A Town Like Alice
AMG AllMovie Guide:
Top
A Town Like Alice
Plot
A harrowing WWII drama that was a huge critical and commercial success in England, this British production was based on a novel by Nevil Shute. During the war, a group of prisoners, mostly women and children, are led by Japanese soldiers on a brutal march through Malaysia. Some die by the roadside and others are sadistically tortured. One of the women, Jean Paget (Virginia McKenna), is befriended by an Australian man who is also a prisoner of war, Joe Harman (Peter Finch). Joe tells Jean about his hometown of Alice Springs, an oasis in the Australian outback. When he steals a chicken to feed Jean and the others, Joe is caught and treated ruthlessly. The Japanese force Jean and the others to march on while Joe is put on a crucifix and left to die. ~ Michael Betzold, RoviReview
Highly acclaimed in its time, A Town Like Alice has lost some of its power over the years, but there are a number of scenes which still pack an enormous punch and ensure that the film lingers in the mind for years after viewing. When first released, Alice was somewhat shocking for its brutality and for not "prettying up" the hardships its characters endure; inevitably, modern audiences will not have the same response, but even so the ordeals will make an impression on viewers. Unfortunately, Alice is not as consistently involving as it should be, and as the novel (the first half of which forms the basis for the film) is reputed to be; despite all that the characters experience, we feel kept a bit at arm's length with them, and more so than is accounted for by the traditional "stiff upper lip" stance they take. However, in scenes such as the one involving bargaining for milk for a child, the one with snakebite death of another child and, of course, the crucifixion sequence, there is abundant power and impact. Jack Lee directs these and other key scenes with quiet skill, ably aided by Geoffrey Unsworth's expert cinematography. And in Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch, Lee has a pair of actors who are perfectly cast and add immeasurably to the film. McKenna in particular is a treasure, with her nobility and bravery that can't quite mask her vulnerability. It has its flaws, but once seen, memories of Alice will stay with you. ~ Craig Butler, RoviCast
- Virginia McKenna - Jean Paget
- Peter Finch - Joe Harman
- Marie Lohr - Mrs. Dudley Frost
- Renee Houston - Ebbey
- Jean Anderson - Miss Horsefall
Credit
Alexander Vetchinsky - Art Director, Jack Lee - Director, Sidney Hayers - Editor, Earl St. John - Executive Producer, Mátyás Seiber - Composer (Music Score), George Blackler - Makeup, Geoffrey Unsworth - Cinematographer, Derek Williams - Cinematographer, Jack Hanbury - Production Manager, Joseph Janni - Producer, Geoffrey Daniels - Sound/Sound Designer, Richard Mason - Screenwriter, W.P. Lipscomb - Screenwriter, Nevil Shute - Book Author| A Town Has Turned to Dust (1998 Film), A Town Called Panic (2009 Film) | |
| A Town Like Alice (1980 Film), A Town Like Alice: A Look at the Real Town from the Highly Acclaimed Movie (1996 Film) |
Related Videos:
Top
A Town Like Alice
Click to Play
See Whitney Port's Super Stylish Shearling and Button-Down Combo
Click to Play
Alice + Olivia Designer Stacey Bendet Channels Modern-Day Auntie Mame For Fall 2011
Click to Play
Go Cycling in Saint Jean Pied De Port, France
Click to Play
French Breast Implant Maker Arrested After PIP Scandal
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
A Town Like Alice (film)
| A Town Like Alice | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jack Lee |
| Produced by | Joseph Janni |
| Written by | Nevil Shute (novel); W. P. Lipscomb and Richard Mason (screenplay) |
| Starring | Virginia McKenna Peter Finch |
| Music by | Matyas Seiber |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Editing by | Sidney Hayers |
| Distributed by | The Rank Organisation |
| Release date(s) | 1956 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
A Town Like Alice is a 1956 British drama film, based on the novel by Nevil Shute and with Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch in the leading roles.[1] The film does not follow the whole novel, concluding at the end of Part Two of the book, and many plot details are truncated or omitted. It was partially filmed in Malaya and Australia.
|
Contents
|
Plot summary
In Post-WW2 London, a young woman, Jean Paget, is informed by solicitor Noel Strachan that she has a large inheritance. Asked what she wants to do, Jean decides to travel to Malaya to build a well in a small village.
