''Three Steps North'' is a 1951 Italian–American film noir crime film directed by

W. Lee Wilder William Lee Wilder (August 22, 1904 – February 14, 1982) was an Austrian-American screenwriter, film producer and director. He was the brother of the film director Billy Wilder and father of television comedy writer and producer Myles Wilder ...

and starring

Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...

Lea Padovani Lea Padovani (28 July 1920 – 23 June 1991) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1945 and 1990. She starred in the film '' Black Dossier'' which was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Partial filmography ...

and

Aldo Fabrizi Aldo Fabrizi (; born Aldo Fabbrizi; 1 November 1905 – 2 April 1990) was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter and comedian, best known for the role of the heroic priest in Roberto Rossellini's ''Rome, Open City'' and as partner of Totò in ...

. The film is also known as ''Tre passi a nord'' in Italy.

Plot

Dishonorably discharged after a four-year stint in a military prison for dabbling in black markets while stationed in Italy during World War II, former US soldier Frank Keeler (Lloyd Bridges) wants to discreetly recover a stash of money he buried near

Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramati ...

prior to his arrest. However this turns out to be more difficult than expected when the police becomes interested in him and starts tailing him, while local shady characters guess the purpose of his presence.

Cast

as Frank Keeler *

as Elena Ravezza *

as Pietro *

William Tubbs William Tubbs (May 10, 1907 – January 25, 1953) was an American stage and film actor.Bondanella p.156 He appeared in a number of European films in the years after the Second World War, including several by Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gaston ...

as Jack Convay *

Dino Galvani Dino Galvani (born Candido Galvanoni; 27 October 189014 September 1960) was an Italian-British actor, who made his career in Britain on stage and radio and in films. He is remembered for his role in the popular BBC radio comedy series '' ITMA'' ...

as Massina * Adriano Ambrogi as Baldori * Gianni Rizzo as The Greek * Peggy Doro as Mrs. Day * Adam Genette as Policeman Falzone

Reception

Film critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

found nothing in the film that interested him, writing, "But all of the tedious maneuvering that Mr. Bridges does to recover his buried treasure, on which other criminals seem to have designs, is grimly routine and unexciting, and the pay-off, which clears up everything, is one of those fatuous fast shuffles that is acceptable only to our prim Production Code."Crowther, Bosley
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', film review, June 29, 1951. Accessed: August 10, 2013.

References

External links

* * * * *
''Three Steps North''
information site and DVD revie at DVD Beaver (includes images) 1951 films 1951 drama films American black-and-white films English-language Italian films Film noir 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Italian crime drama films American crime drama films Films directed by W. Lee Wilder United Artists films 1950s American films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links