The Cassandra Crossing (1976)

Passengers on a European train have been exposed to a deadly disease. Nobody will let them off the train so what happens next?

Director:

George P. Cosmatos

Writers:

Robert Katz (story), George P. Cosmatos (story),

Stars:

Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Martin Sheen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sophia Loren	...	Jennifer Rispoli Chamberlain
Richard Harris	...	Dr. Jonathan Chamberlain
Martin Sheen	...	Robby Navarro
O.J. Simpson	...	Haley (as O. J. Simpson)
Lionel Stander	...	Max, the Train Conductor
Ann Turkel	...	Susan
Ingrid Thulin	...	Dr. Elena Stradner
Lee Strasberg	...	Herman Kaplan
Ava Gardner	...	Nicole
Burt Lancaster	...	Mackenzie
Lou Castel	...	Swedish Terrorist
John Phillip Law	...	Major Stark
Ray Lovelock	...	Tom
Alida Valli	...	Mrs. Chadwick
Stefano Patrizi	...	Terrorist

Storyline

"Outbreak" meets "The Runaway Train" as a motley group of passengers are quarantined on a train destined to prevent the spread of the disease at the cost of their lives. Government intrigue, international smuggling, and the legend of the Cassandra Crossing add to the suspense.

---

Plot Keywords:

train | runaway train | fake priest | hippie | crossword puzzle | 

---

Taglines:

At noon on October 25th, the Transcontinental Express left Geneva Station with almost one thousand people aboard. Their destination: Basel, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. No one arrived.

---

Genres:

Drama | Thriller | Action

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

West Germany Italy UK

Language:

English French Swedish German

Release Date:

9 February 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cassandra Crossing

Filming Locations:

Basel, Kanton Basel Stadt, Switzerland

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 152,111 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated General Films, International Cine Productions, Compagnia Cinematografica Champion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Production on the movie in Switzerland was delayed due to vandalism. The train was grafittied with political slogans on one roof and inside the carriages whilst laying stationery overnight at Delemont Station. The train roof graffiti was only discovered when aerial photography was being conducted from a helicopter.

---

Goofs

The number of carriages on the train varies. At some points, there only appear to be five carriages but in the climax, we see at least six or seven plunge into the river, whilst another three (containing most of the stars) are spared.

---

Quotes

Col. Stephen Mackenzie: Good God woman! Do you think I would personally send a thousand people to their deaths?
Dr. Elena Stradner: No. But I think you'd simply let them be killed. And that's almost worse.

---

Connections

Referenced in There's Nothing Out There (1991)

---

Soundtracks

"I'm Still On My Way"
Composed and written by Dave Jordan
Published by ATV Music Ltd - London

User Reviews

H1N1's predecessor

The current H1N1 epidemic (swine flu is a misnomer) makes "The Cassandra Crossing" a little more interesting. Mostly, this story of a terrorist spreading a disease on a Swiss train is a common disaster flick, what with the giant cast. I'd say that the upside is that it shows how the military officer (Burt Lancaster) tries to cover up the problem. The 1970s of course saw a lot of movies about suspicion of the government (like "The Parallax View" and "Three Days of the Condor"). A really fine scene is Sophia Loren in her slip.

So, this isn't any masterpiece, but certainly a fun one. Also starring Richard Harris, O.J. Simpson, Ava Gardner, Martin Sheen, Lee Strasberg, Lionel Stander, Ingrid Thulin, Alida Valli, John Phillip Law, Ann Turkel, Ray Lovelock and Lou Castel.