''Back from Eternity'' is a 1956 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

about a planeload of people stranded in the South American jungle and subsequently menaced by headhunters. The film stars

Robert Ryan Robert Bushnell Ryan (November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973) was an American actor and activist. Known for his portrayals of hardened cops and ruthless villains, Ryan performed for over three decades. He was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

, Rod Steiger,

Anita Ekberg Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg (; 29 September 193111 January 2015) was a Swedish actress active in American and European films, known for her beauty and stunning figure. She became prominent in her iconic role as Sylvia in the Federico Fellini ...

and

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films '' The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The Worl ...

. The film is a remake of the 1939 film ''

Five Came Back ''Five Came Back'' is a 1939 American black-and-white melodrama from RKO Radio Pictures produced by Robert Sisk, directed by John Farrow, written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo, and Nathanael West, and starring Chester Morris and Lucille Ball. ...

'', also directed and produced by

John Farrow John Villiers Farrow, KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, in 1942 he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

. Richard Carroll, who is credited with writing the story for ''Back from Eternity'', wrote the original story for ''Five Came Back''.

Plot

A Douglas DC-2, from a tiny South American airline, is piloted by Captain Bill Lonagan and co-pilot Joe Brooks, bound for Boca Grande. The passengers are: Jud Ellis, a man of privilege escorting his new fiancée Louise Melhorn; repentant political assassin Vasquel, being transported back to the proper authorities by

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

Crimp; mobster Pete Bostwick, accompanying the son of his boss, Tommy; elderly Professor Spangler, accompanied on a research trip by his wife of 42 years; and prostitute Rena, on her way to work a South American casino. To Louise's disgust, a local tries to sell Tommy a shrunken head at the airport. During the flight, Vasquel, a self-proclaimed student of people, recounts his precise knowledge of cannibals and how they shrink the heads to the Spanglers. He also taunts Crimp, who reads aloud a newspaper article detailing the murder of Tommy's father before Bostwick stops him and tries to distract the boy. The aircraft enters a rough storm and is dangerously jostled about, resulting in Crimp losing his revolver. A portable oxygen tank is loosened from its mooring and crashes through one of the fuselage doors. Flight attendant Maria Alvarez plummets to her death while trying to keep Tommy away from the open door. After a fire breaks out in the cockpit, the crew is forced to make an emergency landing at a clearing in the remote jungle. Tensions soon mount, exacerbated by both their plight and clashing personalities. After first trying to attract Ellis, Rena finds herself drawn to the world weary Lonagan. They form a connection, understanding each other's lot in life; he was a highly regarded pilot on major airlines until turning to drink after his wife died, while she is a post-war

displaced person Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of persecution, conflict, g ...

unable to get a passport, taken advantage of by men who pushed her into her profession. The group works to repair the plane while Professor Spangler keeps a journal of their situation. Crimp tries to take charge of the group, but Vasquel stops him, revealing he has Crimp's revolver – which he gives to Captain Lonagan as the legal authority of the stranded group. Late one night, Crimp renders Bostwick temporarily unconscious, steals the revolver, then flees into the jungle. Ellis is consistently self-serving, to the disappointment of Louise, who finds herself mutually attracted to the brave and upright co-pilot Brooks. When Ellis gets drunk one night and tries to force himself upon Louise, Brooks stops him. Louise soon finds herself attracted Brooks and suspects the same of Rena. Jealous of Rena, Louise confronts her and the two women, assigned clothes washing duties by Lonagan, have "... a knock-down and drag-out fight" in a nearby stream. After a fortnight of effort, the aircraft is nearly repaired. Tommy wanders into the jungle but is found by Bostwick and Rena, who discover Crimp's headless body. Rena and Tommy return to camp, but local headhunters kill Bostwick with a poison dart. Everyone quickly boards the plane, but when Lonagan and Brooks start the engines, they discover an oil leak in one engine. Lonagan patches it, but informs the others that it will not hold long. With only one good engine, the aircraft can carry only five people – Tommy plus four adults – over the mountains. Everyone but Ellis quickly volunteers to be amongst the four who must stay behind and face the headhunters. With gun in hand, Vasquel takes charge, saying he will stay and will chose the other three via logic. The Spanglers, the most elderly, convince Vasquel they should stay. Vasquel selects Ellis as well, then has to kill him when Ellis grabs for the gun. The aircraft manages to take off. As the headhunters close in, Vasquel saves the Spanglers from torture by shooting them with the last two bullets, then prays as he awaits a horrible death.

