Back from Eternity (1956)

A South American plane loaded with an assortment of characters crash lands in a remote jungle area in the middle of a storm. The passengers then discover they are in an area inhabited by ... See full summary »

Director:

John Farrow

Writers:

Richard Carroll (story), Jonathan Latimer

Stars:

Robert Ryan, Anita Ekberg, Rod Steiger

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Ryan	...	Bill Lonagan
Anita Ekberg	...	Rena
Rod Steiger	...	Vasquel
Phyllis Kirk	...	Louise Melhorn
Keith Andes	...	Joe Brooks
Gene Barry	...	Jud Ellis
Fred Clark	...	Crimp
Beulah Bondi	...	Martha Spangler
Cameron Prud'Homme	...	Prof. Henry Spangler
Jesse White	...	Pete Boswick
Adele Mara	...	Maria Alvarez - Stewardess
Jon Provost	...	Tommy Malone

Storyline

A South American plane loaded with an assortment of characters crash lands in a remote jungle area in the middle of a storm. The passengers then discover they are in an area inhabited by vicious cannibals and must escape before they are found.

---

Plot Keywords:

jungle | remake | dead women in uniform | jungle tribe | amazon tribe | 

---

Taglines:

30 MINUTES TO LIVE - Head-hunter Drums grew louder in the jungle and a condemned criminal held 9 lives in his hands.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 February 1957 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Zurück aus der Ewigkeit

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbara Eden's movie debut.

---

Goofs

Lighting and camera crew are reflected in car windows as car drives away from airport.

---

Connections

Remake of Five Came Back (1939)

User Reviews

Seldom rises above B-grade melodrama...

Why John Farrow decided there had to be a remake of FIVE CAME BACK (which he directed earlier) remains a mystery to me. The script here is pretty much the same thing--standard plane crash with survivors lost in the jungle--and all on a studio set that looks like no more than a studio set. So much for reality.

But the performances he draws from his cast are almost enough to make the film as engrossing as it strives to be. The passengers are a mixed lot--among them a beauteous Anita Ekberg who poses prettily but makes no real effort to act. On the other hand, Robert Ryan and Keith Andes, as co-pilots, Beulah Bondi and Cameron Prud'Homme as an elderly couple, Phyllis Kirk and Gene Barry as a mismatched young couple, and Jon Provost (before his Lassie fame) do excellent jobs considering the fact that their roles are stereotypes. There are also less fortunate roles played by Adele Mara, Jesse White and Fred Clark. Mara's sudden exit from the plane at the height of the storm at least spares her the difficulty of facing the rest of the film as a stranded stewardess.

Top-lined in the cast is Rod Steiger as a criminal facing execution once he is returned to authorities. In an ironic twist of fate, he's the one who eventually chooses who shall leave the jungle crash scene and who shall not.

Interesting, but no real improvement over the original except for a few of the performances. All in all, good B-picture entertainment.

The most convincing moments are the plane's anxious moments during a wild thunderstorm. This is by and far the most visually compelling part of the film in which Farrow's direction (and some good special effects) shows his capabilities.