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:

Ambulance | Spy | Beer | Desert | 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:

USA:76 min (1961) | UK:124 min | West Germany:129 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

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) | USA:Approved (PCA #19618) | UK:PG (1988) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)

Trivia:

Several scenes had to be re-shot after the British censor decided that Sylvia Syms had too many buttons undone on her blouse, revealing too much cleavage.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the ambulance encounters the second group of Germans, none of the Germans have magazines in their sub-machine guns.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

All against the desert

Army ambulance Captain Anson is ordered out of Tobruk just before it is besieged in 1942. He is fatigued by battle, dependent on drink, and despised by his friend and fellow officer who wrongly suspects him of asking to be released from the siege.

With Sergeant Pugh, the squadron's senior mechanic he prepares to leave, but enemy action separates them from the rest of the column and presents two nurses as unwelcome passengers. They later encounter Van der Pol, an ebullient South African Officer who offers to share his large rucksack of gin if the ambulance crew will give him a lift. The five then set off eastwards, trying to reach Alexandria, and safety.

But nothing about the journey is straightforward and Anson must deal with the desert, enemy forces, his own alcoholism, and the growing realisation that one of their number is an enemy agent. An incident in which one of the nurses is killed forces Anson to face up to his drunkenness and he promises his next drink won't be until they reach 'Alex' and it will be a cold beer, giving the film its title.

As the journey progresses the identity of the agent becomes obvious, but in parallel the others find themselves becoming drawn to him because of his bravery and integrity. The setbacks and hazards in the desert asks tough questions of them all, but none more difficult than how to remain loyal both to their country and to an enemy soldier to whom they each owe their lives.

John Mills as Anson, and Anthony Quayle as Van der Pol head an excellent and well-directed cast. Sylvia Simms and Harry Andrews support, without taking the limelight and although the script occasionally dips below standard, nothing can really detract from one of the finest wartime stories ever told.