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There were two problems with Back From Eternity which is not the fault of the people who actually made this film. RKO Studios was going out of business as Howard Hughes was busy folding it up. The film was released and then very quickly was on television as the entire RKO film library was. The second is unfortunately the film came out in the wake of The High and the Mighty. Most airplane pictures suffer in comparison to that one.

Not mind you that it could have been given better productions values. Color for the jungle scenes and maybe some location shooting instead of dusting off the same sets used for Five Came Back, for that matter for King Kong.

Remember RKO was owned by one of aviation's biggest boosters in Howard Hughes. Not that he couldn't have afforded some better productions values. But then again he was getting out of the film business at this time. Then again had he put some money into it, we also would have had more Hughes control and the results might have been interesting. Not necessarily good, but interesting.

That being said the cast does a fine job for director John Farrow. Like John Wayne in The High and the Mighty, Robert Ryan is fine as the able veteran airline pilot in charge of getting his passengers and crew back to safety after they've force landed in the South American jungle. Of course with the pulchritudinous Anita Ekberg on board and interested that's enough to give anyone a morale booster.

Rod Steiger plays the criminal on the way to his execution, a part done by Joseph Calleia in the original. Both are fine and are an interesting contrast in acting styles.

John Farrow added a few things here that were not in the original. One of the dumber things added was a chick fight between Phyllis Kirk and Anita Ekberg while they are stranded in the jungle. I mean was that really necessary John? Added nothing to the plot and kind of stupid when you come to think about it.

Still, chick fight and all, Back from Eternity is a good solid piece of entertainment that also asks some important questions about the quality of life collectively and the quality of how one spends his allotted time on earth.

Airplane (with passengers) crashed in jungle near tribe of head-hunters. Great ending to this one. The always dependable Robert Ryan is the pilot and Rod Steiger is outstanding as a criminal on his way to prison. Gorgeous Anita Ekberg is on hand with various American types to fill out the slate.

A 7 out of 10. Best performance = Mr. Steiger. Tension really builds in this one after the first hour. It's tough to see what's coming, but it's worth the wait. Definitely in the Top 10 of 1956. Jon Provost (from LASSIE) is the little kid. Keith Andes (Skip Homier's brother) is co-pilot.

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

After having just seen BACK FROM ETERNITY for the first time in about a "hundred" years, I really have to weigh in with my opinion on this. It is one of the few times when the remake is an improvement on the original, exceptionally so.

I saw the original (FIVE CAME BACK) some time ago and, from what I can tell, the only thing which could possibly raise it even slightly above the superior remake is the curiosity factor of having Lucille Ball in the cast. Other than that, the acting and the production were very wooden and dated, and the overall cast pales in comparison to that which was assembled for ETERNITY.

For anyone not familiar with the story, a plane crashes in the midst of a remote South American jungle. Besides the pilot and co-pilot, there are nine passengers: a so-called "fallen woman", an engaged couple, an elderly professor and his wife, a small boy and his guardian, and a cop with a prisoner in tow. They must stay alive until the plane is repaired, a task complicated by the realization that they are surrounded by a hostile tribe of headhunters.

Here you have Robert Ryan instead of Chester Morris, Rod Steiger instead of Joseph Calleia, and Gene Barry instead of Patric Knowles. Ryan and Steiger especially, in the main roles, display more screen presence and acting talent in this one film than their predecessors were able to conjure up in their entire careers.

Ryan plays the world-weary pilot, another of his sturdy and dependable performances which are often overlooked and not fully appreciated because he made it seem so effortless. Steiger has the more colorful role as the anarchist, with only imprisonment and execution waiting for him if and when they make it back to civilization. The same talent, which would gain an Oscar for the actor some ten years later, is clearly evident here.

The underrated Keith Andes (as the co-pilot, instead of forgettable Kent Taylor) gives a hint of the star he could have become, and the equally underrated Phyllis Kirk is far more effective in her role than whoever played it in the original. Barry, usually cast as a good guy, gives a good account of himself, playing Kirk's fiancée. Whereas most of the other passengers rise to the occasion, his character becomes increasingly desperate, grasping, and unstable.

