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. It starred glen close and frances mcdormand, among others. Jean paget, an english woman taken prisoner by the japanese, is among a group of women and children. A town like alice first captivated me when i was only 14 and caught a rerun of it on t. With helen morse, bryan brown, gordon jackson, dorothy alison. 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.
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 1981 david stevens cast and crew. 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. 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. Apparently this australian film based on nevil shutes novel exists in more. A town like alice 1981 rotten tomatoes movie trailers.
Find movie and film cast and crew information for a town like alice 1981 david stevens on allmovie. A town like alice 1981 a town like alice 1981 a town like alice 1981 a town like alice 1981 the image could not be loaded. Jean paget, an adolescent englishwoman, becomes romantically involved with a fellow wwii prisoner, joe harmon, in malaya now the western portion of malaysia. They suffer under the hands of the japanese not as prisoners, quite, but as refugees caught between captors. The best tv shows and movies to watch while in quarantine. My name is jacob and welcome to my youtube channel. From the excellent 1981 australian miniseries, based on the neville shute novel. If we throw in one good jap to appease the bad day at black rock. After they are liberated she emigrates to australia to be with him. Publication date 19970204 topics bbc radio drama language english.
Produced by the seven network, and directed by david stevens, it was the second major adaptation of the book in the united states it was shown on pbs under the masterpiece theatre banner, a rare nonbritish production to be so aired. 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. This version of a town like alice the second adapted screen offering of the 1950 novel by the english author nevil shute. Jean is startled to receive a letter postmarked in joes home town of alice springs. 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. 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 view the tcmdb entry for a town like alice 1958. Released by southern cross in 1986 sccd 10 containing music from a town like alice 1981. Its very well cast with helen morse and bryan brown in the major roles and gordon jackson perfect as the sympathetic narrator.
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. The legacy is a novel by the british author nevil shute about a young englishwoman in malaya during world war ii and in outback australia postwar. A town like alice is a fivehour 1981 australian television adaptation of nevil shutes novel of the same name. Jean paget, an english woman taken prisoner by the japanese, is among a group of women and children forced to trek through malaya during the occupation. A town like alice rape of malaya 1956 rotten tomatoes. When joes actions are discovered, he is punished, and jean assumes him to. I remember this film often being on the tv every anzac day when i was young.
A town like alice dvd region 1 complete 1981 miniseries. My watchlist keep track of your favorite shows and movies, across all your devices. Unfollow town like alice dvd to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. 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. 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. 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. Netflix is dropping these shows and movies, so watch them now.
Bryan brown, gordon jackson, dorothy allison, yuki shimoda, helen morse, official content from new world video movie, a town like. 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. 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 investing her substantial financial inheritance, to. 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. The film makers attitude toward the japanese appears to go like this.
One of my favourite war time movies was a town like alice. Neville shute norway wrote some of the best love stories of the twentieth century. Movie, a town like alice movie,a town like alice trailer,a town like alice 1981, david stevens,bryan brown, gordon jackson, dorothy. Produced by the rank organisation uk, it became the third most popular film at the british box office that year. The film is based on the moving novel by nevil shute. A town like alice 1956 singapore film locations archive. Directed by crown film unit veteran jack lee, a town like alice works as both a touching love story and a gritty, tense war drama, notable for its strong ensemble of female actors marie lohr, renee houston, jean anderson. Virginia mckenna and peter finch in fact spend less than 15 minutes of screen time together. Based on nevil shutes international bestselling novel a town like alice. National film and sound archive of australia nfsa 11,593 views 3. Jan 24, 2020 a town like alice new song live 2015 by spencer hayesfreeman. A town like alice 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. 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. A town like alice 1956 a remarkable movie, completely under everyones radar, about a group of english women in asia during world war ii.
This original 1956 adaptation of the nevil shute book, a town like alice, is a great teaser. The legacy is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. 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 soundtrack from 1981, composed by bruce smeaton.
A classic war movie like no other, because it is told from a womans perspective. It was dramatised by moya oshea, produced by tracey neale and david blount and directed by david blount. He thought it might add a little more authenticity to the film if some scenes were shot on location in the places depicted in the novel. During the japanese advance in malaya, a group of civilians is taken prisoner and forced to embark on a gruelling trek through the jungle. 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 tv miniseries 1981 plot summary imdb.
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. Join sign up keep track of your favorite shows and movies, across all your devices. Nov 27, 2014 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. The legacy is a tv show based on the novel by the british author nevil shute about a young englishwoman in malaya and now were pleased to offer you the chance to relive this great series on dvd. The film does not follow the whole novel, concluding at the end of part two and truncating or omitting much detail. Captain sugamo then crucifys joe, has him whipped and left for dead. Apr 29, 20 a town like alice is a historic romance in which the romantic relationship is the least successful thing about the movie. Based on nevil shutes international bestselling novel a town like alice follows.
Kept with other women prisoners, jean eventually meets australian soldier joe harman peter finch, who secretly aids the weary group by stealing food. Further to these problems, a town like alice is really just a boringass film seemingly churned out in an attempt to capitalise on the success of the novel. A town like alice 1956 stream and watch online moviefone. A town like alice is a historic romance in which the romantic relationship is the least successful thing about the movie. Gentle night rain 247 for sleeping, relaxing, study, insomnia, rain sound, gentle rain no thunder the relaxed guy 1,350 watching live now. A shame really because i was foolishly, in hindsight expecting good things. The story of the women reminds me of a movie about women imprisoned by the japanese in wwii, paradise. From the steamy jungles of malaya to the dusty and desolate outback of australia. It is a modest, understated and unhollywood thank god. 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. 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. It is her characters tremendous struggle to survive as a japanese prisoner of war that drives the narrative. Meeting in malayashe an attractive young english captive and he a cheerful australian pow tortured for a simple act of kindness. The film adaptation of nevil shutes hugely popular 1950 novel a town like alice premiered in australia on 24 july 1956.
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