In 1953, the intertwined and minimally clothed bodies of actors Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr kissing on a Hawaiian beach, waves crashing around them, was about as risque as Hollywood was willing to be. The film, “From Here to Eternity,” is based on the novel by James Jones, a native of Robinson, Ill., which is about 115 miles south of Champaign-Urbana. While the film won numerous Academy Awards after its release, it had been sanitized for the silver screen, omitting its rough language, references to homosexuality, and portrayals of the blatant prostitution that were present in 1940s military life in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

But on Oct. 23 in London’s West End, Tim Rice and Stuart Brayson’s musical adaptation of Jones’ story debuted and disregarded the censorship put in place 60 years ago. It instead stayed true to the novel’s biting truth of what life was really like, and the raw and honest depiction of the days leading up to the Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor gives audiences a glimpse into the past. A younger crowd may even be surprised that they connect to Jones’ characters of the same age.

“Raw,” “gutsy,” “gritty” and “sexy” are just some of the words London publications such as The Telegraph and the Independent have used to describe the production. Despite these positive reactions to the show, some reviews have been more critical.

George Hendrick, first president of the James Jones Literary Society and professor emeritus of English at the University of Illinois, served as the editor for the uncensored version of Jones’ novel, which was substantially edited in previous publications due to its starkness and unsuppressed content. This new edition provides much of the basis for the production in London, while the Lancaster/Kerr screen adaptation drew from the “safer” issues that stifled Jones’ intended veracity and shrouded the novel’s depth.

Hendrick said he was not surprised that the performance — which exhibited the uncensored material that was left out of the film — received mixed reactions.

“I don’t think it’s unusual for a production of any kind to get some mixed reviews,” Hendrick said. “Sometimes in the United Kingdom there’s not a full appreciation of American literature and culture. Jones tried to describe the military just as it was from 1939 to 1941. He did the United States a great service in showing this part of the world. A great many things that he was writing about have not changed in military, the government and in society.”

The composer of the production, Stuart Brayson, said he crafted music reflective of the World War II period, while also reaching out to younger, more modern audiences who are encountering the story for the first time.

“It appeals to young people because it’s about young people,” he said. “They’re not spoiled, they’re not corrupted — I love young people, because they’re as close to a blank slate as you’re going to get,” Brayson said. “I mean, when you’re 25, you’re 25, so this show is relevant anytime. And there’s always war.”

Jones’ writing is a quintessential aspect of Midwestern literature, with many of his personal letters and other writings archived at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University. His realistic and candid novel features many characters based on real people that Jones encountered while he himself was based in Hawaii during his time in the United States Army. It has provided insight to the cast of the musical that was otherwise unavailable to them, said British actor Robert Lonsdale in a BBC Radio interview.

Lonsdale plays the lead role of Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt in the London-based performance.

“I’ve used (the film) very little, really, in terms of reference,” he said. “I’ve used the book. The book is an incredibly reliable source of information, for all the characters, not just for me.”

“From Here to Eternity” officially opened earlier this month at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, with a surprisingly large amount of young people in attendance. Though advertised as a story of love and desire, one walks away with much more than that. It’s a show about finding yourself, the uncertainty of tomorrow, and how war changes everything. These are enduring themes, relevant to the readers and movie-goers of 60 years ago, the young Londoner looking for a new and exciting show, and a 19-year-old writing for The Daily Illini. It’s an edgy new production that owes its grit to words deemed too straightforward and frank for the mid-century white picket fence families, but that have at long last been published in the uncensored, uncut manner in which they were meant to be read. It addresses real feelings and real fears, real ambitions and real disappointments, showing that Jones’ story is eternal.

Jessica is a freshman in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].