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directed by Ken Annakin
UK 1957
Ken Annakin ("Trio"/"Value
For Money"/"Holiday Camp") directs this low-budget
gem, an overlooked black-and-white thriller that's based
on a Graham Greene novel. The psychological drama was
superbly written by Guy Elmes and Denis Freeman, and it
was filmed in England and Spain. Rod Steiger gives one
of his greatest performances, as he portrays a scheming
arrogant man who suffers a downfall and finds himself as
an outcast in a foreign town and his only friend is a
cocker spaniel who he becomes attached to when he's
reduced to living like a homeless person and that his
one act of kindness (or showing his human side) will
lead to his demise. The film plays out as a gripping
character study of a once influential tycoon suffering
from mental and physical decay but trying to survive
anyway he can as things unravel and he's caught in a
trap that he put himself in by outsmarting himself. Excerpt of review from Dennis Schwartz for Ozus' World Movie Reviews located HERE |
Posters
Theatrical Release: 20 August 1957 (London)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
Shanachie (British Cinema Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. VCI (The Rank Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for all the Screen Caps!
(Shanachie (British Cinema Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. VCI (The Rank Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)
DVD Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Shanachie Region 0 - NTSC |
VCI Region 1 - NTSC |
Runtime | 1:39:15 | 1:39:18 |
Video |
1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
Shanachie (British Cinema Collection)
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Bitrate:
VCI (The Rank Collection)
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Audio | Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 |
Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 |
Subtitles | None | English, None |
Features |
Release
Information: Studio: Shanachie Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters 12 |
Release
Information: Studio: VCI Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD Release Date:
August 6th, 2013 Chapters 13 |
Comments |
Ken Annakin directs Across the Bridge, a British noir filmed in Britain and Spain and set on US-Mexico border. An exceptional performances by Rod Steiger (Hands Over the City, On the Waterfront) rivals as one of his best in his career and was his own favorite after Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker. An excellent, mostly British supporting cast features Bill Nagy as Steiger's doppelganger, David Knight and Marla Landi as an American couple, Bernard Lee as a Scotland Yard Inspector, and, most memorable, Noel Willman as a shady Mexican chief of police. The film received two releases in US, first in 2004 from Shanachie/Koch Vision and 9 years later from VCI. Despite almost a decade passing between two releases, we can hardly call VCI disc an improvement. Both releases are anamorphically enhanced and have no damage or marks, but both are interlaced and the image on VCI disc looks softer and lighter. VCI disc has slightly more image on the sides, but addition is minimal. Both discs get the same mono soundtrack with some damage during a couple of scenes, but we give VCI preference for providing English subtitles that also translate Spanish dialogue (as in capture 6). Now discontinued disc from Shanachie excels in extras for including a 24-minute featurette The Making of Across the Bridge. Ken Annakin, who passed away in 2009, talks on the screen about the film and reminisces about Rod Steiger. This invaluable short documentary is also available on the 2004 British disc from Carlton that is currently out-of-print as well. A trailer is said to be included on Carlton disc, but we do not own it to confirm. It's a shame VCI could not get the rights to include the making of on their disc or to boost the image to progressive transfer, so we recommend the cheapest disc you can get, but the film itself gets our most enthusiastic recommendation. |
DVD Menus
(Shanachie (British Cinema
Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. VCI (The Rank
Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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Screen Captures
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Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Shanachie (British Cinema Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. VCI (The Rank Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Shanachie (British Cinema Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. VCI (The Rank Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Shanachie (British Cinema Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. VCI (The Rank Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Shanachie (British Cinema Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. VCI (The Rank Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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(Shanachie (British Cinema Collection) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. VCI (The Rank Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC - BOTTOM)
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