Many of us may be more familiar with the fivepart miniseries that was shown on public televisions masterpiece theatre in 1981. A tale of survival in 1941, the advancing japanese army captures a lot of british territory very quickly. 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. A town like alice is a historic romance in which the romantic relationship is the least successful thing about the movie. A town like alice by shute, nevil and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Jack lee the director of a town like alice, in preparing for the film shoot, had decided that he didnt want the entire movie to be filmed in englands pinewood film studios. A town like alice cries out to be made into a mini series. Jean paget, an englishwoman living in malaya at the time of the japanese invasion, is taken prisoner and, along with a number of other women and children, is forced to march around malaya because the japanese do not know what to do with them. The night scenes are frustratingly impossible to make out at times, and the story simply does not have the depth that it should have. The building of the new town in australia is only a minor part of a town like alice, just the climax really of a very long story arc. From the steamy jungles of malaya to the dusty and desolate outback of australia based on nevil shute international bestselling novel a town. The book portrays a community and how it deals with the changes due to world conflicts.
A town like alice is the story of the relationship between jean paget and joe harman. A town like alice tells the story of a plucky young englishwoman who becomes a legend in malaya during world war ii, inherits a fortune, marries her true love, and wisely uses her money to transform an australian ghost town into a thriving community. At every place where the women might be taken in by the japanese and given food and shelter, they are turned away. Previously filmed in 1956 with virginia mckenna and peter finch. This original 1956 adaptation of the nevil shute book, a town like alice, is a great teaser. A harrowing wwii drama that was a huge critical and commercial success in england, this british production was based on a novel by nevil shute. With helen morse, bryan brown, gordon jackson, dorothy alison. Add a physical copy of a town like alice from family. Please note, a multiepisode tv series was produced in australia, and although it departed from the novel. We particularly liked the two part aspect to the story war and post war, and the misunderstanding which arose. Most of the rest of it was found at normanton, in the gulf country of north queensland. A town like alice is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. Shortly after his first visit, shute decided to move there.
A town like alice filmed largely on location in malaya and australia, story is based on nevil shutes novel of the same name. 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. From the steamy jungles of malaya to the dusty and desolate outback of australia. When he steals a chicken to feed jean and the others, joe is caught and treated ruthlessly. 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. Referenced in a profile of a town like alice 2001 see more. Joe tells jean about his hometown of alice springs, an oasis in the australian outback. 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. A town like alice is a 1950 novel by british author nevil shute other works based on the novel. In 1981, a town like alice was adapted into a popular television miniseries, starring helen morse and bryan brownwith the late gordon jackson as noel strachan. A town like alice, a 1981 australian miniseries, produced by the seven network. An englishwoman is captured by japanese forces during wwii and befriends an australian pow, in this gritty adaptation of nevile shutes novel. Thinking back, she recalls the australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war.
The sixpart british tv adaptation of 1980, first shown in the us on pbs masterpiece theatre beginning october 4, 1981, is. A town like alice most appropriately conforms to the genre of the sociological novel. From the excellent 1981 australian miniseries, based on the neville shute novel. The sixpart british tv adaptation of 1980, first shown in the us on pbs masterpiece theatre beginning october 4, 1981, is more inclusive and sweeping in its adaptation. This version stared peter finch as joe harmon as an australian pow and virginia mckenn as jean paget, an english woman being marched around the coutnry side of the malay penninsula by her japanese captors. Virginia mckenna in a town like alice 1956 peter finch and virginia mckenna in. A town like alice 1956 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Film describes how a handful of women and children were forcedmarched. Unfollow town like alice dvd to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. A town like alice by nevil shute, first edition abebooks. Characters jean paget a young englishwoman who is a prisoner of war in malaya and later finds love. Jean paget, a prisoner in a japanese pow camp, is forced to trek through malaya at bayonet point during the occupation.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A town like alice rape of malaya 1956 rotten tomatoes. It is her characters tremendous struggle to survive as a japanese prisoner of war that drives the narrative. 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. Rent, buy or watch a town like alice dvd movie now. A town like alice had its world premiere in the uk on 1 march 1956 and was screened in ireland and west germany retitled march through hell before premiering in australia. A town like alice 1956 cast and crew 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. Joe tells her that he comes from a town in australia called alice. Nevil shutes most beloved novel, a tale of love and war, foll. A sixpart drama focusing on two prisoners of war helen morse, bryan brown in japanesecontrolled malaya during wwii.
Temporarily, they find a place that has running water and they can. Nevertheless, the quality of this film is not that great. Read it in a day, check it off your list but this book is only shrugworthy. 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. Based on nevil shutes international bestselling novel a town like alice. A town like alice by nevil shute and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A town like alice 1956 singapore film locations archive.
A town like alice, a 1956 film, also known as rape of malaya in u. A town like alice is an economic development and romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950. 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. It opened in the us in 1958 under the title the rape of malaya. It takes nevil shute a long time in this novel to get around to the town of alice alice springs actually, and even longer to get around to the town like alice. After they are liberated she emigrates to australia to be with him. Joe harman an australian cattleman who is a prisoner of war in malaya. A town like alice 1956 is a fine, if incomplete, version of the novel by nevil shute. A town like alice the greatest literature of all time. A town like alice dvd from network and the british film. A town like alice is a fivehour 1981 australian television adaptation of nevil shutes novel of the same name. It is the story of how lives can be changed by the intriguing combination of loveand economics. Produced by the seven network, and directed by david stevens, it. A town like alice, more than any other work, reveals shutes feelings about australia.
A town like alice, a novel written in 1950, is intertwined with romance and economic development. 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. Exploring themes of war, womens place in society, race relations, entrepreneurship, and resurrection, a town like alice, considered one of the greatest australian novels of the era, has been adapted multiple times, most famously as a 1956 feature film starring virginia mckenna and peter finch, as well as a 1981 television drama that aired on. A town like alice dvd region 1 complete 1981 miniseries. 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. A town like alice neville schute this book could be titled white girls well the good virgin ones anyway can do stuff too. A town like alice dvd 1956 network distributing 2017. 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. The film makers attitude toward the japanese appears to go like this. During her ordeal she meets captive australian joe harman and there is an instant magnetism between them. Virginia mckenna and peter finch in fact spend less than 15 minutes of screen time together.
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