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IMDbPro

A Town Like Alice

  • 19561956
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
29,547
1,766
Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
A newly wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. Thinking back, she recalls the Australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war.
Play trailer2:39
1 Video
16 Photos
DramaRomanceWar
A newly wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. Thinking back, she recalls the Australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid h... Read allA newly wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. Thinking back, she recalls the Australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war.A newly wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. Thinking back, she recalls the Australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
29,547
1,766
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Jack Lee
    • Writers
      • Nevil Shute(novel)
      • W.P. Lipscomb(screenplay)
      • Richard Mason(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Virginia McKenna
      • Peter Finch
      • Kenji Takaki
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Jack Lee
    • Writers
      • Nevil Shute(novel)
      • W.P. Lipscomb(screenplay)
      • Richard Mason(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Virginia McKenna
      • Peter Finch
      • Kenji Takaki
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 32User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
    • Won 2 BAFTA Awards
      • 2 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:39
    Trailer

    Photos16

    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Virginia McKenna and Kenji Takaki in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)
    Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna in A Town Like Alice (1956)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Virginia McKenna
    Virginia McKenna
    • Jean Paget
    Peter Finch
    Peter Finch
    • Joe Harman
    Kenji Takaki
    • Japanese Sergeant
    • (as Takagi)
    Tran Van Khe
    • Captain Sugaya
    Jean Anderson
    Jean Anderson
    • Miss Horsefall
    Marie Lohr
    Marie Lohr
    • Mrs. Dudley Frost
    Maureen Swanson
    Maureen Swanson
    • Ellen
    Renee Houston
    Renee Houston
    • Ebbey
    Nora Nicholson
    Nora Nicholson
    • Mrs. Frith
    Eileen Moore
    Eileen Moore
    • Mrs. Holland
    John Fabian
    • Mr. Holland
    Vincent Ball
    Vincent Ball
    • Ben
    Tim Turner
    Tim Turner
    • British Sergeant
    Vu Ngoc Tuan
    • Captain Yanata
    Munesato Yamada
    • Captain Takata
    • (as Yamada)
    Nakanishi
    • Captain Nishi
    Otokichi Ikeda
    • Kempetei Sergeant
    • (as Ikeda)
    Geoffrey Keen
    Geoffrey Keen
    • Solicitor
    • Director
      • Jack Lee
    • Writers
      • Nevil Shute(novel)
      • W.P. Lipscomb(screenplay)
      • Richard Mason(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to the book 'The Golden Gong - Fifty years of the Rank Organisation, its films and its stars' by Quentin Falk, "While at premiere of a Disney film, 'Robin Hood' [See: The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)], he [Earl St. John] was particularly impressed by the young man who played the Sheriff of Nottingham. The name on the programme was that of Peter Finch. St John bumped into Finch on the stairs of the theatre and invited him to come and talk business at Pinewood. Next day he gave Finch what would be a pivotal role in his burgeoning career: the Australian soldier, Joe, in 'A Town Like Alice'."
    • Goofs
      Harry Corbett bought his Sooty puppet from a regular store - he didn't design or create it as such. It's possible therefore that Freddie might have had the same puppet before Harry Corbett gave it national fame.
    • Quotes

      Jack Burns: This is Miss Paget - she wants to get into Willstown.

      Australian Driver: That's new - most people wanna get out of it!

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: The characters in this story are fictitious. The story itself however is based upon true fact.
    • Connections
      Featured in A Profile of 'A Town Like Alice' (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Joget
      (uncredited)

      Traditional Malay dance

      Arranged by Matyas Seiber

    User reviews32

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    The long road to walk
    I remember my mother and my aunt watching this film when I was a little boy late once night when it came on television.

    They seemed to have cried most of the way through the film. This is an image that sticks in my mind whenever this film is mentioned.

    Years later my mother told me how she lost some relatives in the second world war as they tried to escape from the Japanese in Burma by trying to walk it to India. They apparently died of exhaustion

    A Town Like Alice adapted from the novel by Nevile Shute looks at a group of women as they shuffle from one Japanese camp to another during occupied Malaysia but no one would take them in. Slowly one by one they perish because of malnutrition, sickness, disease or exhaustion.

    During their journey they are accompanied by an old guard who slowly comes to respect them.

    During the journey Virginia McKenna meets Australian soldier Peter Finch also a prisoner of war but he does his best to help them out here and there and both fall for each other. However he faces severe punishment when he is found out for stealing some chickens.

    The film is told in flashback as McKenna goes back to Malaysia after the war and discovers what happened to Finch.

    This is a gritty and unromanticised view of life in occupied Far East, many years before films like Empire of the Sun. Also it is unusual for not being set in a prisoner of war camp, these people want to get there and stay there.

    It was filmed in Malaysia and Australia for added authenticity.

    Look out for Jean Anderson, many years later she appeared in the BBC television series Tenko which was also women held in a prisoner of war camp in Malaysia.
    helpful•5
    1
    • Prismark10
    • Nov 15, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 1956 (Ireland)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • The Rape of Malaya
    • Filming locations
      • Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
    • Production company
      • Vic Films Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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