Anita Ekberg, frequently dismissed as an actress, may not have been as talented as Lucille Ball (who played the part in the original), but at least proved that she could indeed act, and is certainly more convincing in this type of role than Lucy was.

Of note is a pre-Lassie Jon Provost as the little boy. Jesse White, better known for his work in comedic films, does a fine job as the boy's roughhewn guardian, and Fred Clark is good at giving a distasteful stamp to the rather seedy cop. Above all, Cameron Prudhomme and Beulah Bondi, as the old professor and his mrs., give two very moving, heartfelt performances.

The story concerns the characters' survival, how each holds up under the pressure and are changed by the situation. Steiger begins to rediscover some of the values of his youth, but then finally takes it upon himself to decide who will live and who will die, when it is learned that some must stay behind. The conclusion builds to a shattering climax that will stay with you long after the film ends. This is the remake to see and it is definitely worth seeing.

Director John Farrow re-makes FIVE CAME BACK(1939), which he also directed. The crew and passengers of a crippled plane try to survive in a South American jungle. Pretty bland, but worth watching due to the acting of Rod Steiger. Destined to face a firing squad, Steiger's character is pivotal to the films anxious finale. Other cast members of note are: Robert Ryan, Gene Barry, Phyllis Kirk, Anita Ekberg and a young Jon Provost. If you are like me and enjoy watching the old black & white movies...this really isn't so bad.

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.

I first saw this film as a young boy, when it was first shown here in Australia, and I haven't seen it since, even on television. But it remains vivid in my memory solely because of the performance of Rod Steiger. His "villain with a soul" is a role he played in many subsequent films, and it is what makes him so absorbing and intriguing to watch. Nobody does brooding menace like Rod Steiger. In this film, he outshines every other player, and in fact his character, and what he does at the end, is the core of the plot. Back from Eternity might be classified as a B-Grade film, but for the fact that Rod Steiger is in it.

Movie was entertaining to watch, caught it on TCM. Really enjoyed the vintage aircraft scenes. Everybody smoking on flights in those days; must have been a joy trying to breath. Rod Steiger definitely was the highlight of this film, his performance was stellar. One comment about Robert Ryan, knowing that he was a WW2 Marine Drill instructor. The way he handled the revolver was hilarious, in one scene when he requests a fellow cast member to follow him he actually pokes him in the belly with it. If I was a former Marine I would have railed against that kind of direction. Oh well, just a B movie, but I would have thought he would handle his weapon better than that of a fellow actor in "Plan 9 From Outer Space". ROFL

Not a bad B movie, but why did they remake it? I suppose because it's cheaper to recycle stories that the studio already owns than to buy new ones. Even the title seems designed by a bricoleur. ("From Here to Eternity" (1953) to "Back From Eternity" (1956).)

The director is the same and so is the story but, alas, the pace is slower and heavier. In the original, no time was wasted on padding. The actors spoke their lines quickly, as if rushing through them to save a few frames of expensive film stock. This one carries with it a kind of languid lack of energy, as if everyone involved in the production had caught yellow fever. More time is spent on romance and less on practical matters.

Further, we get more emphasis on a few of the characters who must explain their current state of disillusion or develop their growing love for one another. It's less of an ensemble movie than the 1939 version. Just two examples. Robert Ryan gets far more screen time than Chester Morris did in the same role. And Gene Barry's role as the spoiled, cowardly, rich drunk is reduced to a few nasty lines.

And the evolution of the group's self consciousness is weakened by the absence of a montage in the original, in which we see everyone working happily away at their tasks, laughing and getting to know each other. There is no such animation here, only fatigue.

Robert Ryan's part, the pilot, is given greater emphasis but his specialty is doing an impression of a boiler whose valves are closed and which is just about to explode at the seams. And here he more or less walks through the part, unusual for him because of his inherent dynamism. Rod Steiger is more important than Joseph Callaeia in the original too. The old professor is no longer the expert on Jivaro headhunting. Steiger is now the authority. That's fine for Steiger, but it leaves the elderly professor twisting in the wind. Just exactly what the hell does he TEACH anyway? Nobody seems to care.

