IMDb > "A Town Like Alice" (1981)

"A Town Like Alice" (1981) More at IMDbPro »TV mini-series

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Overview

User Rating:
8.3/10   419 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
David Stevens
Writers:
Tom Hegarty (writer)
Nevil Shute (novel)
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Contact:
View company contact information for A Town Like Alice on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 October 1981 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance | War more
Plot:
Set against the brutal chaos of World War II, a love story begins that will take two lovers through a living nightmare of captivity... more
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 6 wins more
User Comments:
A moving film with captivating romance that you'll never forget! more (20 total)

Cast

  (Series Cast overview, first billed only)
Helen Morse ... Jean Paget

Bryan Brown ... Joe Harman
Gordon Jackson ... Noel Strachan
Dorothy Alison ... Mrs. Frith
Yuki Shimoda ... Sergeant Mifune
Anna Volska ... Sally Wilson-Hayes
Donald MacDonald ... Derek Wilson-Hayes
Pat Evison ... Mrs. Collard

Richard Narita ... Captain Sugamo
Arkie Whiteley ... Annie
Lorna Lesley ... Rose
Lucy Bell ... Jane
Sean Hinton ... Freddie
Debbie Baile ... Audrey
Cecily Polson ... Eileen
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Additional Details

Runtime:
301 min
Country:
Australia
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Filming Locations:
Farmcote Station, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia more
Company:
7 Network more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This was the first non-British production to air in the U.S. on "Masterpiece Theatre" (1971). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Although set in 1948, Jean Paget boards a Routemaster London bus. Routemasters weren't introduced until the mid-1950s. more
Movie Connections:
Version of A Town Like Alice (1956) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
A moving film with captivating romance that you'll never forget!, 25 April 1999
Author: Domenica Rose Geovese (binky@sirius.com) from San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

A TOWN LIKE ALICE first captivated me when I was only 14 and caught a re-run of it on T.V. in 1984. It has since remained one of my most favorite romances on film. It is a modest, understated and "un-Hollywood" (thank God!) work, yet it is epic in the way it depicts the two very likable main characters, Joe Harmon and Jean Paget (played by Bryan Brown and Helen Morse, respectively) meeting during a tumultuous backdrop of war and despair, falling in love in spite of it, and then becoming blissfully reunited. But don't worry--I haven't given away the "happy ending!" The last half of the film that follows is what gives this work its integrity. The lovers then have to overcome the adversity of the differences of their cultures and beliefs--her being English and he being Australian. Jean Paget is an admirable, headstrong character, who when placed in the backwards Australian outback of the 1940's, is put to the test with her lover Joe, making one realize that love relationships don't go perfectly, but if the love is strong, it will persevere.

This movie truly pulls the viewer into the romance between Jean and Joe and you feel every heartache and every joy that they share in your heart as well. But these are not shallowly constructed "romance novel characters." They are complex and imperfect and through their hardships, show the audience that any love such as theirs is truly worth fighting for.

So, as long as this movie is on tape (being a two- part mini-series), please be patient with it (like you would with an E.M. Forster novel-to-film adaptation) because I guarantee the reward will be ever so sweet. It will draw you in and be compelling from start to finish with a story you will really care about. A wonderful, wonderful picture! Plus, the soundtrack is absolutely gorgeous and moving.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "A Town Like Alice" (1981)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
DVD may be re-released in Australia braegann-1
Un-edited version? matbears
I finally found it!!!! braegann-1
USA DVD release twleitch-2
Perfect romance film VikyO
a town like alice ecca
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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits IMDb TV section
IMDb Drama section IMDb Australia section Add this title to MyMovies

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