Ice-Cold in Alex
Encyclopedia
Ice-Cold in Alex is a British film
based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon
. Directed by J. Lee Thompson
and starring John Mills
, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival
. It is frequently shown on television, and is also available on video
and DVD
.
A recut version of the film—48 minutes shorter than the original—was released as "Desert Attack" in 1961 in the US.
, a British base, is attacked by the German Afrika Korps
in the Western Desert Campaign
of World War II
. During the resulting evacuation, Captain Anson (John Mills
), a transport pool Officer suffering from battle fatigue and almost an alcoholic, MSM Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews
) and two nurses left behind in the evacuation—Diana Murdoch (Sylvia Syms
) and Denise Norton (Diane Clare
)—crew an Austin K2
ambulance, (nicknamed 'Katy' by its original driver), and decide to drive across the desert back to British lines.
As they depart they come across an Afrikaans
-speaking South African officer, Captain van der Poel (Anthony Quayle
), who carries a large pack, to which he seems very attached. After the South African shows Anson two bottles of gin in his back pack, van der Poel persuades Anson to let him join them in their drive to the safety of the British Lines in Alexandria
, Egypt
Anson motivates himself by thinking of the ice-cold lager
he will order when they finally reach the safety of Alexandria—the 'Alex' of the title. En route, the group meets with various obstacles including a minefield, a broken suspension spring (during its replacement, van der Poel's great strength saves the group when he supports 'Katy' on his back when the jack collapses), and the dangerous terrain of the Qattara Depression
.
Twice the group encounters motorized elements of the advancing Afrika Korps; in one encounter they are fired upon and Norton is fatally wounded. Van der Poel, who speaks German, is able to talk the Germans into allowing them to go on their way. The second time however, they seem reluctant, until he shows them the contents of his back-pack.
This pack becomes the focus of suspicion. Pugh, already troubled by van der Poel's lack of knowledge of the South African Army
's tea-brewing technique, follows him when he heads off into the desert with his pack and a spade (supposedly to dig a latrine
). Pugh thinks he sees an antenna. Later, at night, they decide to use the ambulance headlights to see what van de Poel is really up to. He panics, blunders into some quick-sand, and buries his pack, though not before Anson and Murdoch see that it contains a radio set. They drag him to safety and, while he recovers, decide not to tell him of their knowledge. During the final leg of the journey Katy must be hand-cranked in reverse up an escarpment
, and van der Poel's strength is again crucial to achieving this.
When they reach Alexandria they make their way to a bar where Anson orders a beer. But before they have drunk their first round, a Corps of Military Police
officer arrives to arrest van der Poel. Anson, who had prearranged this at a checkpoint as they entered the city, orders him to wait. Having become friends with van der Poel and indebted to him for saving the group's lives, Anson tells him that if he gives his real name, he will be treated as a prisoner of war
, rather than as a spy (which would mean execution by firing squad). Van der Poel admits to being Hauptmann
Otto Lutz, an engineering officer with the 21st Panzer Division. Pugh notices that Lutz is still wearing fake South African dog tags and rips them off before the police see them. Lutz, after saying his farewells and concluding that they were "all against the desert, the greater enemy", is driven away.
. Real lager had to be used to 'look right', and Mills had to drink numerous glassfuls until the shots were finished, and was "a little 'heady'" by the end.
Sylvia Syms
has said that (Danish
) Carlsberg was chosen because they could never have been seen to be drinking a German
lager. In fact the beer referred to in the original novel is Rheingold
, which, although not German, has German connotations.
Scenes from the film were used in a late-1980s television advertising campaign for the German Holsten
Pils lager. Each advertisement mixed original footage from a different old film (another example was The Great Escape
) with new humorous material starring British comedian Griff Rhys Jones
and finishing with the slogan "A Holsten Pils Production". In retaliation, rival Carlsberg simply lifted the segment in which Mills contemplates the freshly poured lager in the clearly Carlsberg-branded glass, before downing it in one go and declaring, "Worth waiting for!" This was followed by a variation in the usual Carlsberg tag-line: "Still probably the best lager in the world."
, Libya
, a 1956 Morris Minor
can be seen; and as van der Poel/Lutz leaves, a Series 2 Land Rover
and a Renault Fregate
are in the frame.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
based on the novel of the same name by British author Christopher Landon
Christopher Landon
Christopher Guy Landon, known as Christopher Landon was a British writer of novels and screenplays, best known for his novel Ice Cold in Alex which he adapted faithfully for the big screen creating one of the most famous of war movies, likewise entitled Ice-Cold in Alex.-Biography:Landon was born...
