Inferno (1953)

Greed, and the want of someone else's wealth at any and all costs, will not make a person(s) happy no matter what the initial premise for proceeding with an attempted murder is. In this film noir there are three key players. The victim is the very rich and bratty Donald Whitley Carson III (played by Robert Ryan who usually plays the bad guy), who is married to a cheating wife named Geraldine Carson (played by the attractive Rhonda Fleming) and Donald's business partner and so-called friend Joseph Duncan, (played by the thin waisted William Lundigan), who has fallen under Geraldine's spell. So Geraldine and Joseph hatch a plan to leave Donald Whitley Carson III out in the desert with a broken leg under the pretense that they will be back to get him once they have brought back medical aid to take care of his broken leg. It doesn't take Donald Whitley Carson III long to figure out that his loving wife and good friend actually perpetrated to break his leg by a so called accident and leave him to bake in the 120 degree hot sun with his water and food supply dangerously low. Geraldine and Donald start to panic when they hear that Donald Whitley Carson III may have survived so they drive back out to the desert to finish him off. But along comes the crudgy old desert fox named Sam Elby with his Beverly Hillbillies like jalopy that is steaming and sputtering but to Donald Whitley Carson III this old vehicle appears out from the blazing red sun as a shining white knight, a God come to save him from what was sure to be an otherwise painful and slow death for the buzzards to pick at his skin and bones. The crudgy Sam Elby is played to perfection by character actor Henry Hull who lives off of the desert land and has little to no need to the wealthy Donald Whitley Carson III's money, and only wants to feed and shelter him.This is a story that you want to see the good guys win and the bad guys get their just rewards. What I learned from this story is "that money is definitely a lousy measure to keep score' of the winners and losers in life...and in death.

Having broken his leg in a mining expedition a millionaire named "Donald Whitney Carson III" (Robert Ryan) is asked to stay in the desert while his wife "Geraldine Carson" (Rhonda Fleming) and his new business partner "Joseph Duncan" (Robert Lundigan) promise to send for help. The two of them then drive off and leave him to die by concocting a plot which has authorities looking in the wrong vicinity. However, after waiting for over a day he finally figures out what his wife and partner have done and he becomes determined to get even with them. The question is whether he can survive long enough in the desert with the limited food and water he has available to him. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that from what I understand this film was initially released in 3D which was apparently even more impressive than the 2D version I saw. Even so, Robert Ryan put on an excellent performance as the scrappy survivalist who simply refuses to abandon hope. Likewise, Rhonda Fleming was absolutely gorgeous and performed equally well as the selfish and adulteress wife. In any case, I enjoyed this picture and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

Boy the reviews here are pretty strong for a mediocre crime/survival drama. It's worth watching but I don't get the love even though I'm a lifelong desert rat (on the other hand maybe that's why I'm unimpressed, the desert scenes are as over-dramatized as they are weak).Ryan does an OK job winning our sympathy once he's been out in the desert a while but the scenes where he's trying to move/climb/hunt are so hokey that it gets a bit comical. The actual best part IMO is the ridiculous melodrama of Fleming and Lundigan dealing with fear that someone will figure out what they did as their lust smolders back at the awesome vintage 50s motel.As for the 3D well I was never a fan (except for the so-bad-it's-awesome Treasure Of The Four Crowns) or the contrived ways most 3D films try and mix in an object headed at the screen but if you want to see someone throw a knuckle curve with a kerosene lantern, this is the movie for you!

Joseph (William Lundigan) and Geraldine (Rhonda Fleming) abandon Geraldine's husband, Donald (Robert Ryan) in the desert with a broken leg and inadequate provisions for survival. They have hatched a plot so that they can inherit Donald's money once he is found dead. The story follows Donald's struggle for survival, alone in the desert. Joseph and Geraldine worry that Donald's body hasn't been found and return to the scene of the crime to finish him off......This film is shot in 3-D so I put on my 3-D glasses to watch it. At first, I thought I could see Rhonda Fleming's breasts poking out at me but I may have been imagining it. The whole 3-D thing doesn't really work until the end of the film when there is a fire. The flames look like a gas fire with blue bits appearing everywhere. It looks different but I'm not sure if it's really any better than seeing the raging flames in their natural orange colour. Other incidents like a snake leaping towards the screen and a lamp being hurled towards the screen just don't produce the required effect. That aside, the film keeps you watching. It's a different story that is well-acted and worth seeing again.