The Cassandra Bridge

Synopsis

Following a flight in a laboratory, passengers on the Geneva – Stockholm train find themselves accidentally exposed to a life-threatening, highly contagious disease. Colonel Stephen Mackenzie decides to quarantine the train and divert it to a decontamination center. On the way there is an old abandoned bridge, the Cassandra Bridge, whose authorities do not know if it can handle the weight of the train. But is not the maneuver deliberate?

Technical sheet

• Title: The Cassandra Bridge
• Original title: The Cassandra Crossing
• Director: George Cosmatos
• Screenplay: George Cosmatos
  Robert Katz
  Tom Mankiewicz
• Music: Jerry Goldsmith
• Photography: Ennio Guarnieri
• Sets: Aurelio Crugnola
• Editing: Françoise Bonnot
• Production: Carlo Ponti
• Country: Germany , Italy , United Kingdom , France
• Language: German, English, French, Swedish
• Format: colors
• Duration: 129 minutes
• Release dates:
  •  Italy : December 18 , 1976
  •  United States : February 9 , 1977
  •  West Germany : March 31 , 1977
  •  France : June 15 , 1977

Distribution

• Sophia Loren ( VF: Danielle Volle ): Jennifer Rispoli Chamberlain
• Richard Harris (VF: William Sabatier ) : The D ^Dr. Jonathan Chamberlain
• Burt Lancaster (VF: Claude Bertrand ) : Colonel Stephen Mackenzie
• Martin Sheen (VF: Michel Bedetti ) : Robby Navarro
• Ava Gardner (VF: Nadine Alari ) : Nicole Dressler
• OJ Simpson (VF: Med Hondo ) : Haley
• Ingrid Thulin (VF: Nathalie Nerval ) : The D ^r Elena Stradner
• Ann Turkel (VF: Annie Balestra ) : Susan
• Lee Strasberg : Herman Kaplan
• Lou Castel : Swede
• John Phillip Law (VF: René Roussel ) : Major Stark
• Alida Valli : M ^me Chadwick
• Lionel Stander : Max, the controller
• Thomas Hunter : Captain Scott
• Renzo Palmer

Around the film

• The bridge used in the film is the viaduct of Garabit in France , built by Gustave Eiffel from 1881 to 1884.
• Several aerial shots were filmed in the Swiss Jura, including Saint-Ursanne (viaduct) and in the Gorges de Moutier . Registrations are those of SBB .
• During helicopter rescue scenes, the convoy is supposed to be towed by a CFF BLS Re 4/4 but this machine has the pantographs lowered, the train is pushed by an autonomous locomotive because the line is not electrified.
• The dining car (WR) is not the same between the beginning of the film and the end. At first it’s a WR CFF (with pantographs); and during the explosion of the kitchen and the final fall of the top 1 ^e class, a WR SNCF red type ” Capitol ” built in 1966 with air conditioning and autonomous generator.
• We can see sequences on the Causses line that are implausible (get on the roof of the train, under the catenaries ).
• The train leaves Geneva-Cornavin station . His career, mentioned on the plate, is very fanciful.
• The level crossings monitored are those of the SNCF, the diesel machine is a BB 66000 with the old livery.
• Curiosity in the film: Richard Harris , Sophia Loren and Lionel Stander are respectively called Jonathan, Jennifer and Max as in the television series For the love of risk ¹ , where Stander will interpret Max, the loyal domestic of the “billionaire vigilantes” Jonathan and Jennifer.