Back from Eternity (1956)

Dreadfully Boring

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Produced and directed by John Farrow, this remake of director Farrow's earlier RKO film Five Came Back (1939) features the same Richard Carroll story, but this one's screenplay was written by Jonathan Latimer instead. It's a slightly above average adventure drama that doesn't quite have the impact (or originality) of the earlier film, but does feature more richly defined characters, including more about their backgrounds than the original did (this one is 25 minutes longer).The story is about a South American bound airliner with passengers from differing backgrounds that is forced by a storm to land in a jungle containing headhunters. The survivors must repair the plane in time to escape a terrible fate, but then learn that it will only carry five "back from eternity", such that a decision has to made. The cast is both recognizable and (in some cases) excellent:Robert Ryan plays the experienced, even legendary pilot Bill Lonagan, who drinks a bit as he nears retirement. Anita Ekberg plays the fallen woman, an unwanted foreign-born close to being deported Las Vegas casino "good time" girl named Rena. Rod Steiger plays Vasquel, who's on his way to death row in South America for a political assassination attempt on a General. Phyllis Kirk plays Louise Melhorn, who's eloping with Jud Ellis (played by Gene Barry) but later has eyes for the young co-pilot Joe Brooks (played by Keith Andes).Departing from the original, Barry's character is not as well defined as Patric Knowles's wealthy businessman and in fact appears only to be a playboy of sorts. In fact, his subsequent "downfall" is barely shown, making Louise's loss of interest in him appear more about her sudden attraction to Joe than her disdain for a lack of demonstrable character on Jud's part. Fred Clark plays the bounty hunter Crimp, who's only strength is derived from the weapon he carries, that's taking Vasquel to justice. Beulah Bondi and Cameron Prud'Homme play the older couple Martha and Professor Henry Spangler, who come to know Vasquel best in the jungle, the two men sharing common interests. Jesse White plays gunman Pete Boswick, who's escorting his mob boss's (Tol Avery, uncredited) six year old son Tommy Malone (Jon Provost). Adele Mara plays the ill-fated stewardess Maria Alvarez. James Burke (uncredited) plays the airline manager Grimsby.Rather than beginning at the airport, as the original does, this one starts in Las Vegas where the background of Anita Ekberg's Rena is much better defined than Lucille Ball's fallen woman Peggy Nolan. Plus, rather than being a one-stop sleeper flight that includes all of the principal cast from the beginning, the characters in this remake are staged to converge onto the same "doomed" plane from a couple of different airports within in the U.S. and then south of the border.Other minor differences (besides just the character's names) in this film when compared to the original include: co-pilot Brooks (the surname of the pilot in the first one) doesn't show a pre-flight interest in Ellis's fiancée, Pete is a more reluctant "nursemaid" for Tommy, almost allowing the boy to fly alone before finding out (by reading the paper vs. hearing it on the radio in flight) that his boss had been killed (plus, Pete is searched and his gun is removed from him before he boards the plane), after the "crash", the possibility of hiking out is never discussed, less screen-time given to how the survivors obtained and prepared their food and "living quarters" (therefore, who does and doesn't do this work is less character revealing), Steiger's "anarchist" is given more time on- screen (naturally), there's a cat-fight between Louise and Rena over Joe in the stream, and this one has a last touching moment between the Spanglers (discussing their quasi-parental feelings) just before the end.

Back from Eternity (1956)A surprisingly well made movie. The plot is a big contrivance in a way, a calculated drama of conflicting character types in a survival situation. But the acting is excellent, the script tight, and the direction and pacing really strong. Robert Ryan leads the group, literally as the pilot of the doomed plane, and he's in great, restrained form. Eventually he is matched, as an actor, but the nuanced, quirky Rod Steiger, who plays a criminal of sorts. The two leading women are Anita Ekberg, who is here as an ornament as usual, but ends up being a decent character after all, and Phyllis Kirk, and dependable secondary actress.It's probably coincidence, but here is a movie about an airplane by the studio (RKO) run by Howard Hughes, and aircraft industrialist. And it was one of RKO's last films, being ruined (along with all the studios) by the collapse of Old Hollywood. While not a big budget movie, the sets are contrived to work within their limitations, being stuck, as it were, in the jungle. The weirdest thing here might be that the director (and producer), John Farrow, made the same movie in 1939. The first one is supposed to be better, but I haven't seen it, and this one holds its own. Partly it's just the searing acting of Steiger, and of Ryan. If the plot were not quite so improbable, and the inevitable weeding out of the survivors from the victims, the movie might be considered really excellent. It never wavers (except maybe the girl fight in the pool, which is stupidity), and it has lots of nuances and romantic touches.

This tale was previously filmed in 1939 ,by the same director ,John Farrow and in that version it was a lean,mean and exciting B-movie.Here it lasts 20 minutes or so longer and this additional running time consists mainly of padding ,which serves to dilute the impact of the movie.It means that the minor classic of an earlier era has become a solid and enjoyable movie from the era in which it was made . The story revolves around a plane crash in the remote jungles of South America. The pilot declares he is able to repair the plane and it will fly some of them back to safety ,the problem being there is only room for 5 people on board the repaired vessel ,which means some will have to stay behind and take their chances with the inhospitable terrain and the hostile natives who are unhappy about this incursion into their domain . The survivors are a disparate group-there is the hard drinking pilot (Robert Ryan) ,a Vegas performer (Anita Ekberg),a criminal en route to execution (Rod Steiger) and the sadistic cop accompanying him (Fred Clark),a socialite and her milquetoast fiancé (Phyllis Kirk and Gene Barry),the co-pilot (Keith Andes),a distinguished elderly academic and his wife of many years (Cameron Proudhomme and Beulah Bondi).The party is rounded out by a 4 year old boy(Jon Provost) The movie sees the party disintegrate under the strain as tensions erupt and violence breaks out before the final decision is a made The movie is well acted -,especially by Steiger ,Barry and Ryan ,has a crisp Franz Waxman score and delivers solid entertainment all round .It would ,in my view have benefited from being a tad leaner and more economical but there is still a good time to be had from watching it

I am fortunate enough to have seen both this movie and the original version (FIVE CAME BACK)--both of which were directed by John Farrow. So it was in light of this that I felt pretty disappointed in this film--even though it stars Robert Ryan (one of my favorite actors). Most of it is because there just didn't seem to be a reason for the remake--in no way did it really seem like an improvement over the old material. Instead, it was actually worse and by the mid-1950s, it hardly seemed very original (coming just after John Wayne's THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY). I think that a lot of the problem is that the ensemble cast just didn't seem all that good and there was no gimmick to hook the viewer (other than Anita Ekberg's breasts--which feature quite prominently in this film).