Le désert de la peur

I am not a great fan of war genre, but this film is brilliant for several reasons. First of all the film is well acted by a cast who know what good acting is. This can be particularly said of the late Sir John Mills; a dedicated actor who really knew how to play all his characters well.

The film is also great for its suspense, which kept me gripped all the way to Alexandria.

However, what makes the film stand out, is how the adversity of a hostile environment, such as the dessert brings out the positive qualities of human nature, which serve to unite man -and woman -kind. This puts the idea of war into perspective as insignificant when faced with nature's raw and hostile conditions. It illustrates that as humans we need to unite and work together to combat adversity, while respecting the power of nature.

This is a masterly example of how to make a film. The plot is simple, how to get an ambulance from behind enemy lines to safety, but it's given such force and power by the characters thrown together to achieve this. The alcoholic burnt out Captain, the solid Sergeant Major, the plucky nurse and the mysterious stranger. The performances are somewhat mannered by todays standards however they are all excellent, especially Harry Andrews (who rarely gets a mention) but who is the solid rock that holds the other characters together. Don't miss the original UK version, the shortened US version may be safely passed over. This film shows it is possible to make an interesting war film with hardly any violence.

I must have watched this film more than 10 times, and have enjoyed it. I especially enjoy the story of triumph over adversity; both in terms of the adversity of nature itself, as well as human nature.

The subplot of the commonality of humanity, together with the final denouement adds to my enjoyment.

As an Englishman living in Australia, I appreciate, especially the final scene in the club. I never fail to relish a glass of beer, or to finger-wipe the condensation on the glass.

(PS I would have made it 10 out of 10 if Miss Syms could have unhooked two more buttons on her shirt)

Ice-Cold in Alex is directed by J. Lee Thompson and is based on the novel of the same name written by Christopher Landon. The latter of which co-writes the screenplay with T.J. Morrison. It stars John Mills, Sylvia Syms, Anthony Quayle and Harry Andrews. Leighton Lucas provides the music and Gilbert Taylor photographs in black and white.

World War II and the British base at Tobruk, Libya, is attacked by the German Afrika Korps. During the evacuation 4 personnel are tasked with the mission to drive an ambulance across the desert back to British lines in Alexandria in Egypt. Captain Anson (Mills), MSM Tom Pugh (Andrews), Nurse Diana Murdoch (Syms) and Nurse Denise Norton (Diane Clare) are the four people in question, soon to be joined by a South African officer, Captain van der Poel (Quayle). Poel seems shifty, but his physicality and supply of Gin will no doubt be handy on this arduous trip. And arduous it will prove, as the elements, Germans and inner conflict will all test the group to the limit.

It falls under the war movie banner, but the truth is that Ice-Cold in Alex is a different sort of animal. The core of Landon's story is to observe how a different group of characters cope in the face of mental and physical hardships. The war and the desert landscapes form the backdrop, but this is in essence a character study where the characters are defined by their actions. Thankfully the group of actors on show are able to turn in great shows to not let the slow structure of the film be a hindrance. Mills and Quayle especially bring a dynamic to their characters, drawing the viewer into the desert with them in the process. A number of quality scenes stand out in the picture, be it involving quicksand or trying to get "Katy" the ambulance over a hill, the tension mounts and the film never wants for effective drama. While the finale crowns the picture in a wave of humanistic collectedness. 8/10

I must confess to being biased towards this film, as I am a grandson of the author and screenwriter. It is extremely pleasing to read that this film has given a lot of pleasure to many who have seen it. Why I think the film succeeds is because it was written by a man who took part in the North African campaign, as a doctor in the RAMC, who had to deal with the human cost of war. People, and how they cope with adversity, is often more interesting than depicting warfare itself. This makes it an unusual war film for the time, to say the least. The character of Captain Anson, so ably played by John Mills, is telling for me as my grandfather sadly did have an alcohol problem later in life. On a lighter note, the terrific final scene in the bar has an amusing story attached to it - apparently, the scene had to be shot five or six times, and as nothing else looked like beer in a glass than, well, beer, poor John Mills had to keep knocking back the beers until the scene was "in the can"!