Jean goes to the village and arranges for the well to be dug. The women will not now have to walk so far each day to collect water, as they have always done. She recalls her life in the village for three years of the war.
The film flashes back to when Jean was working in an office in Kuala Lumpur in Malaya when the Japanese invaded and she was taken prisoner. As part of a group of women and children (the men have been sent away), she is the only one to speak Malay fluently, and so takes a leading role in the group.
But the Japanese refuse to take any responsibility for the group, marching them from one village to another. Many of them, unused to physical labour, die. Jean is only able to survive because she understands local ways and is prepared to 'go native'.
The group meets a young Australian soldier, Sergeant Joe Harman, also a prisoner, who is driving a truck for the Japanese. He and Jean strike up a friendship and he tells her about the town of Alice Springs, where he grew up. Appalled at their treatment by the Japanese, he steals food and medicines to help them. Jean does not correct his impression that she's married.
When the thefts are discovered and investigated, Harman takes the blame to save Jean and the rest of the group. He is crucified on a tree and left to die by the Japanese soldiers. The distraught women are marched away, believing that Joe is dead.
To further humiliate them, the Japanese assign only one guard to the group, an elderly sergeant. They become friendly with him, although they can barely communicate. They even help to carry his pack and rifle. When he dies of exhaustion, Jean asks the elders of a village if they may stay and work in the paddy fields, asking only food and a place to sleep. The elders agree and they live and work there for three years, until the war ends.
The film returns to the present, and Jean discovers from the well-diggers that Joe Harman survived his punishment and returned to Australia.
She decides to travel on to Australia to find him. On her travels, she visits the town of Alice Springs, where Joe lived before the war, and is much impressed with the quality of life there. She then travels to the (fictional) primitive town of Willstown in the Queensland outback, where Joe has become manager of a cattle station.
But meanwhile, Joe has learnt that Jean survived the war and that she wasn't married. He travels to London to find her, using money won in a lottery. It's some time before they are reunited in Alice Springs and they fall in love immediately.
Production
Although the film was set in Malaya and Australia, it was entirely shot on at Pinewood Studios in London.[2]
Anna Kashfi screen tested for a small role and was given it but had to turn it down to do another movie.[3]
Release
The film was withdrawn from the Cannes Film Festival out of fear it would offend the Japanese.[4] "The festivals are just a joke - a film-selling 'racket' which offers the chance for vulgar display and reckless extravagance," said Peter Finch. "They serve no cultural purpose and the awards don't mean a thing."[5]
The film's Australian premiere was held at Alice Springs.[6][7]
Cast
- Virginia McKenna - Jean Paget
- Peter Finch - Joe Harman
- Kenji Takaki - Japanese sergeant
- Tran Van Khe - Captain Sugaya
- Jean Anderson - Miss Horsefall
- Marie Lohr - Mrs Frost
- Maureen Swanson - Ellen
- Renée Houston - Ebbey
- Nora Nicholson - Mrs. Frith
- Eileen Moore - Mrs Holland
- John Fabian - Mr. Holland
- Vincent Ball - Ben
- Tim Turner - British Sergeant
- Geoffrey Keen - Noel Strachan
References
- ^ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/55019
- ^ "BOOM IN FILMS ABOUT AUSTRALIA.". The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) (1933 - 1982: National Library of Australia): p. 60. 21 September 1955. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46946858. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ "The mysterious Mrs. Brando.". The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) (1933 - 1982: National Library of Australia): p. 3. 6 November 1957. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51190289. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ "Australia's good showing at Cannes Film Festival.". The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) (1933 - 1982: National Library of Australia): p. 23. 23 May 1956. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51778190. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ "Cannes a joke says Finch.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) (Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia): p. 9. 18 July 1956. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71646823. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ "Weekender 5 Glamor was left behind.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) (Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia): p. 13. 28 July 1956. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71648630. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ^ "BUSH PREMIERE.". The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) (1933 - 1982: National Library of Australia): p. 33. 8 August 1956. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51775499. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
TV listings
Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Movie Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.
Read more
Mentioned in
Shute, Nevil
(British writer)
Helen Morse
(Actor, Drama/Mystery)
A Town Like Alice
(1980 Drama Film)
Dorothy Alison
(Actor, Drama/Comedy)
Marie Lohr
(Actor, Comedy/Drama)
» More