Across the Bridge

• The dog was credited in the main titles as “Dolores”, the name of the character. It was found in a dogs’ home in Liverpool. Its trainer gained enough publicity from the film that he was able to set up the Dolores Dog Home.

I can remember seeing this excellent thriller only once many years agobut it certainly made a lasting impression on me. The interplay betweenSteiger and his highly intelligent canine co – star was quite riveting.

This shamefully overlooked movie provides even more proof that you CAN,occasionally, find buried treasure if you’re prepared to wander off thebeaten track from time to time.

2) I saw this film only twice on television in the late 1960s, and I havenot seen it listed too frequently. The plot is from a Graham Greeneshort story, and like so many of his works Greene questions what weregard as good and evil in the world.

Steiger is a crooked financier on the lam. He boards a train andexchanges identities with another passenger who died on board. Hereaches a Latin American country, and crosses the boarder. But theauthorities at home are still after him. He did not realize the personwhose identity he stole was sought by the U.S. authorities for murder.

Steiger has plenty of money in a suitcase, but he soon discovers thatthe local authorities see him as something to bleed dry. Everyone jacksup prices for his normal living expenses from the police on down. Andthe money is slowly running out. The only creature who befriends him isa dog. It remains his only real friend in this town of vultures. Heconsistently refuses to return to the U.S., where police officerBernard Lee tries to get him to return. But he realizes that they thinkhe is the murderer, not an embezzler, and he can't return. Moreover, heresents the pressures that are being put on the local authorities topush him back. They are using these to squeeze more cash out of him.

The character Steiger begins as is a selfish crook, but as the filmprogresses (as is typical of Greene's work) the defects of those aroundthe anti-hero are such as to make us increasingly sympathetic to thatfigure. As he is stripped, step – by – step of everything, Steigergains our reluctant pity, and his relationship with the simple dogmakes him … in the end… tragically heroic.

Definitely a wonderful film – hopefully they will show it again soon.

3) I was impressed with the originality of the film and story, and theeffectiveness of the portrayal. Rod Steiger does a tremendous job ofperforming in this film, from start to finish, showing us a dramaticperformance in a very interesting story. Ken Annakin is very adept atcontrolling your emotions, with ease making you feel estranged from themain character when he feels, and at other times making you feelextremely intimate.

The symbolism used is also impressive with the use of the dogrepresenting what he traditionally does (loyalty, fidelity). With theextensive use of symbolism and vivid, personal capturing of thedownfall of a business tycoon, we have our emotions beautifully twistedand find ourselves with one of the better endings that one can have toa film.

Although at times throughout the film I sometimes felt lost and that itdragged on, overall it was still a good film that I would recommend toanyone. A very worthwhile film from Ken Annakin.

4) Across the Bridge has one of those titles that makes it sound like anArthur Miller play but is actually based on one of Graham Greene'sguilt-racked stories. And it's a corker, with a great premise thatreminds you that before he moved on to guilt, infidelity andCatholicism, Greene wrote cracking pulp thrillers like A Gun for Sale.Rod Steiger is powerful and shady financier Carl Schaffner, on the runfrom the British police in America and trying to cross the border intoMexico before he can be extradited. So he does what any one of us woulddo – kills another person who looks vaguely similar to steal hisMexican passport and travel unhindered on that. Naturally, things gowrong. He finds himself saddled with the dead man's dog. The dead manturns out to be a killer wanted by the Mexican police. And the dead manturns out not to be dead. And that's not the least of it, as theunexpected plot twists mount while Schaffner starts to look like theleast corrupt person in the film compared to the strokes Noel Willman'spatiently greedy Mexican police chief and Bernard Lee's determined butless than ethical Scotland Yard man are willing to pull to either gethis money or lure him across the bridge…

Ken Annakin's film may be shot on location in Spain, but it has aresolutely British studio look to both its photography and its interiorwork (as well as its rather over-emphatic James Bernard score) – youcan take the British out of Britain but not the Britishness out oftheir films, it seems. Not that that's a complaint: indeed, it givesthe film a strange texture that you don't naturally associate with thiskind of material that adds to its anonymously professional uniqueness.Steiger's performance is at once theatrical (while contained enough notto descend into the ham of later roles) yet convincing – and theexistence of similar fraudsters like Robert Maxwell only adds to thecredibility. But more than that, as he is stripped of everything, heattains a genuine heroic quality. That it manifests itself in an almostpathetic act to repay the only soul in the world that does not betrayhim only makes this shambling, ungainly figure all the more tragic. Andwho can blame him – one look into Dolores' eyes and you'd do the same.

