A town like alice is a bonza book as one of its main characters, joe hardman of australia, would say about two love stories, two adventures and two remarkable characters inspired by a reallife man and woman who displayed remarkable bravery during wwii. The level and depth of his writing in alice shows that he was indeed learning to draw upon his own experiences to create critically acclaimed works. Based on nevil shutes international bestselling novel a town like alice. The film does not follow the whole novel, concluding at the end of part two and truncating or omitting much detail. Find movie and film cast and crew information for a town like alice 1981 david stevens on allmovie. Set against the brutal chaos of world war ii, a love story begins that will take two lovers through a living nightmare of captivity, across three continents and two decades. The film is based on the moving novel by nevil shute. A town like alice appears to be a war novel on the surface, being published in 1950, but it was written when he was presumably doing some traveling in southeast asia and australia.
After the war, jean travels back to malaya and then to australia to learn of joes fate. With jane hardstaff, virginia mckenna, jack lee, jean anderson. Carrie picked a town like alice because she would often find it on those best books ever lists and it reminded her of an old movie or miniseries that she had seen. As movie theaters close, studios are turning to videoondemand. Winning multiple awards including baftas for both mckenna and finch, a town like alice is featured here in a brandnew new transfer from original film. The men are sent off to labor camps, but they have no plan on what to do with the women and children of the british. A town like alice 1956 this drama, based on the book by nevil shute, focuses on jean paget virginia mckenna, a british office worker captured by the japanese in malaysia during world war ii. This study guide consists of approximately 63 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of a town like alice. Nov 12, 2001 free movies and tv shows you can watch now. Its very well cast with helen morse and bryan brown in the major roles and gordon jackson perfect as the sympathetic narrator. This article related to an australian madefortv movie is a stub. Starts in singapore, wwii and follows years after war. It was dramatised by moya oshea, produced by tracey neale and david blount and directed by david blount. A town like alice is an economic development and romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950.
Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing a town like alice near you. A town like alice 1981 david stevens cast and crew. A town like alice 1956 stream and watch online moviefone. A town like alice, nevil shutes novel of the japanese occupation of malaya during world war ii, was first filmed as a theatrical feature in 1956. If you want the real story of a town like alice, order up at amazon, starring brian brown and english actress, it is a miniseries and much, much better than this one. A town like alice, more than any other work, reveals shutes feelings about australia. Shortly after his first visit, shute decided to move there.
A tale of survival in 1941, the advancing japanese army captures a lot of british territory very quickly. A town like alice is a 1956 british drama film produced by joseph janni and starring virginia mckenna and peter finch that is based on the 1950 novel by nevil shute. Thinking back, she recalls the australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war. Produced by the seven network, and directed by david stevens, it was the second major adaptation of the book. Most of the rest of it was found at normanton, in the gulf country of north queensland. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free. I saw this film in a packed cinema in sydney when it was first released in 1956. A town like alice movie trailer and videos tv guide. He was born in some of his films include a town like alice, the thorn birds, fx, cocktail and gorillas in the mist the wonderfully talented australian actor, bryan brown turns 67 on 623 1947 some of his films include a town like alice, the thorn birds, fx, cocktail and gorillas in the mist see more. Handsomely shot by geoffrey unsworth, its leant an extra.
Jean paget, a young englishwoman, becomes romantically interested in a fellow prisoner of world war ii in malaya, and after liberation emigrates to australia to be with him, where she attempts, by. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. Apr 29, 20 a town like alice is a historic romance in which the romantic relationship is the least successful thing about the movie. Kept with other women prisoners, jean eventually meets australian soldier joe harman peter finch, who secretly aids the weary group by stealing food. This drama, based on the book by nevil shute, focuses on jean paget virginia mckenna, a british office worker captured by the japanese in malaysia during world war ii. But i had never seen the 1956 feature film with virginia mckenna and peter finch because we lived in the bush and didnt have movies. Aussie pows in japaneseoccupied wwii malaysia ben vincent ball and joe peter finch in their first scene, meet refugees from the british embassy, led by jean virginia mckenna, in her flashback, in a town like alice, 1958. Watch a town like alice movie trailers, exclusive videos, interviews from the cast, movie clips and more at. A town like alice, dvd, warworld war ii, 089859865527. A town like alice is one of my favorite books by nevil shute so i was pleased that masterpiece theater did such a believable job when they filmed it. The legacy is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. Released 1956, a town like alice stars virginia mckenna, peter finch, kenji takaki, jean anderson the movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 47 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic.
