From Here to Eternity was dramatized by Mark J. Appleman in 1952 as Stockade, a play of limited exposure and appeal. The novel was first filmed in 1953 (produced by Buddy Adler, directed by Fred Zinnemann, released by Columbia in 1953). It received six Academy Awards for production, direction, cinematography, editing, sound, and its screenplay by Daniel Taradash, as well as Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Frank Sinatra (Maggio) and Donna Reed (Alma/Lorene).

Although the screenplay had to be toned down from Jones's earthy original, and the figure of Prewitt, played by Montgomery Clift, was stressed, the film is considered a landmark in screen performance, which Zinnemann called "behaving rather than acting." The motion picture won an Academy Award for Best Picture; The New York Film Critics gave it awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (Burt Lancaster as Sgt. Warden); and Montgomery Clift was...