File #4 From Here to Eternity

In From Here To Eternity we see Frank Sinatra as we have, so far, never seen him before! Here he is not the star of the show, the crooner musician, or the shy lover boy. Instead he is Pvt. Angelo Maggio, a hustler  of sorts but compared to his enemies little more than a "Tough Monkey". He drinks he smokes, he likes women and fairs best in seedy places...a far cry from his musical/acting career from before. Yet Sinatra seems so himself in this film it is almost surprising that he is not actually Maggio. When From Here To Eternity was filming Sinatra was between public personas his old image was quickly fading and his new one had yet to surface so the sense of a beaten man in Maggio feels all the more realistic when played by Sinatra. Other than that Maggio is still surprisingly similar to Frank Sinatra's older roles. 

For instance Maggio is from Brooklyn just like every other character we've seen him play so far, the character is also incredibly likable as our Sinatra's other characters. 

Yet where Anchors Aweigh and On The Town paint Sinatra's characters as innocent, cautious, and tame....Maggio is none of those things. He is a reckless, defiant, womanizer whose bark is much louder than his bite when faced with physical threats. As far as class is concerned, rank Sinatra is nothing new here, he is still blue-collar and rich by no means in the role of Pvt. Maggio (nor by playing him might I add)

 

One scene in particular that brings his masculinity into question is when he throws a chair at his nemesis, Fatso. After Burt Lancaster stops the fight from happening, Maggio is noticeably shaken and states that he is glad he stopped the fight, this sort of comment/action might be seen as un-masculine given the nature of the persona usually attributed to Brooklyn, hustlers, and soldiers. 

Frank Sinatra won an Oscar for his role as Maggio, an award I personally think he deserved.
 Frank Sinatra winning an Oscar® for "From Here to Eternity"

Until next time, Stay golden!