ICE COLD IN ALEX 1958
This British film is based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. This WW2 film is set in 1942 North Africa at the time of the fall of Tobruk. John Mills headlines the production with Harry Andrews, Sylvia Syms, Diane Clare and Anthony Quayle.
John Mills is in charge of a convoy of trucks and ambulances being evacuated from Tobrouk just before its capture by the German Afrika Korps. Mills and his Sgt, Harry Andrews are given a pair of nurses to take along during the evacuation. The two nurses, Sylvia Syms and Diane Clare had missed their ship out of Tobruk.
Due to a number of factors, the ambulance is cut off from the rest of the convoy. They need to drive out across the desert in order to reach the coast road back to British lines. They soon come up on a South African officer, Anthony Quayle, who joins up with the Tobruk escapees. Mills, a man with an over fondness for the bottle, likes that Quayle has several large bottles of gin with him.
The first of several problems pop up, a minefield is blocking their way to the coast road. With Andrews slowly driving, Mills and Quayle lead the ambulance carrying the nurses through the mines. Now they have a run in with a German patrol and the truck gets shot up. The one nurse, Clare, is badly wounded.
Anthony Quayle, who just happens to speak German, has a word with the Officer in charge of the patrol. The Germans are too busy chasing the retreating British army to worry about a one truck with a wounded nurse. The German officer, Walter Gotell, lets the group continue on their way.
The wounded nurse, Clare has been fatally hit and soon dies. She is buried out in the middle of nowhere with a simple cross to mark the grave. The other nurse, Syms, as well as the Sgt, Andrews, notice that Quayle is never without his pack. And that he goes off into the desert every morning and night at the same time. Mills figures the guy is just attending to his waste needs. Mills promises them all a tall glass of ice cold beer once they reach safety in Alexandria.
Now there is another run in with a German patrol, and again Quayle talks the Germans into releasing them. Now even Mills figure that something is wrong with this picture. He tells the others they need proof before they can say that Quayle is really a German spy.
The group is now forced to head out into the dangerous terrain of the Quattara Depression. The area is full of quicksand and salt marshes where a truck and its contents could disappear beneath the surface. The group catches Quayle that night in the act of sending a message on a small portable radio that is kept in his pack. Quayle disposes of the evidence is a handy quicksand hole. He however gets caught in the same hole. The others just barely manage to pull him out of the trap with the truck tow rope.
It is now on to Alex and safety as well as that cold beer. Mills gets Quayle to cough up his real name before the Military Police show up. Otherwise he will be shot as a spy by the British Army. He also grabs Quayle's fake id and dog tags before they are seen. They all now sit and wash the dust away with a couple glasses of ice cold beer.
This is a very interesting, tension filled film, and is much better than I am making it sound. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson. Thompson started out as a writer before switching to directing. His films include, MURDER WITHOUT CRIME, THE YELLOW BALLOON, THE WEAK AND THE WICKED, TIGER BAY, WOMAN IN A DRESSING GOWN, CAPE FEAR, THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and KINGS OF THE SUN. Thompson received an Oscar nomination for his work on THE GUNS OF NAVARONE.
There are two versions out, the full length UK version which is the one written about here, and the US version with 54 minutes cut from the runtime. Needless to say, that one makes no sense.
This British film is based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon. This WW2 film is set in 1942 North Africa at the time of the fall of Tobruk. John Mills headlines the production with Harry Andrews, Sylvia Syms, Diane Clare and Anthony Quayle.
John Mills is in charge of a convoy of trucks and ambulances being evacuated from Tobrouk just before its capture by the German Afrika Korps. Mills and his Sgt, Harry Andrews are given a pair of nurses to take along during the evacuation. The two nurses, Sylvia Syms and Diane Clare had missed their ship out of Tobruk.
Due to a number of factors, the ambulance is cut off from the rest of the convoy. They need to drive out across the desert in order to reach the coast road back to British lines. They soon come up on a South African officer, Anthony Quayle, who joins up with the Tobruk escapees. Mills, a man with an over fondness for the bottle, likes that Quayle has several large bottles of gin with him.
The first of several problems pop up, a minefield is blocking their way to the coast road. With Andrews slowly driving, Mills and Quayle lead the ambulance carrying the nurses through the mines. Now they have a run in with a German patrol and the truck gets shot up. The one nurse, Clare, is badly wounded.
Anthony Quayle, who just happens to speak German, has a word with the Officer in charge of the patrol. The Germans are too busy chasing the retreating British army to worry about a one truck with a wounded nurse. The German officer, Walter Gotell, lets the group continue on their way.
The wounded nurse, Clare has been fatally hit and soon dies. She is buried out in the middle of nowhere with a simple cross to mark the grave. The other nurse, Syms, as well as the Sgt, Andrews, notice that Quayle is never without his pack. And that he goes off into the desert every morning and night at the same time. Mills figures the guy is just attending to his waste needs. Mills promises them all a tall glass of ice cold beer once they reach safety in Alexandria.
Now there is another run in with a German patrol, and again Quayle talks the Germans into releasing them. Now even Mills figure that something is wrong with this picture. He tells the others they need proof before they can say that Quayle is really a German spy.
The group is now forced to head out into the dangerous terrain of the Quattara Depression. The area is full of quicksand and salt marshes where a truck and its contents could disappear beneath the surface. The group catches Quayle that night in the act of sending a message on a small portable radio that is kept in his pack. Quayle disposes of the evidence is a handy quicksand hole. He however gets caught in the same hole. The others just barely manage to pull him out of the trap with the truck tow rope.
It is now on to Alex and safety as well as that cold beer. Mills gets Quayle to cough up his real name before the Military Police show up. Otherwise he will be shot as a spy by the British Army. He also grabs Quayle's fake id and dog tags before they are seen. They all now sit and wash the dust away with a couple glasses of ice cold beer.
This is a very interesting, tension filled film, and is much better than I am making it sound. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson. Thompson started out as a writer before switching to directing. His films include, MURDER WITHOUT CRIME, THE YELLOW BALLOON, THE WEAK AND THE WICKED, TIGER BAY, WOMAN IN A DRESSING GOWN, CAPE FEAR, THE GUNS OF NAVARONE and KINGS OF THE SUN. Thompson received an Oscar nomination for his work on THE GUNS OF NAVARONE.
There are two versions out, the full length UK version which is the one written about here, and the US version with 54 minutes cut from the runtime. Needless to say, that one makes no sense.