In some ways this film makes more of an impression than the earlier one. The airplane is bigger, for instance, as are Anita Ekberg's bosoms. And it has one or two unforgettable scenes. The beautiful, wooden Phyllis Kirk helping the guys heave the airplane off the ground, tottering in the middle of the Amazon jungle in her chic outfit and high heels. Kirk and Ekberg having a heck of a good time fighting in a studio-bound pool of jungle water, unable to stop from laughing as they wrestle and bat at each other. Come to think of it, any normal man wouldn't mind joining the fight. How about some mud and bikinis in the NEXT remake?

The long list of great movies attributed to Robert Ryan span from here to eternity and beyond. This film which is among his best is entitled " Back From Eternity. " It tells the story of a group of nine passengers traveling aboard a plane destined for remote locations. Unfortunately, the plane is forced to crash in the uncivilized, headhunter jungles of South America and the audience becomes more acquainted with the passenger list as they are exposed to indigenous danger. Robert Ryan is Bill Lonagan, the tired, world weary veteran pilot, who dreams of a place in the sun. Rod Steiger plays Vasquel, a condemned man facing the gallows. Keith Andes is Joe Brooks, the ever stalwart Co-Pilot. Gene Barry, Fred Clark, Jesse White and Jon Provost add definite color to the cast as does Anita Ekberg, Phyllis Kirk, Louise Melhorn, Beulah Bondi, Martha Spangler as the Stewardess. Each have reasons to live and a couple the courage to die. In between we learn just how deep convictions are and what we believe is not what we expect from appearances. Rod Steiger gives a sterling performance which should have earned him an Academy Award. The film has a certain panache worthy of a Classic and we who view it should be fortunate to have seen it. Recommended to any looking for a great movie.****

Director John Farrow's remake of his well-regarded 1939 adventure "Five Came Back" is generally considered by many film buffs to be not quite as effective the second time around. A small passenger plane bound for South America makes an emergency landing in the jungles of Central America--but, with only one working engine, can only hold five of its passengers for the voyage home. This is the kind of overheated, overexcited actors' piece in which the encroaching head hunters are secondary to the character conflicts happening among the flight crew and guest list; it's also the type of movie where the natives are never seen but we hear their drums getting closer...closer. As a political assassin who holds a gun on the terrified group, Rod Steiger overrides the scenario with his Method acting; snarling and sweating and twisting his mouth, Steiger turns this piece into a one-man showcase, as if he were heading up an acting seminar. Steiger works out not only his demons, but maybe Farrow's as well (the director gives the actor ample room to go into his lunatic arias). None of the other cast members stands a chance against Steiger's scenery-chewing, though Beulah Bondi nearly gives him competition (she's still doing her humble act on a grandiose scale to tug at our heartstrings). There's a child wrapped around Anita Ekberg's neck who doesn't have much to offer (he's used as a prop, much like oldsters Bondi and Cameron Prud'Homme, who seem to have been beamed in from "Playhouse 90"). Even the production is disappointing, with Farrow trying for claustrophobic hysteria but instead getting melodrama in theatrically-cramped quarters. *1/2 from ****

This might be considered a B movie, but it is in a word very entertaining. The cast of different characters and portrayals of those roles are very well done. The movie sets you up for what is about to happen and then plunges you full throttle into the story. It is every bit as entertaining and full of drama as the later Airport movies of the 1970's. In fact, in many ways this is much better. It is very fun to see Jesse White in a role other than the Maytag repair man. The same can be said for actors Fred Clark, Jon Provost, Gene Barry and the rest who were more famous for other roles. You have to love Rod Steiger's character. He is definitely the most interesting in the movie. It is a nice little movie in character studies and how they deal with a forced landing in a jungle clearing with a cannibal tribe nearby. This movie stacks up to the airport and other flight disaster movies quite well. I first saw this as a teenager and I never forgot it, especially when the decision had to be made to see who stayed behind and especially who made the decision. For this being a B movie it is still very first rate and gets an A in viewing pleasure.

