An all-star cast brought what was considered an unfilmable novel to the screen with skill and grace with this story of the loves, hopes, and dreams of those in a close-knit Army barracks in Hawaii shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Montgomery Clift portrays a former boxer who refuses to fight after blinding a friend in the ring and is sent to the remote outpost as punishment for his insubordination. Love and tragedy abound in this unflattering look at military life and American thought before the war. Director Fred Zinneman's Oscar-winning film is based on the novel by James Jones.