Back from Eternity (1956): Cast & Plot
Back from Eternity is a 1956 adventure drama directed by John Farrow, starring Robert Ryan as Bill Lonagan, Keith Andes and Gene Barry. It runs 1 hour 40 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 40m (100 min)
- Director
- John Farrow
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- John Farrow Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Back from Eternity About?
The premise of Back from Eternity without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
After a storm forces a South American flight carrying a mixed group of passengers to crash‑land in a remote jungle, the survivors find the area ruled by vicious cannibals. Led by Ekberg, they must navigate the hostile terrain and devise a daring escape before the predators track them. The film revisits the 1939 classic Five Came Back.
Back from Eternity Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- emergency landing
- flight attendant
- airport
- airplane crash
- jungle
- flying through a storm
- airplane taking off
- airplane captain
- airline pilot
- lighting a cigarette
- boarding a plane
- dead stewardess
+38 more Show fewer
- stewardess
- remake by original director
- remake
- pilot
- co pilot
- missed airline flight
- change of plans
- curmudgeon
- charming child
- san dimas
- reference to rio de janeiro brazil
- reference to arroz con pollo
- shrunken head
- layover
- stockholder
- reference to boca grande
- fear
- immigration
- professor
- south america
- german
- propeller airplane
- tropical storm
- panama radio
- change of course
- oxygen tank
- married couple
- fire extinguisher
- fire aboard an airplane
- engine trouble
- parachute
- flare
- valley
- desperation
- emblem of authority
- firewood
- wild game
- ammunition
Back from Eternity Cast & Characters
Robert Ryan leads the cast as Bill Lonagan, with Keith Andes as Joe Brooks and Gene Barry as Jud Ellis. Directed by John Farrow; 15 actors are credited in all.
- Director John Farrow
-
Robert Ryan as Bill Lonagan - Keith Andes as Joe Brooks
-
Gene Barry as Jud Ellis -
Rod Steiger as Vasquel
Also Starring in Back from Eternity
· 11 more- Phyllis Kirk Louise Melhorn
- Fred Clark Crimp
- Jesse White Pete Boswick
- Jon Provost Tommy Malone
- Cameron Prud'Homme Prof. Henry Spangler
- Beulah Bondi Martha Spangler
- Anita Ekberg Rena
- Adele Mara Maria Alvarez - Stewardess
- Theresa Harris Mamie (uncredited)
- Barbara Eden Student Newspaper Photographer
- Marilyn Hanold Showgirl
More from John Farrow
More films directed by John Farrow, best-rated first: Hondo, Around the World in 80 Days, John Paul Jones and The Unholy Wife.
Back from Eternity Plot Summary
What happens in Back from Eternity from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Captain Bill Lonagan, Robert Ryan, and his co-pilot Joe Brooks, Keith Andes, pilot a Douglas DC-2 on a tense, crowded flight from a tiny South American airline toward Boca Grande. Onboard, Jud Ellis, Gene Barry, moves with the air of privilege he’s known for, escorting his new fiancée Louise Melhorn, Phyllis Kirk. Also traveling are Vasquel, Rod Steiger, a self-proclaimed student of people who is being transported back to the authorities by bounty hunter Crimp, Fred Clark; Pete Boswick, Jesse White, a mobster accompanying the boss’s son Tommy Malone, Jon Provost; the elderly Professor Henry Spangler, Cameron Prud’Homme, and his wife, Martha Spangler, Beulah Bondi; and Rena, Anita Ekberg, bound for work at a South American casino.
Full summary
The whole story of Back from Eternity, scene by scene
Back from Eternity Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Back from Eternity.
How Well Do You Know Back from Eternity?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which actor portrays Captain Bill Lonagan?
Cars in Back from Eternity
12 cars on screen, including the 1930 Buick Series 40 and the 1955 Dodge Coronet.
-
1930 Buick Series 40 Minor role -
1955 Dodge Coronet Minor role -
1956 Imperial Minor role -
1955 Buick Super Background role
Back from Eternity Also Known As
6 alternative titles, including “Zurück aus der Ewigkeit” and “Les Echappes Du Neant”.
- Also known as
-
- Zurück aus der Ewigkeit
- Les Echappes Du Neant
- Ritorno dall'eternità
- Regreso de la eternidad
- Les Échappés Du Néant
- De Volta da Eternidade
Seen Back from Eternity?
Movies Like Back from Eternity
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Five Came Back, Those Who Came Back and Emergency Landing.
Back from Eternity FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Back from Eternity, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Back from Eternity?
Back from Eternity runs 1 hour 40 minutes (100 minutes).
When was Back from Eternity released?
Back from Eternity was released on September 7, 1956.
Who directed Back from Eternity?
Back from Eternity was directed by John Farrow.
More films by John Farrow Who is in the cast of Back from Eternity?
Back from Eternity stars Robert Ryan as Bill Lonagan, Keith Andes as Joe Brooks and Gene Barry as Jud Ellis, among 15 credited actors.
Does Back from Eternity have a post-credit scene?
No. Back from Eternity has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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