The film has a great cast that compliment each others performances including the relationship that each of the characters in the plane have with the young boy Tommy Malone (Jon Provost) who needs someone to watch over this seven (7) year old child when the plane crashed in the middle of the most remote islands where there are known cannibals in existence. The natives are never seen and only heard when their drums are vibrating that state that an attack is imminent on their intruders.

Can the pilot(s) Bill Lonagan (Robert Ryan), and Joe Brooks (Keith Andes) who miraculously landed their damaged plane in the wild island woods caused by the thunderstorms in the sky above repair the plane sufficient enough to make it airborne once again before the cannibals decide to attack.

Immediately upon crashing the passengers challenge one another who is in charge and the last man standing with a gun in hand will win out or will they? This is an adventure film which contains immense love, caring, cruelty, selfishness and selfless acts of courage and love. I give the film a well worth watching 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.

This film completely surprised me the way it started out with various people all planning to take a trip on a plane, there is an old couple, a prisoner, Vasquel, (Rod Steiger) and a fallen lady Rena, (Anita Ekberg). There is even a little boy who is being cared for by a mobster who decides the last minute to catch this same plane. The pilot of this plane is Bill Lonagan, (Robert Ryan) who is a veteran pilot but is also a heavy drinker. This plane crashes into a very thick jungle where head hunters occupy this territory which most of the people have not been told about this fact. All of a sudden, the little boy asks everyone to say the "Lord's Prayer" and after this, Vasquel turns religious and many people seem to change their thinking and the way they treat each other. Of course, there is evil vs. good among some of these people and this story goes into a completely different direction.

But keep the remote handy. Most of Back from Eternity is a gripping airplane survival movie. Cast and script move things along believably for the most part. But, and here is the unfortunate aspect, there are too many long talking scenes that for the era constitute "character development." To my mind, they add nothing to the story, disrupt the plot, and just make the film longer. Fast-forward through these and enjoy an otherwise excellent film.

First we are introduced to the various characters in the airport. The steady stewardess. The couple on their way to be married. The young son of a mobster (who you might recognize as little Timmy of "Lassie" fame). An attractive female who is hoping to find a job at the end of her journey. The copilot, and a pilot of questionable credentials and a large reputation. They are on their way to Boca Grande.

Each has a backstory and they run the gamut. The passenger list is revised at the last second due to major happenings. Then they have a stopover where two more passengers board---a dangerous prisoner (Rod Steiger) and the lawman assigned to watch him. This is a plane filled with big personalities and emotional transitions.

An emergency forces the pilot to land the plane in a remote area. This is a survival situation in which important decisions must be made. Leaders must be chosen, rules must be set, and a social order must be established. Before it all ends, they will have to navigate some tough moral dilemmas.

That's a lot to pack into 1.5 hours. With all the complications of personalities, and the developments that create tough choices and questions of conscience, it may be too much. The result is a somewhat superficial drama that, though engaging, never digs very deep.

All of the casting is interesting. Robert Ryan plays the pilot with a checkered past. Anita Ekberg plays the comely beauty who was sent away to another continent, discarded but desperately hopeful.

The B movie treatment makes this film so much less than it might have been, given the acting talents involved. Watch for Barbara Eden near the beginning.

