A Town Like Alice [1956]

---

---

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Although made in 1956, A Town Like Alice has remained enduringly effective and affecting. Based on Nevil Shute's novel the story revolves around a romance set against the unlikely backdrop of a forced march through the jungles of Malaysia by British prisoners--mostly women and children--captured by the invading forces of Japan. The title is a reference to the homesick yearnings of Australian soldier Joe Harman, played by Peter Finch. He forms a bond with one of the female prisoners, Jean Paget (Virginia McKenna), and their travails are depicted with a remarkable subtlety and commendable lack of corniness. It's a minor classic.

On the DVD: The black-and-white picture is presented in 4:3 format, with English subtitles if required. Extra features include a 25-minute "making of" documentary, a collection of behind-the-scenes photographs, potted biographies of the cast and crew and the original trailer. --Andrew Mueller

---

Customer reviews

review by: deejayclancy date: 2005-01-14 rating:
A Good Classical War Movie
The hardship of being a prisoner of war can not be imagined, for a woman it must be a particular HELL, with the differnce of men & woman in POW camps one can not but imagin what they went thru. With this film it brings home the hardship of how the Japanese saw how woman fitted in with their ideals of the world, one can only look at this film and realy feel pity for the likes of the true persons that this film depicts.Although this film is a fictional story of women being taken prisoner by the Japanese forces during the 2nd world war, this story does have grains of truth in it.If one looks up other stories of the same elk than you will see that "The Town Like Alice" is a true story of courage of women during WAR.And yes there was no womens prisoner of war camps as sutch, not untill later in the war, women prisoners did go walk about in forced marchs from one part of the country to another with just 2 guards watching over 50 or 100 women!!. This film makes you look at women in a new light, it certainly made me see women differently after watching it!!.


review by: date: 2002-03-07 rating:
very entertaining, an extremely well directed film
The director of the film A Town like Alice has stayed very close to the original book by Nevil Shute. The film is packed with drama and is extremely captivating. I really enjoyed the quick pace of the first part of the film but found that the middle section was perhaps a little too slow. Other than that I think it is a brilliantly directed film. I read the book first and was worried that perhaps the film would not be in keeping with the sentiments of the book but I was very pleasntly surprised that the main characters were exactly as I had imagined them! Anybody who has read and enjoyed the book will love this film but you won't need to have read the book to find it very entertaining

---

Similar products

Carve Her Name With Pride [1958]
On The Beach [1959]
A Town Like Alice: Special Edition - Special Edition [1956]
Inn Of The Sixth Happiness [1958]
Ice Cold In Alex [1958]

---

Similar categories

Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Classics . Drama
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Classics . War and Westerns
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Crime, Thrillers & Mystery . All Crime, Thrillers & Mystery
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . VHS
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . PG
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Collector's & Special Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1950 - 1959
Video . Video . Categories . Classic Films . Drama . 1950s
Video . Video . Categories . Drama . General
Video . Video . Refinements . Condition (condition-type)

---