Ordeal

This made for TV drama is a re-make of a 1953 film called "Inferno", directed by Roy Ward Baker which featured Rhonda Fleming and Robert Ryan. "Inferno" was shot in 3-D. "Ordeal" is an effective re-casting of the original, but Arthur Hill cannot match the grim intensity that Robert Ryan brought to the role of the stranded husband. Diana Muldaur, while lacking Rhonda Fleming's glamor, is actually more convincing in her role as the faithless wife. On the whole, I slightly prefer the original, but the TV version is certainly worth your time. Oddly enough, the male actors who play the lovers of the women in both films are equally bland and ineffective.

You find out a lot about yourself, when you're lost in the desert. I'm sure Arthur Hill's survivalist techniques in "Ordeal" are open to challenge, but that is not the point of this excellent TV movie. It's all about a life changing experience, that transforms a pompous ass of a husband, into a person who realizes that perhaps he should share the blame for his attempted murder. Arthur Hill is the husband, and Diana Muldaur the wife who leaves him to die. James Stacy is along for the ride as Muldaur's accomplice and lover. The desert photography is outstanding, and dozens of animal species show up on screen. The entire film is character driven, however all of the main characters are unpleasant. ...... - MERK

This noteworthy film stars Arthur Hill as a worthy and initially shallow businessman. His wife, well-portrayed by the memorable Diana Muldaur, schemes to rid herself of him, and her lover conspires with her, (As portrayed by James Stacy, as her slick opportunist lover).

Hill finds himself abandoned in the scorching, unforgiving desert, and at first is tempted to give up. There is a suspenseful soundtrack and he gradually learns to fight back, despite a broken leg, dehydration, and no rescue in sight.

Muldaur meanwhile enjoys the spoils of what she thinks is his eventual demise. She and her lover celebrate the fact that his tracks have been covered by rain, he is most likely dead. There are some nice shots of her 1970's style mansion, kaleidoscopic colors from that era, and set decoration.

They visit the desert to ensure that Hill has died, there is a suspenseful twist at the end, and you will truly enjoy this film. There was an earlier film starring Robert Ryan and Rhonda Fleming (circa 1950's) which I believe was a similar theme. Recommended. 8/10.

"Ordeal" is a quality television film from 1973 with a very good cast and great production values. The story of a somewhat shallow rich man who literally wanders the desert and in the process discovers his deeper self. The bright ,arrid Arizona desert is used to great effect and I was really impressed by the film's stately score. Seemingly all the main characters in the movie are unlikeable ,but Arthur Hill lets us see the subtle transformation from a man on a mission of hateful revenge(against a fed-up wife and the shifty trail guide who left him to die with a broken leg in the merciless desert)to a man who, in overcoming incredible obstacles(almost too incredible), he finds his place-connection in this stark natural world and an inner peace.The scene where he finds a water hole is beautifully done.This film is certainly a worth a look.

Ordeal (1973)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent made-for-TV flick about a rich husband (Arthur Hill) who goes out into the desert with his wife (Diana Muldaur) and a guide (James Stacy) trying to find a certain location he might be buying. The abusive and hard-headed husband ends up falling down a cliff and breaking his leg. The wife and guide go to get help but she talks him into letting her husband die so that they can keep his money. The only problem is that he realizes what they're up to when no one comes back for him so he plans on making it out by himself. ORDEAL has a lot of silly stuff in it and it goes on a bit too long even at just 88-minutes but there's enough entertainment here to make it worth viewing as long as you don't go in expecting too much. One of the biggest flaws in the story is how the rich man ends up out in the desert on his own. He pretty much refuses to go with the wife and guide after he's injured and instead wants to stay out there by himself until they can get help back to him. Considering how he's been rich all of his life and never been out in the wild I had a hard time believing he would do this. Once you get past that the story clears out a little better and we get some nice scenes. I was shocked to see how much more I preferred the story happening outside the desert. The film cuts back and forth to what the husband is doing to what the wife and guide are doing. I thought the stuff between the wife and guide was actually more entertaining as the two begin to fear that the husband might not be dead and how they might have to change their plans. The stuff in the desert is nice as well since we get some great visuals. I think some people, myself included, are going to have a hard time believing what all the husband does considering his background but after a while you just get caught up in the story and go with it. The performances are a major plus with Hill doing a terrific job showing how desperate the man is. I thought he was very good in the scenes dealing with his hatred towards the wife as well as him struggling to survive. Muldaur is also quite good and perfectly gets across her spoiled side. This would turn out to be Stacy's final film before a drunk driver would hit him while he was riding his motorcycle and ripping off his left arm and leg. He actually turns in the best performance here and really makes you believe the tension his character starts to feel as things don't go as planned. It seems like the 70s delivered just about every type of storyline when it came to made-for-TV movies and this one here is a bit far-fetched at times but there's enough going on here to make it worth viewing.