5) Well, I haven't seen this movie since I was 7 years old but I havenever forgotten it either. The first reviewer is right about this beingone of those movies that seems almost forgotten… probably because themessage is so downbeat… disturbing and very sad (But then somebodywill remember it after 49+ years) This is one of those movies thatcouldn't have been done in color because it is so bleak. I am going tolook for a copy of this movie and see it again before I can reallyreview it… I thought "Old Yeller," was the world's best movie until Isaw it again as an adult and it might be this way with Across theBridge as well.

6) Like some others here I had seen this movie once many years ago, I wasvery young and came upon it at least 30 minutes into the film. Over theyears I forgot the title of it, but never the plot and Rod Steiger andof course Dolores. I never saw it TV again. I would ask people about itdescribing the plot but no one seem to remember it.It wasn’t until Iwas looking over Steiger’s filmography that I found out the title. Ibought the DVD and watched last night and memories of years and yearscame back over me.The music the photography, the hopelessness. Sobeautiful, so sad.If you have not seen it yet, please do so. One of themost forgotten movies and one of the best performances Rod Steiger evergave.

7) Like other reviewers, I, too, have not seen this remarkable film in many,many years since . The fact that I still remember it demonstrates what atruly terrific film this is. How unfortunate that it seems to have beenforgotten over the years. However, two days ago, on February 24, a DVDedition of the film was released in the U.S. and I’m now about to finallysee this great film again after so many years. The loyalty that candevelopbetween man and dog is surely put to the test by events that take place inthis story which was originally written by Graham Greene. No one shouldpassup an opportunity to see this film which, unfortunately, has never beengiven the recognition it deserves.

I saw this film, based on a Graham Greene story, 30 years ago on NorwegianTV. Rod Steiger plays a crooked businessman on the lam, who flees acrosstheborder into Mexico. The U.S. and Mexican authorities collude to ensurethathe won’t have access to funds. With nowhere to stay, he is followed by asmall dog, whom he first resents; they end up in the desert, where the dogsaves his life. A wrenching portrayal of a man who is progressivelystripped, first of what he previously valued, and then of everything.

9) In this film, which my ex-English teacher lent to me to show me whatkind of cinematic experiences I’ve been missing out on, I was soconfused until the very end about which actor was Rod Steiger. Afterseeing Mr. Steiger in Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront, I was convincedthat he was only that. But it was when the end credits came up that Iwas utterly taken aback and mortified by the way it said CarlSchraffner………..Rod Steiger! It was indeed the man with the funnyaccent and the simply blended performance that was one of my personalfavorites. This is indeed a hidden cinematic masterpiece and is highlyunderrated, and deserves a lot more credit than it got. I can’t believethis didn’t even get nominated for an Oscar. I thought the overallproduction was fantastic, all of the actors, especially Rod Steiger,and the direction were fantastic! The writing could’ve been upped anotch, but otherwise, this film left me speechless and yearning formore. But one thing that I didn’t like was the dissatisfaction in theend.

10) A truly memorable, but curiously forgotten film (not on video or DVD)thatdeals with an absorbing theme — how to disappear using an assumedidentity.A rare example, I think, of the film version’s being just vastly superiortoits orginal source (a slight, if taut short story by Graham Greene).

The plot is brilliantly simple (a la Hitchock). Carl Schaffner istravellingon a train. He’s trying to escape from something dreadful and threatening(not specified) and is terrified.In desperation he decides to bump off a fellow passenger, assume hisidentity and take his documents. He intends to leave the train at theotherend, get through the official formalities and disappear safely fromwhateveris chasing him.He goes to a lot of trouble to darken his moustache, get the clothesrightetc.The train reaches its destination. Passengers alight. He gets off,strollsdown the plaform. It all seems to be going like clockwork.

Then the guard shouts at him: "Hey! Don’t forget your dog!"

It seems his victim had a dog and boarded it in the guard’svan.The rest of the film fascinatingly details the developing relationshipbetween Carl and his newfound canine companion while he continues toattemptto survive and escape detection.It is highly original and gripping throughout. It has thrills and pathos.Superb acting by Rod Steiger as Carl and a really professional actor asGloria, the dog.Very evocative black and white photography and rich, sympatheticdirection.I saw this as a student in 1957 and never forgot it. I have seen it onceonTV.It MUST come out on DVD!