on ONE unyeilding condition.
He would say, "No Officer should ever expect his men to do something HE would be afraid to do."
So Prewitt says he will only box for the regiment if Captain Holmes agrees to be his sparring partner before EVERY match.
"We take our uniforms off and step into the ring man-to-man. There'll be NO
insubordination on MY part or pulling rank on YOURS.
Those are my terms...take it or leave it."

That way Holmes would have had to put his money where his mouth was and therefore either back off or accept.
And at least Prewitt would have satisfaction before every match; pummeling a superior officer with impunity.

[–] aldiboronti 13 years ago

Something tells me that you've never been in the army. No, that wouldn't work at all. He was in no position to set conditions. The Captain would simply say I'll leave it and then he's back to square one.

[–] kartoon-1 13 years ago

Then the Captain would have shown his true colours to all.

If I was in Prewitts place I would have said; "I'd prefer to save it for the Nazi's sir. I just know we can't stay out of this war forever, and I'd rather have my wits for fighting the enemy than my fellow soldiers."

[–] snelling 12 years ago

They could have thrown Prew into the brig until he changed his mind.

Rebuild the WTC exactly as before and keep old movies accurate!

[–] kartoon-1 12 years ago

Well, no matter how you slice or dice it, Holmes got his just comeuppance.

Its just too bad Prewitt went down too.

It just shows bullying exists everywhere even in the army.

[–] kkuger 12 years ago

"Holmes got his just comeuppance."

Well, at least in the film. The book was another matter...

[–] kartoon-1 12 years ago

@kkuger.

Yes, he went off unpunished. But ironically, when they were making the movie, the Armed Forces demanded Holmes' punishment to permit the movie being made on the base. They felt seeing an ass like Holmes go unpunished would tarnish the integrity of the US Army for not holding an officer accountable for his actions.

[–] Forlorn_Rage 11 years ago

Right... There is absolutely no corruption in the army or military whatsoever. This is the only thing that ruined an otherwise perfect, seamless movie for me. It was extremely corny and ridiculously out of place.

[–] tropicaldiver2001 8 years ago

Just like The Young Lions, another Montgomery Clift movie, where in the novel the bad captain goes unpunished but in the film he is forced to resign by the good general.