Ice Cold in Alex
| Ice Cold in Alex | |
|---|---|
British film poster
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| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Produced by | W. A. Whittaker |
| Written by |
Christopher Landon (novel & screenplay) T. J. Morrison |
| Starring |
John Mills Sylvia Syms Anthony Quayle Harry Andrews |
| Music by | Leighton Lucas |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Taylor |
| Edited by | Richard Best |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Associated British-Pathé |
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Release date
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24 June 1958 (UK) |
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Running time
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130 minutes (uncut), 76 minutes (US 1961 Theatrical Version) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Ice Cold in Alex (1958) is a British film described as a true story in the film's opening credits, based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was not released in the United States until 1961, in an edited version that was 54 minutes shorter than the original – under the title Desert Attack.
A British unit at Tobruk is attacked by the German Afrika Korps, in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. During the resulting evacuation, Captain Anson (John Mills), a transport pool officer suffering from battle fatigue and alcoholism, MSM Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews), and two nurses, Diana Murdoch (Sylvia Syms) and Denise Norton (Diane Clare), crew an Austin K2/Y ambulance, nicknamed 'Katy', and decide to drive across the desert back to British lines.
As they depart they come across an Afrikaner South African officer, Captain van der Poel (Anthony Quayle), who carries a large pack, to which he seems very attached. After the South African shows Anson two bottles of gin in his backpack, van der Poel persuades Anson to let him join them in their drive to the safety of the British lines in Alexandria, Egypt.
Anson motivates himself by thinking of the ice cold lager he will order when they finally reach the safety of Alexandria – the 'Alex' of the title. En route, the group meets with various obstacles, including a minefield, a broken suspension spring (during its replacement, van der Poel's great strength saves the group when he supports 'Katy' on his back when the jack collapses), and the dangerous terrain of the Qattara Depression.
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Wikipedia