Ice-Cold in Alex (1958)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

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	...	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 final scenes have been used in two British advertising campaigns in the 80s. One was for Holsten Pils, interspersing comedian Griff Rhys Jones into the original footage, a la Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982). Carlsberg themselves then later used the footage to promote their lager, colorizing it.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When a group of German Stukas bomb the minefield, one of the camera shots is of a plane's bomb doors opening. Stukas didn't have bomb doors as their bombs were mounted externally.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in War Stories (2006) (TV)

Human vulnerabilities in a hostile environment

I am not a great fan of war genre, but this film is brilliant for several reasons. First of all the film is well acted by a cast who know what good acting is. This can be particularly said of the late Sir John Mills; a dedicated actor who really knew how to play all his characters well.

The film is also great for its suspense, which kept me gripped all the way to Alexandria.

However, what makes the film stand out, is how the adversity of a hostile environment, such as the dessert brings out the positive qualities of human nature, which serve to unite man -and woman -kind. This puts the idea of war into perspective as insignificant when faced with nature's raw and hostile conditions. It illustrates that as humans we need to unite and work together to combat adversity, while respecting the power of nature.