Three Steps North ** (1951, Lloyd Bridges, Lea Padovani, Aldo Fabrizi, William C Tubbs, Dino Galvani) – Classic Movie Review 11,836

Producer-director W Lee Wilder’s 1951 Italian–American film noir crime thriller Three Steps North stars Lloyd Bridges, Lea Padovani, Aldo Fabrizi, William C Tubbs and Dino Galvani.

Lloyd Bridges stars as World War Two GI Frank Keeler, dishonorably discharged for black market dealing while stationed in Italy. He later returns to Italy after a four-year spell in a military jail to recover his stashed treasure buried near Amalfi.

But it has vanished, and he has to track down the suspects to try to find it, as the police start tailing him and other criminals turn up.

Three Steps North is a moderate, soft-centred but well-meaning melodrama, carefully written by Lester Fuller, but it has no edge or incisive handling, and no real surprises either.

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

The cast are Lloyd Bridges as Frank Keeler, Lea Padovani as Elena Ravezza, Aldo Fabrizi as Pietro, William Tubbs as Jack Convay, Dino Galvani as Massina, Adriano Ambrogi as Baldori, Gianni Rizzo as The Greek, Peggy Doro as Mrs Day, and Adam Genette as Policeman Falzone.

Italian film actress Lea Padovani (28 July 1920 – 23 June 1991) appeared in 60 films between 1945 and 1990.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,836

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