Inferno (1953 film)
| Inferno | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Roy Ward Baker |
| Produced by | William Bloom |
| Screenplay by | Francis Cockrell |
| Starring |
Robert Ryan Rhonda Fleming William Lundigan |
| Music by | Paul Sawtell |
| Cinematography | Lucien Ballard |
| Edited by | Robert L. Simpson |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,055,000 |
Inferno is a 1953 American film noir drama/thriller starring Robert Ryan, William Lundigan and Rhonda Fleming, directed by Roy Ward Baker. It was shot in Technicolor and shown in 3-D Dimension and stereophonic sound on prints for the few theaters equipped for that sound system in 1953.
During a trip to the Mojave Desert, millionaire Donald Carson III, having broken his leg falling off his horse, has been abandoned and left to die by Geraldine, his adulterous femme fatale wife, and mining engineer Joe Duncan, a man she's known for just a few days.
Gerry and Joe leave the injured man a blanket, a canteen and a gun before driving off, supposedly to seek medical aid. As the hours go by and Carson realizes the truth of his predicament, he vows to live long enough to exact revenge against his wife and her accomplice.
Carson is reported missing to police lieutenant Mike Platt and to Dave Emory, who is Carson's lawyer and business manager. Gerry doesn't mention the broken leg and claims her husband wandered off. Emory isn't yet too concerned because Carson is a temperamental alcoholic who has acted irresponsibly more than once.
The lovers fly to Carson's mansion in Los Angeles knowing that Carson is a good 60 miles from where they told the police to look. They expect him to succumb to the desert heat or to shoot himself with the gun. Far more resourceful than they anticipated, Carson manages to make a splint, then crawl his way to an abandoned mine, where he uses timber for a makeshift crutch. He finds sustenance from the meat of a cactus and attempts in vain to shoot a rabbit with the gun.
When it rains, after Carson has been gone a week, Gerry and Joe are relieved because it has permanently covered any tracks they left. Carson is presumed dead by the law. Joe flies a plane over the region, just in case, and spots a fire Carson has made. Knowing now he's alive, Joe finds it necessary to drive back into the desert and finish off Carson once and for all.
Gerry waits in the car while Joe stalks his prey. Just as he aims his gun, Joe is startled by the sight of Carson being found by an old prospector driving a jalopy. Returning to his own car, Joe discovers that Gerry has run it into a rock. He realizes that she'd intended to drive off and leave him there. Joe angrily walks away, leaving Gerry to fend for herself.
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