jjnxn-1 Quite wonderful little B picture that shows the strengths of the studio system. Being shot on a low budget with a director, writers and actors under contract this and many, many others could be churned out economically and at low cost. Because of those facts studios would turn out many small pictures, some real stinkers but occasionally a gem like this.The story of a set of disparate people trapped in a confined situation isn't a new one, nor was it in 1939 but though quick pacing, a solid screenplay and a talented cast this manages to stand above the usual second string fodder fed to theatres to complete a double bill.All the performers, some falling stars like Chester Morris some rising like Lucy and some reliable standbys such as Allen Jenkins, are terrific but of course some stronger then others. C. Aubrey Smith and Elisabeth Risdon as a couple grown apart through their years together but who reconnect during their trials have the most beautiful chemistry, they truly feel like long time marrieds. The other outstanding performer is Joseph Calleia as the condemned Vasquez. Most well known as a vicious bad guy he is cast similarly in this but with a twist. He's a killer but humane with an intellectual bent, his is probably the film's best performance. The most famous person in the film now but just another starlet at the time is of course Lucille Ball. If you only know her as that wacky redhead from TV this is a good place to start to acquaint yourself with her filmography. Having worked her way up from bits and extra work to a showcase role in Stage Door and then B-level leading lady roles she displays some of her signature sass but also gives a fine non-jokey performance as a woman of questionable repute.The picture's quality was recognized at the time of its release turning the modest film into a huge money earner in respect to its budget. Farrow returned to the material about fifteen years later and reworked it slightly into the remake Back from Eternity. That is a decent film also but missing a certain something that makes the original stand out. Well worth watching.

jarrodmcdonald-1 Interestingly, the film ends on the non-survivors. The average viewer knows that the women and children had to be saved, and the screenwriters have made sure the much-less valuable characters die off-- the boy's uncle, the playboy, the man facing prosecution, and the elderly couple. So in that regard, it is all morally correct. Plus, don't overlook the fact the writers manage to stay clear of cannibalism. Still, I think there are ways the story could have been improved. We should have seen more with the pilots trying to fix the plane and the frustration of it taking so long to salvage the wrecked aircraft. We should have seen the rescue team attempt to find them. And we should have seen the natives-- after all, wasn't it a bit too convenient that the natives did not become a problem until after the eighteenth day? And why wasn't there any discussion that once the first five returned safely that they might help the rescue team go back to get the other five?

CelluloidDog A pleasant surprise of a film! It has a common theme of surviving a disaster (in this case, a plane crash but other themes might be shipwreck or being stranded in the desert) and trying to survive against all odds. Not everyone can make it out so it's a study in character and sacrifice. The jungles are lush and the natives are a bit stereotyped, however back then I think not due to the producers and directors but to captivate a less sophisticated audience. With Lucille Ball, John Carradine in early roles, it's a curiosity and well-acted. The budget was small and it's called a B movie, but in many ways, it's not. 8 for acting and plot/influence.

Neil Doyle FIVE CAME BACK is a standard RKO B-film, capably directed by John Farrow with a cast headed by a bunch of veterans who were now entering the B-film phase of their careers--CHESTER MORRIS, KENT SMITH, PATRIC KNOWLES, WENDY BARRIE--and some very good character actors like Joseph CALLEIA, SIR C. AUBREY SMITH and JOHN CARRADINE. At that time, even LUCILLE BALL could be called a veteran actress, having adorned many a B-film in less than impressive ingenue roles, usually as a brassy type with a heart of gold--but this is certainly one of her lesser early assignments. It's easy to get the feeling that you've seen this sort of plot before, perhaps in a different setting.She's rather wasted here since most of the footage concentrates on the men who have more to do in this tale of a plane crash in the Amazon jungle that leaves them stranded near some dangerous natives until they can get the plane fixed. The pilots (CHESTER MORRIS, KENT SMITH) then have to give the others the bad news--the plane can only take off if there are five passengers aboard it. As it turns out, it's up to reformed revolutionary Joseph CALLEIA to choose who stays and who goes. PATRIC KNOWLES is the cowardly suitor of WENDY BARRIE who gets his comeuppance at the hands of the reformed man when he attempts to bribe his way to escape.If this sounds familiar, it's because Farrow directed the same story again years later, called BACK FROM ETERNITY.It's absorbing but obviously a low-budget film, rather murkily photographed using some of the old KING KONG jungle sets (unless that's the fault of the print I viewed on TCM), and the script is better than average for this type of story. But if you have the feeling that you've seen this all before, you probably have. The stock characters facing peril will remind you of those STAGECOACH characters, most of whom had to worry about their fate, some brave and heroic, others more like cowards. Still, it works.