Excitement rides the rails

The Cassandra Crossing is an all-star disaster spectacular telling of the terrifying 
odyssey of 1000 doomed passengers trapped aboard a plague-infested train, 
re-routed to a rickety bridge where it should plunge into oblivion.
A european production, directed by George Pan Cosmatos, with some Italian experts 
at his side.
Art Director and responsible for the Visual Effects (Model Supervisor) was 
Aurelio Crugnola. He did a few 'Spaghetti Western' ('The Hills run red', 'Navajo Joe') 
and was in charge for the production design on the Enzo G. Castellari bomb 
'The Inglorious Bastards', together with the spanish legend Emilio Ruiz del Rio.
The Special Effects on 'Cassandra Crossing' were made by Aldo Gasparri and Roberto 
Pignotti. Set Decoration by Mario Liverani.
Director of Photography was the famous italian legend Ennio Guarnieri.

The rickety 'Cassandra Crossing' bridge in Poland is actually the 
Garabit viaduct in France. The unintended target of an exciting train ride!

Director George Pan Cosmatos filming a scene with Lee Strasberg and O.J. Simpson.
Basel Train Station.
Filming of 'Cassandra Crossing', 1976.
The journey begins easy. Ann Turkel is singing her Hit single 'I'm still on my way'.
Where is the terrorist with the hand grenade when you need him ...?
Okay, Cosmatos wants to build the tension slowly...
Ann Turkel was the wife of Richard Harris during the time of the filming of 
'Cassandra Crossing'.
The headquarters of evil. The 'International Health Organization'.
Colonel MacKenzie (Burt Lancaster) is called in to handle the situation with the 
plague-infested train.
Simple, cold design, but still elegant. 
Ingrid Thulin is sitting in a 'Tulip Arm Chair'. 
A famous Design masterpiece by Eero Saarinen (1956).
Director George P. Cosmatos wants to capture the cool mood.
Burt Lancaster - John Philip Law - Ingrid Thulin
Here the icy decisions are made!
Director George P. Cosmatos, 1976.
Burt Lancaster (Col. MacKenzie) Ingrid Thulin (Dr. Elena Stradner)
Sophia Loren (Jennifer Rispoli Chamberlain) Richard Harris (Dr. Jonathan Chamberlain)
Lee Strasberg is talking with Director George P. Cosmatos.
The plague carrier is found, a Swedish Terrorist (Lou Castel), and should be removed 
from the train by helicopter. That did not work.
h
They removed an infected dog from the train by helicopter (Bruce).
The plague-infested Bruce in the lab...
Miraculously he begin to recover!
MacKenzie remains suspicious and decides to re-route the train to the in danger of 
collapsing 'Cassandra Crossing' bridge.
Interesting to see where they show Nürnberg on the map!?
MacKenzie: "Any passengers attempting to escape must be stopped, shot and killed 
if necessary".
The scenes where the train is sealed, have a great atmosphere. Claustrophobic.
This train arrives on time! The plague is here!
Ennio Guarnieri is an excellent cinematographer!
No one can escape. 
The train driver looks a little anxious out the window.
Bulk buying in a model shop.
Director George P. Cosmatos and Assistant Art Director Maria-Teresa Barbasso are 
planning the scene with real 'HO' scale models.
We will later see that they in fact used much bigger models for the final bridge scenes.
The bridge model is a big scale monster! 
A diesel locomotive (shunter) is now to pull the train.
Director Cosmatos chooses a red diesel shunter model.
A 'HO' model of the Italian manufacturer LIMA.
O.J.Simpson and his wife Marguerite L.Whitley.
She attended the filming in Rome (Cinecitta). 		Richard Harris is in a good mood.
who is that guy?
Oxygen is pumped into the whole train.
Ava Gardner with Martin Sheen between takes.
In one of the various subplots Martin Sheen plays a drug-addict. Ava Gardner got herself a young lover (Martin Sheen).
She still looks great.
Director Cosmatos is talking with Ava Gardner and Martin Sheen.
Cinecitta Studios (Rome), 1976.
Cinecitta Studios (Rome), 1976.
Wait a minute, there is something on your sweater.
O.J.Simpson is no priest, he is a Detective and he's after a drug dealer 
(Martin Sheen). Great Still!
A small fight ... but fun!
Now Martin has the gun ... and wants to stop the train!
These stills are quite cool, but rarely (never?) published.
Stop the bloody train, Spaceman!
Martin was disarmed and feels shitty.
Cigarette break. Ava Gardner and Tom Hunter.
There is only one chance we have to stop the train.
Richard Harris takes the lead.
Martin Sheen - Lionel Stander O.J.Simpson
Yeah, finally I can shoot.
Well then Richard, fire at will!
While Richard Harris tries to reach the locomotive through the compartments, 
Martin Sheen tries to reach the locomotive from the outside.
Small talk during a break. The guys bet if and when Martin falls from the train.
