Rank organisation film productions nurse jean paget is one of a small band of women trekking through the japaneseoccupied malayan jungle, where they are befriended by joe harman, a tough australian p. The book portrays a community and how it deals with the changes due to world conflicts. But finally it was done, and the tick on the bucket list is happily added. Thanks to those of you who sent letters to oprah winfrey about choosing a town like alice as one of her book club choices. 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. This version of a town like alice was produced at rank films, directed by jack lee, and starred.
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. Find movie and film cast and crew information for a town like alice 1981 david stevens on allmovie. Save town like alice dvd to get email alerts and updates on. A town like alice aka the legacy tells of a young woman who miraculously survived a wartime japanese death march, and an australian soldier, also a prisoner of war, who offered to help her even at the cost of his life. 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 classic war movie like no other, because it is told from a womans perspective.
Kept with other women prisoners, jean eventually meets australian soldier joe harman peter finch, who secretly aids the weary group by stealing food. Florence if you already solved this crossword clue and want to see other answers aswell please go back and see the other clues for the evening standard cryptic crossword 15 february 2018 answers. The film does not follow the whole novel, concluding at the end of part two and truncating or omitting much detail. A town like alice, a novel written in 1950, is intertwined with romance and economic development. 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. Nevil shutes 1950 novel tells the story of jean paget as a prisoner of war in malaya during world war ii and then her return to malaya after the war, where she discovers something that leads her on the search for romance and to a small outback community in australia. Buy with confidence from one of australias oldest bookshops established in 1975. Slarek is gripped and moved by the film, and enjoys networks new bluray. After the war, jean tracks joe down in australia and together they begin to dream of surmounting the past and transforming his onehorse outback town into a thriving community like alice springs 482 pages, with a reading time of 7. A town like alice 1956 le film complet en streaming. 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. Nov 12, 2001 with jane hardstaff, virginia mckenna, jack lee, jean anderson.
The women will no longer have to walk so far each day to collect water, as they have always done. Was nevil shute, author of a town like alice a racist, or was he just recording the attitudes of the time. During the second world war he joined the royal navy volunteer reserve where he worked on developing secret weapons. In a time period when women were viewed as homemakers and mothers, shute uses the strong will of a determined and competent female to develop a town that may have otherwise eventually dried up like the swollen creek of the wet season in an australian dry spell. This version of a town like alice the second adapted screen offering of the 1950 novel by the english author nevil shute. A town like alice has been such an intriguing read. She recalls her life in the village for three years. 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. A town like alice, more than any other work, reveals shutes feelings about australia. However it has a certain directness and freshness which makes it quite watchable. 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. Produced by the seven network, and directed by david stevens, it was the second major adaptation of the book. I have sent a copy of alice to her and if she reads it, our work is done.
The first half deals with the history of jean paget, in which we follow her to malaya under the japanese occupation. A description of tropes appearing in a town like alice. Jean paget, an adolescent englishwoman, becomes romantically involved with a fellow wwii prisoner, joe harmon, in malaya now the western portion of malaysia. I see there is a miniseries from 1981 based on this and a movie from 2012 with peter finch. 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. In the united states it was shown on pbs under the masterpiece theatre banner, a rare nonbritish production to be so aired. Unfollow town like alice dvd to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. 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. 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.
Australia, fiction, historical, war, world war ii, film adaptation. The legacy is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. 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. With virginia mckenna, peter finch, kenji takaki, tran van khe. 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 1956 singapore film locations archive. A town like alice, dvd, warworld war ii, 089859865527. Set in both malaysia and then the australian outback, its easy to see why a town like alice is so well known and a classic. In postworld war ii london, jean paget, a secretary in a leather goods factory, is informed by solicitor noel strachan that she has inherited a considerable sum of money from an uncle she never knew. Virginia mckenna and peter finch are excellent in a town like alice, jack lees compelling 1956 adaptation of nevil shutes tale of a group of british women forced to walk across malaya by the invading japanese. Known as stuart until 31 august 1933, the name alice springs was given by surveyor william whitfield mills after alice, lady todd nee alice gillam bell, wife of the telegraph pioneer sir charles todd.
