The 70's were rife with disaster movies. All were formulaic and most were pretty bad. Aside from the formula, they were bad because they hung flimsy plots and characterizations on spectacle and hoped we wouldn't notice. Two that stood apart for me were "The Cassandra Crossing" and "The Towering Inferno". "The Towering Inferno" was among the most technically silly of the bunch, but it had some good performances to redeem it. "The Cassandra Crossing" took a different tack, eschewing spectacle to tell a good tale.
Another hallmark of 70's disaster films were the roster of capable performers who weren't current A-listers. "The Towering Inferno" broke the mold with a number of A-list talents. "The Cassandra Crossing" followed the trend but made up for it with shrewd, savvy casting choices. Richard Harris spent a lot of time flirting with A-list status, but never rose above an A- despite his talent. Sophia Loren is a classic, but this film was made when she was getting old enough that the studio suits considered her a relic. Obviously, Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster were past their career peaks, but still capable of turning in a better performance that the material could justify. And with only a little screen time, Lee Strasberg delivers a master's class portraying the (minor spoiler) Heroic Sacrifice character.
The two weakest characters were cast for obvious reasons that had nothing to do with the film - O.J. Simpson at the height of his celebrity, Ann Turkel because she was married to Richard Harris. Another interesting point is the international flavor of the cast. Ingrid Thulin, in particular turns in a memorable performance.
The plot is a mishmash of terrorists, government conspiracies, with a central plot device that anticipated "Speed" by 17 years. As with most disaster movies, the plot is almost incidental. We know going in that some characters will die, others will live, but disaster will be narrowly or partially averted. As in all disaster movies, it's the journey rather than the destination that's important. "The Cassandra Crossing" takes us on a better than average trip.
Another hallmark of 70's disaster films were the roster of capable performers who weren't current A-listers. "The Towering Inferno" broke the mold with a number of A-list talents. "The Cassandra Crossing" followed the trend but made up for it with shrewd, savvy casting choices. Richard Harris spent a lot of time flirting with A-list status, but never rose above an A- despite his talent. Sophia Loren is a classic, but this film was made when she was getting old enough that the studio suits considered her a relic. Obviously, Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster were past their career peaks, but still capable of turning in a better performance that the material could justify. And with only a little screen time, Lee Strasberg delivers a master's class portraying the (minor spoiler) Heroic Sacrifice character.
The two weakest characters were cast for obvious reasons that had nothing to do with the film - O.J. Simpson at the height of his celebrity, Ann Turkel because she was married to Richard Harris. Another interesting point is the international flavor of the cast. Ingrid Thulin, in particular turns in a memorable performance.
The plot is a mishmash of terrorists, government conspiracies, with a central plot device that anticipated "Speed" by 17 years. As with most disaster movies, the plot is almost incidental. We know going in that some characters will die, others will live, but disaster will be narrowly or partially averted. As in all disaster movies, it's the journey rather than the destination that's important. "The Cassandra Crossing" takes us on a better than average trip.