The Cassandra Crossing

The Cassandra Crossing is a 1976 disaster thriller film directed by George Pan Cosmatos, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Tom Mankiewicz and Robert Katz. The film is about a viral outbreak aboard a cross-European train, as it heads to a derelict arch bridge which is liable to collapse. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Ava Gardner, Martin Sheen, Burt Lancaster, Lee Strasberg, O. J. Simpson, Ingrid Thulin, Lionel Stander, Ann Turkel, John Phillip Law, and Alida Valli.

With the backing of the media tycoon Sir Lew Grade (the head of the British broadcast network Associated Television) and the Italian film producer Carlo Ponti, the international all-star cast was expected to attract a widespread audience, with rights sold prior to filming, to both British and American distributors. Ponti also saw the production as a showcase for his wife, Sophia Loren. Shooting took place on-location in France and Switzerland, and at Cinecittà Studios.

The film was first released in Italy on December 18, 1976. It had a generally unfavourable critical response, though it was financially successful.