Cast

as Bill Lonagan *

as Rena * Rod Steiger as Vasquel *

Phyllis Kirk Phyllis Kirk (born Phyllis Kirkgaard; September 18, 1927 October 19, 2006) was an American actress. Early life Kirk was born in Syracuse, New York, although some sources state her birthplace as Plainfield, New Jersey. She contracted polio as ...

as Louise Melhorn *

Keith Andes Keith Andes (born John Charles Andes, July 12, 1920 – November 11, 2005) was an American film, radio, musical theater, stage and television actor. Early life The son of Mr. and Mrs. William G. Andes, Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

as Joe Brooks *

as Jud Ellis *

Fred Clark Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American film and television character actor. Early years Born in Lincoln, California, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended Stanford University with plans to become ...

as Crimp *

Beulah Bondi Beulah Bondi (born Beulah Bondy; May 3, 1889 – January 11, 1981)According to the State of California. ''California Death Index, 1940–1997''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At ...

as Martha Spangler * Cameron Prud'Homme as Professor Henry Spangler * Jesse White as Pete Bostwick *

Adele Mara Adele Mara (born Adelaida Delgado; April 28, 1923 – May 7, 2010) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, who appeared in films during the 1940s and 1950s and on television in the 1950s and 1960s. Early years Mara was born in Highland P ...

as Maria Alvarez – Stewardess *

Jon Provost Jonathan Bion Provost (born March 12, 1950) is an American actor, best known for his role as young Timmy Martin in the CBS series '' Lassie''. Life and career Provost was born in Los Angeles. At the age of four, Provost was cast in the film ...

as Tommy Malone * Tristram Coffin as Paul, Rena's "patron" * James Burke as Grimsby, Airline Manager *

Tol Avery Taliaferro Ware "Tol" Avery (August 28, 1915 – August 27, 1973) was an American film and television character actor with more than a hundred screen appearances between 1950 and 1974. Biography Early in his career, Avery appeared as "Dennison ...

as Thomas J. Malone * Joe Gray as Gambler * Charles Meredith as Dean Simmons * Harold J. Stone as Dealer * Marilyn Hanold, uncredited casino showgirl Cast notes *

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opp ...

made her screen debut in ''Back from Eternity'', in a minor, uncredited role as a photojournalist

Production

In 1951, RKO producer Sam Wiesenthal hired D. M. Marshman to write a new version of ''Five Came Back''. Marshman was reportedly going to incorporate a recent incident in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

where a cable car broke down and left people marooned up in the air. John Farrow agreed to direct a remake as part of a three-picture deal with RKO. Production began in February 1956 and principal photography took place from March 5 to April 26. The fight scene between Kirk and Ekberg required the creation of a stream on the movie's sound set, equipped with running water and foam rubber rocks to avoid injury to the two actresses and seven takes before final filming. Kirk said her and Ekberg were exhausted after the fight. The supposed New York airport control tower shown near the beginning of the film is actually that of the

Lockheed Air Terminal Lockheed (originally spelled Loughead) may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Lockheed Corporation, a former American aircraft manufacturer * Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta ** Lockheed Mar ...

in Burbank, California.

Reception

Despite its earlier notable screen heritage, ''Back from Eternity'' did not have a positive review from film critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. He said, in part, " ... the plight of a group of people downed in the South American wilds when the airliner in which they are traveling is forced to crash land by a violent thunderstorm ... This is the undistinguished company, and we hasten to advise that nothing that happens to them is either inspired or interesting. "Crowther, Bosley
"Back from Eternity (1956); Screen: Crash landing; 'Back From Eternity' opens at Victoria."
''The New York Times'', September 8, 1956.

References

Informational notes Citations Bibliography * Pendo, Stephen (1985) ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. .

External links