It opened in the us in 1958 under the title the rape of malaya the australian gala premiere, or bush premiere as reported by the australian womens weekly 8 august 1956, was held in alice springs at the pioneer. See more ideas about alice, peter finch and nevil shute. A town like alice by nevil shute, first edition abebooks. 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. A town like alice the greatest literature of all time. 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. Brown was born in panania, in southwest sydney, the son of john jack brown and molly brown, a pianist in the early days of the langshaw school of ballet, who also worked as a house cleaner. This costarred helen morse and the two of them were reteamed in far east 1982, written and directed by duigan. 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. 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. He grew up with his younger sister, kristine, in the southwestern sydney suburb of panania, and began working at amp as an actuarial student. 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. Neville shute norway wrote some of the best love stories of the twentieth century.
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. 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. Mparntwe is the thirdlargest town in the northern territory of australia. Thinking back, she recalls the australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war. Shortly after his first visit, shute decided to move there. Rape of malaya directed by jack lee written by nevil shute novel, w. Virginia mckenna, peter finch produced by vic film production year of release. Since oprah has now completed her australian trip, it is time to continue the campaign. But the solicitor is now her trustee and she only has the use of the income until she inherits absolutely, at the age of thirty five, several years in the future. A town like alice 1981 david stevens cast and crew.
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. A town like alice a 1950s exciting story, of a woman who has such success, vision, courage and determination. A town like alice is the story of an english nurse, who is trapped in malaya with a group of englihs women during the japanese invasion. A town like alice is a fivehour 1981 australian television adaptation of nevil shutes novel of the same name.
Produced by the rank organisation uk, it became the third most popular film at the british box office that year. A town like alice rape of malaya 1956 rotten tomatoes. Much like burn after reading felt like the coens trying too hard to make a coen film, alice, a loose reimagining of juliet of the spirits, feels like woody desperately trying to make a woody. His most celebrated novels include pied piper 1942, a town like alice 1950, and on the beach 1957. A town like alice is a 1956 british drama film produced by joseph janni and starring virginia. Nevil shutes 1950 novel tells the story of jean paget as a prisoner of war in malaya during world. Produced by the seven network, and directed by david stevens, it. The writing had an easy flow to it and the story was certainly gripping, even though this decidedly is a book of two halves.
Its very well cast with helen morse and bryan brown in the major roles and gordon jackson perfect as the sympathetic narrator. 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. In a town like alice, shute allows a woman to be the eagleeye entrepreneur to renovate a small onehorse town in the outback. The film is based on the moving novel by nevil shute. Oct 11, 2008 from the excellent 1981 australian miniseries, based on the neville shute novel. Its a straightforwardly structured making of documentary, built around interviews with lead actress virginia mckenna, director jack lee and supporting player jean anderson, and peppered with. 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. 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. Jean paget, a young englishwoman living in malaya, is captured by the invading japanese and forced on a brutal sevenmonth death march with dozens of other women and children. A town like alice most appropriately conforms to the genre of the sociological novel. 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. The film adaptation of nevil shutes hugely popular 1950 novel a town like alice premiered in australia on 24 july 1956.
Jurong road 11th milestone tanjong kling police station. It is well done, but only covers the book through jeans discovery that joe harmon is alive. Feb 09, 2010 nevil shutes most beloved novel, a tale of love and war, follows its enterprising heroine from the malayan jungle during world war ii to the rugged australian outback. A newly wealthy english woman returns to malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. Lantana 2001 last cab to darwin 2015 the last confession of alexander pearce 2009 film the last days of chez nous 1992 the last of the knucklemen 1979 the last trackers of the outback 2007 documentary film last train to freo 2006 the last wave 1977 lets get skase 2001 lion 2016 a little bit of soul 1998 little fish 2005.
Virginia mckenna, peter finch, maureen swanson, vincent ball en vincent bal. A town like alice first captivated me when i was only 14 and caught a rerun of it on t. 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. With jane hardstaff, virginia mckenna, jack lee, jean anderson. After they are liberated she emigrates to australia to be with him. The subject matter can be tough, women and children, prisoners of. A tale of survival in 1941, the advancing japanese army captures a lot of british territory very quickly. After the war he continued to write and settled in australia where he lived until his death in 1960. Brown had a huge international success playing the lead role in the tv miniseries, a town like alice 1981, which won popularity in the united states. When joes actions are discovered, he is punished, and jean assumes him to. A moving film with captivating romance that youll never forget. 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.
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