Across the Bridge

A Film Noir Classic
Ken Annakin is one of the most widely traveled international directors in cinema annals, journeying to every continent to accept the kinds of creative challenges daring filmmakers, in the ranks of which he definitely resides, thrive upon. Among his celebrated triumphs are "The Longest Day," in which he directed the most difficult battle scenes of Darryl F. Zanuck's classic, "Swiss Family Robinson," one of the industry's all-time grossers,and "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines," a brilliant spoof containing some of the most inventive scenes in aviation filmmaking, for which he and co-scenarist Jack Davies received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

"Across the Bridge," a great British film shot in Spain, on its 1957 release was heralded as a suspense classic along the lines of Carol Reed's "The Third Man" eight years earlier. Reed led the early chorus of praise for a film unique in its presentation that traces the degradation of a haughty, corrupt, and...

An unjustly negected classic
Across the Bridge has one of those titles that makes it sound like an Arthur Miller play but is actually based on one of Graham Greene's guilt-wracked stories. And it's a corker, with a great premise that reminds you that before he moved on to guilt, infidelity and Catholicism, Greene wrote cracking pulp thrillers like A Gun for Sale. Rod Steiger is powerful and shady financier Carl Schaffner, on the run from the British police in America and trying to cross the border into Mexico before he can be extradited. So he does what any one of us would do - kills another person who looks vaguely similar to steal his Mexican passport and travel unhindered on that. Naturally, things go wrong. He finds himself saddled with the dead man's dog. The dead man turns out to be a killer wanted by the Mexican police. And the dead man turns out not to be dead. And that's not the least of it, as the unexpected plot twists mount while Schaffner starts to look like the least corrupt person in the film...

How to Impress your Cinephile Friends
If your friend - the film buff - tries to overwhelm you with his or her knowledge of some obscure classic, ask him or her to offer an opinion about "Across the Bridge." Don't be surprised if the film expert suddenly goes blank and says that he or she is unaware of the film, so why is it so impressive. But make no mistake, this is a terrific classic - and a thinking person's movie.

One of the 20th century's best method actors - Rod Steiger - felt that, along with "The Pawnbroker", this was his finest film. Explain to your film buff that just like "The Third Man", this British film is based on a short story of Graham Greene. Tell him or her that the film directors and critics in Britain were deeply impressed with the movie at the time it was initially screened and thought it was one of the best "Rank" production in years. But most of all, form your own opinion of the merits of the movie.

Time and Place? 1956, New York City. The story involves an international...

Click to Editorial Reviews