But the scene is harmless, filmed in the studio (bluescreen).
In a surprising number of scenes in the movie the bluescreen was used.
Coffee for all.
O.J.Simpson - Let's get ready to rumble. The time for discussion is over. It's time for some good old Rock 'n' Roll.
Houston, we have a problem!
A wild firefight.
Uhh, headshot, might hurt!
Martin Sheen climbs along the outside of the train. 
Of course this is a stuntman.
A stuntman in trouble...
Martin is noted ... and shot!
O.J.Simpson is dead. Richard Harris rescues a little girl.
The dangerous bridge comes closer.
The 'movie train' on the real bridge, the Garabit Viaduct in France.
Only 6 cars for 1000 people...wow...how is that possible?
This is an mercilessly over-booked travel!
Richard wanted to detach a few waggons...
An explosion in the middle of a waggon actually makes little sense, 
unless you want to divide it in half! But she looks pretty!
The train moves slowly on the Garabit Viaduct. 
Smoke rises from the last car. Shot on location in France.
Dr.Chamberlain (Richard Harris) could detach a few waggons with the propane explosion...
This 'jump' scene was filmed in the studio in front of a bluescreen.
Waggon mock-ups in the Cinecitta Studios in Rome.
The scene in the movie. The background shimmers through the mock-up!?
Sophia Loren can not catch Richard Harris ... he falls down.
A job for the stunt crew. 
Unfortunately, the two have little resemblance to Sophia and Richard.
Weird camera settings from the Garabit Viaduct in the movie - GREAT!
The impressive Garabit Viaduct, 1976.
An outstanding steel construction built by the 'magician of iron' Gustave Eiffel 
(Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower,...).
He built monuments for eternity! 
Here you find another bizarre story about the Movie History of 'Eiffel constructions': 
Fuentiduena de Tajo.
Filming on the Garabit Viadcut. On the right side, in white shirt, 
Director George Pan Cosmatos. Next to him is cinematographer Ennio Guarnieri.
Movie scene on the real Garabit Viaduct.
The Garabit Viaduct - Cassandra Crossing, 1976.
Parts of the Viaduct collapses. Stunning miniature scenes of Aurelio Crugnola 
(Model Supervisor).
A highly detailed model...(missing the overhead lines!).
German Lobby Card. The Bridge miniature is great...the landscape could be better.
But the low water level was taken into account in the model! Good Job!
The waggon in the water looks a little small?
Wow, look at this! What a fabulous model of the Garabit Viaduct.
Well, but to call this model a miniature is somewhat misleading.
It has enormous proportions.
The model train must have been quite large.
A common large scale (model shop) or self-built by the crew of Aurelio Crugnola?
Comparison photo (8mm Minox Diacolor) - The Garabit Viaduct around the time of the 
shooting of 'Cassandra Crossing'. The bridge spans the River Truyère.
Miniature/model action. Very well staged, excellent!
Another Minox 8mm Diacolor - The Garabit Viaduct, a masterpiece of steel.
The model collapses.
Aldo Gasparri (SP/FX) shows the horror of the crash.
A few years later he made the Gore effects for 'Cannibal Holocaust' (Ruggero Deodato).
'Cassandra Holocaust' - Only missing a few crawling maggots. Gasparri FX.
I can't remember seeing this 'Cassandra Crossing' scene in the movie!?
Yikes, who comes there? A steel beam!
An earthquake in Cinecitta? No, the train plunges off the bridge!
Another Set built in the Cinecitta Studios of Rome.
A bloody trail leads out of the window ...
Ray Lovelock - A cigarette in a break. Cinecitta, 1976.
The bridge 'miniature' sequence looks fantastic!
Strange German lobby card.
Stuntman hanging on a steel construction - Cinecitta.
This is great. On location, under the Garabit Viaduct, they built a special 
'crashed train carriage' set. You can clearly see that this is not a real waggon.
It's a plywood set on a pontoon swimming in the River Truyère.
Richard Harris was able to save the rear of the train. 
He stops just in time. But now all out fast!
Richard has survived the fall from the train ... and comes running.
But ... who's coming through the door? The leader of the terrorists? 
No, it's Director George Pan Cosmatos.
Richard is giving a helping hand...
... reunited!
A great location - The Garabit Viaduct in the fog, 1976.
Cosmatos, the Savior of the world!
Found in promotional material for 'Cassandra Crossing'.
After 'Avalanche Express' and now 'Cassandra Crossing' you can not wait and soon 
she's there, the 'Silver Streak' story.
Part 3 of our terror train series.
See nutty photos and questionable information ...
... and not to forget: Terror! Just what you've been waiting for, right!
The filming of 'Silver Streak' soon on www.moon-city-garbage.agency

www.moon-city-garbage.agency