Aug 27, 2014 from the steamy jungles of malaya to the dusty and desolate outback of australia based on nevil shute international bestselling novel a town like alice follows the lives of jean paget and joe harman. A town like alice was originally broadcast on television in australia and then on pbs in america. Unfollow town like alice dvd to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. A newly wealthy english woman returns to malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. After stealing chickens belonging to captain sugamo, played by richard narita, to feed starving women prisoners, joe harmon, played by bryan brown is imprisoned. A town like alice is a fivehour 1981 australian television adaptation of nevil shutes novel of the same name. A town like alice hit around the same time as movies like picnic at hanging rock and breaker morant, while the original mad max was being filmed around the same time that we shot. There was a happy confluence of australian drama around that time. My watchlist keep track of your favorite shows and movies, across all your devices. A town like alice film a town like alice is a 1956 british drama film produced by joseph janni and starring virginia mckenna and peter finch that is based on the eponymous 1950 novel by nevil shute. Produced by the rank organisation uk, it became the third most popular film at the british box office that year.
Bryan brown, gordon jackson, dorothy allison, yuki shimoda, helen morse, official content from new world video movie, a town like. It has scottish actor gordon jackson in it as well. I found part of a town like alice in kuala selangor, another part of it at kota bharu, and a great hunk of it at palembang in sumatra. Jan 02, 2015 a town like alice trailer 1981 director. A town like alice 1956 not rated 1h 57min drama, romance, war 1 june 1956 ireland a newly wealthy english woman returns to malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. May 17, 2016 a town like alice hit around the same time as movies like picnic at hanging rock and breaker morant, while the original mad max was being filmed around the same time that we shot. In 1997 a sixpart radio version of a town like alice was broadcast on bbc radio 2 starring jason connery, becky hindley, bernard hepton and virginia mckenna who had starred as the novels heroine, jean paget, in the 1956 movie version. The fact that this film doesnt cover the second part of the book makes it almost impossible to understand why the heck the title is a town like alice but on another hand, once you watched it, you can read the book and still be impressed by it, as it contains many a treasure not treated on the screen. 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. It is her characters tremendous struggle to survive as a japanese prisoner of war that drives the narrative. Was nevil shute, author of a town like alice a racist, or was he just. Based on the first part of nevil shutes novel, the film recreates what really happened to a group of british women and children after the.
A town like alice rape of malaya 1956 rotten tomatoes. A town like alice dvd region 1 complete 1981 miniseries. A town like alice is a 1956 british drama film produced by joseph janni and starring virginia mckenna and peter finch that is based on the 1950 novel by. Slowly one by one they perish because of malnutrition, sickness, disease or exhaustion. Jul 21, 2012 the fruit fluff was the hit of the night not to mention the root beer floatswith vanillacuddys. When joes actions are discovered, he is punished, and jean assumes him to.
In 1945 he emigrated to australia with his wife and daughters and there wrote perhaps his most famous novels a town like alice 1950 and on the beach 1957. I believe that a town like alice was the first australian tv drama to have a major impact overseas. A classic war movie like no other, because it is told from a womans perspective. The film adaptation of nevil shutes hugely popular 1950 novel a town like alice premiered in australia on 24 july 1956. International emmy award for outstanding drama 19792001 on giants. As a naval volunteer reservist in the second world war, shute developed antisubmarine missiles and was sent to normandy to chronicle the dday landings. I see there is a miniseries from 1981 based on this and a movie from 2012 with peter. A town like alice 1 is an episode from season 11 of the pbs tv series masterpiece theater in which joe harmon and jean paget fall in love during world war iis japanese occupation of malaya. A town like alice is a fivehour 1981 australian television adaptation of nevil shutes novel of. Virginia mckenna and peter finch in fact spend less than 15 minutes of screen time together.
Coming attractions for you 2020s most anticipated movies. A town like alice 1981 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Oct 26, 2011 written from the perspective of her scottish solicitor and trustee, it tells the story of her time as a prisoner of war in malaya, and her postwar life in a small outback community in australia, which she sets out to turn into a town like alice, alice springs in the northern territory of australia. From the steamy jungles of malaya to the dusty and desolate outback of australia. Set against the brutal nightmare of world war ii, a love story begins that will take two lovers through a living chaos of captivity, across three continents and two.
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