Ordeal

"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.

A fairly good remake of the 1953 original starring Robert Ryan and Rhonda Fleming.Arthur Hill is OK but,in my opinion,his characterization of the betrayed husband pales in comparison to the intensity given the role by the wonderful(and vastly underrated)character actor,Robert Ryan.My only other criticism is the relatively weak acting by James Stacy.His character is too indifferent in this movie and by comparison,William Lundigan's portrayal is significantly better.The desolate desert locations are striking in their sparsity.I'not sure where this movie was filmed but the locale closely resembles the Antelope Valley region of Kern Co. in California.In summation,this movie is pretty well done but try to view the original(Inferno),made in 1953, for a real treat.

While trekking through the desert with his wife Kay and their guide Richard Damien falls off a cliff injuring himself . Lying in a gully his wife and the guide promise to get help but unknown to Richard Kay and the guide are having an affair and decide to let him lie to die

The idea behind this is a sound one . It's similar to a lot of films you've seen before where an unfaithful spouse eyes an opportunity to cash in on fate when it arises , pocket an inheritance and have raw lust filled sex with a younger partner , so much so you end up hating the villainess and her toyboy not because they're the baddies but simply because no one deserves to be that lucky

In it's favour the protagonist/victim Richard Damien is shown to be an arrogant angry middle man and isn't typical victim material , he's all man who makes John Wayne look effete and his single bloody mindedness is totally convincing . He might be driven by hate and revenge but hatred is a great motivator whether you're lost in the desert or simply struggling in day to day life

What the story doesn't do so well is construct a time frame . For instance you've got a problem understanding how long Richard is lost for . He grows stubble in a manner that suggests he's been in the desert for at least a week but as every schoolboy will tell you you'd only survive three or four days without water and probably slightly less if you're out in a blazing desert . Richard does manage to find a cactus but by the length of his stubble you're still left with the impression he's been in the desert to long to survive and has made his water last him an implausibly long time . This lack of internal continuity let's the story down a great deal . Okay it's only a TVM and does deserve some faint praise for being slightly more ambitious than you'd expect but lacks a little something to make it classic TVM material

...but alas Richard Damian never had any as he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and once he pulled it out has been using that mouth to insult and push people around ever since. Damian is out on a desert expedition to investigate some land that may have some mineral value. He is accompanied by his wife Kay and the prospector, Andy Folsom. He has an accident and falls down an embankment, breaking his leg in the process. He barks out orders to the other two to get help. His wife asks Damian if he wants her to stay with him while the other goes for help. In an unfortunate choice of last words to her he asks why would he need the company of someone stupid.

Thus his wife leaves, and suddenly realizes the beauty of her situation. Richard, who has a reputation as being impulsive and taking off without telling anybody, is in a place that only she and Andy know about. She convinces Andy that the two should go back to town and tell the authorities that Richard is missing, but that he just disappeared into the desert. Plus, they point the authorities in the entirely wrong part of the desert as to where they were. A few days in the rugged elements with no food or water should do the trick. Murder without the mess of actually doing it. Kay will be rid of the bullying Richard and still have his money, Andy will have Kay.

Richard, not exactly being full of love and trust for his fellow man, quickly realizes what the two have done. In spite of the fact that every necessity has always been obtained with a credit card up to this point, he swears he'll walk out of this desert alive. Kay and Andy have a couple of problems on their hands too. For one, the sheriff of the desert town is a sharp cop, not a hick, and Andy and Kay fear he may be on to them. Secondly, when they take a private plane over the place in the desert where they left Richard three weeks before "just to make sure" they can find no body. Did Richard make it out powered on pure revenge? Did the sheriff find the body, hide it, and is just playing Kay and Andy to tip their hand? In their anxiety and growing panic are they simply looking in the wrong part of the desert? I'll let you have the fun of discovering what happens.

This film has little action and is mainly a character study mixed with a bit of mystery as you really get to know the three people involved. In the end, you can't help but have both a little bit of disgust and empathy towards all three. Highly recommended.