Ice-Cold in Alex (1958)

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Christopher Landon (novel)
Christopher Landon (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 October 1958 (West Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | War | Drama

Plot:

A group of army personnel and nurses attempt a dangerous and arduous trek across the deserts of North Africa during the second world war...

Plot Keywords:

Beer | Ambulance | Desert | WWII | Quicksand

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

John Mills	...	Captain Anson
Sylvia Syms	...	Sister Diana Murdoch
Anthony Quayle	...	Captain van der Poel / Hauptman Otto Lutz
Harry Andrews	...	MSM Tom Pugh
Diane Clare	...	Sister Denise Norton
Richard Leech	...	Captain Crosbie
Liam Redmond	...	Brigadier (DDMS)
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Ponsonby - Brigadier's Staff Officer
David Lodge	...	CMP Captain (tank trap)
Michael Nightingale	...	CMP Captain (checkpoint)
Basil Hoskins	...	CMP Lieutenant (Alexandria)
Walter Gotell	...	1st German Officer
Frederick Jaeger	...	2nd German Officer
Richard Marner	...	German Guard
Peter Arne	...	British Officer at Oasis

Also Known As:

Desert Attack (USA)
Ice Cold in Alex (UK) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

129 min | USA:76 min (1961)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:A (1958) (cut) | UK:PG (1988) | USA:Approved (PCA #19618) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)

Trivia:

The beer that the crew drink at journey's end in the novel is Rhinegold. Although it's not actually a German beer, it certainly sounds like one. As the war was still a very fresh memory in many people's heads at the time, the decision was made to go with Danish Carlsberg beer instead.

Goofs:

Plot holes: At the checkpoint when entering Alexandria, the MP Captain hands over a shirt saying "This is for your South African friend". Later Captain Anson states that he has told security that he has a German Officer with them. Anson is trying to conceal Lutz's assumed identity and would not have told the checkpoint captain that Lutz was South African.

Quotes:

Capt. Anson: [draining his glass of beer] Worth waiting for.

Movie Connections:

Featured in War Stories (2006) (TV)

Makes you want a cold beer afterwards

The distance the team have to travel is shown also in the stretch and strain put on them physically and mentally and reminds me of the Treasure of the Sierra Madre. The best moment is towards the end when the captain yells at the girl "Don't stand there thinking about your relationship and forget the make-up!".

The suspicions arisen about a character member added to tension in addition to the English groups trip through perilious desert terrain under constant threat from the German enemy, the heat and the desert itself. Romance is added to the war theme and a great supporting cast brings a warmth to the intense heat of the African sands.