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Ice Cold In Alex
1958
This classic World War II drama stars John Mills as an ambulance driver who escapes the siege of Tobruk in the company of a sergeant major, a nurse and a South African officer who has become separated from his unit. Suspicions arise about whether one of the group is a German spy who is undermining their attempt to reach safety. .. Read more
| Starring | John Mills, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Quayle, Harry Andrews |
|---|---|
| Director | J. Lee Thompson |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
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Ice Cold In Alex
This classic World War II drama stars John Mills as an ambulance driver who escapes the siege of Tobruk in the company of a sergeant major, a nurse and a South African officer who has become separated from his unit. Suspicions arise about whether one of the group is a German spy who is undermining their attempt to reach safety. The film is most famous for its scene in which Captain Anson (Mills) finally gets to drink his 'ice cold' beer in Alexandria.
| Starring | John Mills, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Quayle, Harry Andrews, Diane Clare |
|---|---|
| Director | J. Lee Thompson |
| Studio | STUDIO CANAL + OPTIMUM |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 12 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 21 Feb 2005 Production year: 1958 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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This is the film in which John Mills swigs the most famous glass of beer in movie history — probably! And how well he's earned it, having steered clear of the bottle, Axis troops and a desert full of mines to bring an ambulance to safety after the fall of Tobruk in 1942. No less deserving are crew members Sylvia Syms, Diane Clare, Harry Andrews and Anthony Quayle, who tolerate both his temper and his temperance. Based on a true-life incident, this is a one-premise picture, but director J Lee Thompson keeps the action tense and every jolt felt in the vehicle's cabin will throw you to the edge of your armchair.
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Engrossing desert adventure with plenty of suspense sequences borrowed from The Wages of Fear; long, but very well presented.
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Most helpful member's review
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Worth waiting for..........
Based upon a true story the film is great matinee viewing. It centres around Captain Anson (John Mills) journey across occupied North Africa during the Second World War. His mission is to deliver two nurses to the town of Alexandria in an ambulance. The route is made the more difficult by the constant threat of encountering Nazi patrols and indeed from attack by German ground and airborne forces.
There is much more to the film than just a simple tale of the days spent in the Ambulance. In retrospect it is almost like a play in that the scenes are acted out against a desolate desert back drop or in the ambulance and as such the story relies solely on the dialogue.
There is more depth here than just a 'road trip' film. For me it showed how social positioning of men and women has changed over the 50 or so years. The men are strong, commanding and uncomplicated whereas the two nurses are young, pretty and in their own words silly things that are just no good at anything other than crying and getting in the way. No more so is this highlighted with their relationship John Mills character.
Captain Anson is a very stereotypical almost clich? British soldier; a leader, determined, and to top it all with a public school accent - hurrah, don't worry chaps we'll soon see good old Blighty's shores again. The younger pretty nurses soon swoon to him even though he is uncompromising and rude as he traditionally believes a woman?s place is certainly not in the battle fields of Africa. A woman?s place in this film is definitely by her man. In fact it gets so detached from how we are today that the exchanges are amusing.
The film has some classic moments; they encounter a South Africa soldier in the desert and bring him along for the ride. His frequent trips into the desert make the others suspicious and he is uncovered as a German spy reporting back to his superiors regarding their movements. Famous scenes involving quick sand and the monumental task of pushing the ambulance up a seemingly unending sand dune enable the film to address many key themes that were prevalent at that time. In particular respect, forgiveness and solidarity are core themes and they culminate at the end, when they reach Alexandria, and Captain Anson buys them all the cold beer he promised, including the German spy, as they learn that you can be a Nazi and human too. This scene of them downing a glistening frothy pint was later used by Carlsberg in an advert and during the filming required sufficient retakes for John Mills to be drunk by the final cut.
Perhaps now it needs to be taken with a little pinch of salt but still terribly enjoyable, tense and emotional you can?t help but be drawn in and wonder what you would do in the same position. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Classic war film
Ice COld in Alex is still a terrifically entertaining film, with the hazards the ambulance crew face added to by the additional intruige of an undercover agent in their midst. Great cinematography and direction really emphasise the heat and weariness of the crew, and the performances are all excellent - particularly John Mills as the alchohlic Captain. Recomended.
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News and features
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An unlikely hero
- 31 Mar 2006
The star of upcoming war movie Stop Loss is unlikely to be admitted to the pantheon of classic Hollywood war heroes. Although the judgement may seem a little hasty, passing muster to join the likes of Steve McQueen's Captain Hilts in The Great Escape, Martin Sheen's Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now or John Mills' Captain Anson in Ice Cold In Alex, is a tall order. What cinemagoers will have the chance to decide, however, is whether Justin Timberlake, that's right, as the lead in Stop Loss will Read more
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This classic World War II drama stars John Mills as an ambulance driver who escapes the siege of Tobruk in the company of a sergeant major, a nurse and a South African officer who has become ... -