1956 - A TOWN LIKE ALICE - good World War II war drama

The actor Virginia McKenna's understated but very committed performance is probably the best thing about this war drama.  During the Japanese invasion of Malaya a group of women and children are left behind during the evacuation.  Forced to march from one Japanese prison camp to another the women and children struggle for survival. 

A Town Like Alice was based on a book by Australian author Nevil Shute the writer of the extremely depressing end of the world novel On The Beach.  Besides being a story of survival during the war A Town Like Alice is also an understated love story as well.  Australian actor  Peter Finch plays a prisoner of war who has been forced to drive a transport truck for the Japanese.  At certain points in the film he is able to aid the women until he is finally caught by the Japanese and tortured in a very intense scene.

 Some of the film was apparently filmed on location in Malaya but was mostly shot at Pinewood studios in England.  The story is sort of true and sort of fiction.  Apparently a group of British women were marched and shuffled around Malaya during World War II, but the characters in this film are basically fictitious.

 

For all her quiet reserve Virginia McKenna's character shows a strong will to survive and inspires the other women in her group as well.  I guess it's some of that "steely resolve" stuff the British have in their national character at times.  This film is what I suppose would be called an inspirational story and it could have easily slid into pathos but for the most part avoids that pitfall.  A Town Like Alice was very popular when released and it's available on YouTube in a very good copy

The film was written by W. P. Lipscomb and Richard Mason the running time is 117 minutes.