I classify "Back From Eternity", John Farrow's remake of "Five Came Back" as a 'stunt' film. This is because it isolates human beings for the purpose of analyzing a range of character types, instead of connecting them to a larger world of potentials. The original filmed version of this interesting story was shorter and more direct; the attempt by John Farrow and his writers in 1956 was to turn a first-rate adventure film into a dramatic one; and they nearly succeeded, by my standards. The problem in the remake I suggest lies in the writers having turned the lead, Bill, played by Robert Ryan, into a man who cannot be trusted not to drink alcohol, even though he is a pilot. This problem with the ethical central character, otherwise a man of great ability and experience, makes the man, played by Ryan, who lacks the charisma of his second, Joe Brooks, played by the immensely-powerful Keith Andes, decidedly inferior to his second in voltage, interest and ethical consistency. Some of the other casting, that of sex-symbol non-actress Anita Ekberg as a saloon girl and Rod Steiger doing a partially-unsuccessful foreign accent, makes the actors and their parts less acceptable than they deserve to be. Many actors in this film do admirable work; and it is a filmed narrative filled I believe with wonderful scenes both before and after the crash of the aircraft aboard which most of the cast flies. Andes and Phyllis Kirk are I suggest unforgettable lovers, played off the obnoxious character impersonated capably by Gene Barry. The elder actors from Fred Clark to Beulah Bondi are all excellent, and the plot line--involving an attempt to repair one of the downed plane's engines to escape a jungle inhabited by headhunters--is particularly exciting. Especially this is so I argue because with one engine and a short runway, everyone in the downed party cannot be flown to safety. Who will decide who lives and who dies--and on what basis-forms a strong counterpoint to the film's basic examination of how ethical considerations affect the way people live in normal situations. This is a well-directed and very well-remembered film; one that is extremely underrated and I suggest worth watching many times over. But its greatest asset is Keith Andes who made a near miracle as usual, out of slim opportunities.

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).

A 1956 remake of Five Came Back, ironically by the same director, John Farrow. According to TCM, this was the last ditch effort by RKO studios to get their finances back in the black (owner Howard Hughes squandered their budgets w/overblown projects) so they decided to bring out one of their popular mainstays & remake it, w/their former box office king Robert Ryan in the lead, w/the hopes of success. The story follows the 1939 original where a group of passengers & crew stranded in the wilds of South America when their plane crashes & their efforts to put aside their differences to get the plane repaired & to safety before some natives attack. The usual hi-jinks ensue so the novelty & peril of the original is lost on its poorer cousin. Also starring Anita Ekberg, Gene Barry & an early turn by Rod Steiger who plays a reformed villain who saves the day in spite of himself.

For a film director to remake one of his own movies is a fairly rare occurrence, but that's not to say it hasn't happened down the years. Cecil B DeMille made two versions of The Ten Commandments (1923 and 1956); Alfred Hitchcock made two versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 and 1956); The Vanishing was also done twice by George Sluizer (1988 and 1993).

Back From Eternity marks the turn of John Farrow to join this select band of movie makers who have remade one of their own pictures. In this case, Farrow resurrects his 1939 philosophical jungle adventure Five Came Back, but his purpose in doing so is never particularly clear. Indeed, in most aspects this film is actually INFERIOR to its predecessor. Yes, there are occasional moving and exciting moments…. but on the whole it should have been a lot better.

A plane flying across South America runs into difficulties during a freak storm and crash lands in the jungle. The pilot Bill Lonagan (Robert Ryan) and his co-pilot Joe Brooks (Keith Andes) reckon they can fix the damaged aircraft, at least partially, but unfortunately for the passengers it's not just a simple case of sitting around waiting for the plane to be repaired. Gradually they come to realise that they're in cannibal country, with a tribe of headhunters preparing to close in for the kill. Things get even worse when the pilots announce they'll only be able to take five passengers aboard the plane – any more will make it impossible to take off due to the weakened engines. Tensions boil as the group debate and argue over who should go and who should stay to face horrible and certain death…..

Back From Eternity definitely has a strong cast, with Ryan doing solid work as the pilot with a booze addiction and Rod Steiger in splendid form as a Death Row criminal among their number. Keith Andes makes a surprisingly big impression too as the co-pilot who gets involved in a love triangle. The plot automatically throws up fascinating philosophical questions about the value of life. How can you say one life is more precious than another? How would YOU persuade your way aboard the makeshift plane if you were in those circumstances? Is there a purely methodical way of choosing five worthy survivors… and would there be any way of avoiding the inevitable emotional implications when making such a choice? Unfortunately, though, these inherent philosophical ideas don't make for as engrossing a picture as you might expect. Maybe it's the wordy and over-extended script, or maybe it's the silly extraneous details (e.g a needless love triangle, an exploitative female swamp-wrestling scene, etc.), but Back From Eternity just never quite fulfils its potential.