. Directed by J. Lee Thompson
J. Lee Thompson
John Lee Thompson , better known as J. Lee Thompson, was an English film director, active in England and Hollywood.- Early years :...
and starring John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, the film was a prizewinner at the 8th Berlin International Film Festival
8th Berlin International Film Festival
The 8th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 27 to July 8, 1958.-Jury:* Frank Capra * J. Novais Teixeira* Jean Marais* Paul Rotha* L. B. Rao* Duilio Coletti* Michiko Tanaka* Gerhard T...
. It is frequently shown on television, and is also available on video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
A recut version of the film—48 minutes shorter than the original—was released as "Desert Attack" in 1961 in the US.
Plot
TobrukSiege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
, a British base, is attacked by the German Afrika Korps
Afrika Korps
The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
in the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the resulting evacuation, Captain Anson (John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
), a transport pool Officer suffering from battle fatigue and almost an alcoholic, MSM Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews
Harry Andrews
Harry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill alongside Sean Connery earned Andrews the 1965 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the...
) and two nurses left behind in the evacuation—Diana Murdoch (Sylvia Syms
Sylvia Syms
Sylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
) and Denise Norton (Diane Clare
Diane Clare
-Filmography:* Ice-Cold in Alex * Indiscreet * The Reluctant Debutante * Let's Get Married * The Green Helmet * The Naked Edge * Out of the Shadow * Lunch Hour...
)—crew an Austin K2
Austin K2
The Austin K2/Y was a British heavy military ambulance built by the Austin Motor Company for use during the Second World War.The rear body, built by Mann Egerton, could take ten casualties sitting or four stretcher cases...
ambulance, (nicknamed 'Katy' by its original driver), and decide to drive across the desert back to British lines.
As they depart they come across an Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-speaking South African officer, Captain van der Poel (Anthony Quayle
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
), who carries a large pack, to which he seems very attached. After the South African shows Anson two bottles of gin in his back pack, van der Poel persuades Anson to let him join them in their drive to the safety of the British Lines in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
Anson motivates himself by thinking of the ice-cold lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
he will order when they finally reach the safety of Alexandria—the 'Alex' of the title. En route, the group meets with various obstacles including a minefield, a broken suspension spring (during its replacement, van der Poel's great strength saves the group when he supports 'Katy' on his back when the jack collapses), and the dangerous terrain of the Qattara Depression
Qattara Depression
The Qattara Depression is a depression in the north west of Egypt in the Matruh Governorate and is part of the Libyan Desert. It lies below sea level and is covered with salt pans, sand dunes and salt marshes. The region extends between latitudes of 28°35' and 30°25' North and longitudes of 26°20'...
.
Twice the group encounters motorized elements of the advancing Afrika Korps; in one encounter they are fired upon and Norton is fatally wounded. Van der Poel, who speaks German, is able to talk the Germans into allowing them to go on their way. The second time however, they seem reluctant, until he shows them the contents of his back-pack.
This pack becomes the focus of suspicion. Pugh, already troubled by van der Poel's lack of knowledge of the South African Army
South African Army
The South African Army is the army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910.The South African military evolved within the tradition of frontier warfare fought by commando forces, reinforced by the Afrikaners' historical distrust of large standing armies...
's tea-brewing technique, follows him when he heads off into the desert with his pack and a spade (supposedly to dig a latrine
Latrine
A latrine is a communal facility containing one or more commonly many toilets which may be simple pit toilets or in the case of the United States Armed Forces any toilet including modern flush toilets...
). Pugh thinks he sees an antenna. Later, at night, they decide to use the ambulance headlights to see what van de Poel is really up to. He panics, blunders into some quick-sand, and buries his pack, though not before Anson and Murdoch see that it contains a radio set. They drag him to safety and, while he recovers, decide not to tell him of their knowledge. During the final leg of the journey Katy must be hand-cranked in reverse up an escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
, and van der Poel's strength is again crucial to achieving this.
When they reach Alexandria they make their way to a bar where Anson orders a beer. But before they have drunk their first round, a Corps of Military Police
Corps of Military Police
The Corps of Military Police is the military police of the Indian Army. In addition, the CMP is trained to handle prisoners of war and to regulate traffic, as well as to handle basic telecommunication equipment such as telephone exchanges...
officer arrives to arrest van der Poel. Anson, who had prearranged this at a checkpoint as they entered the city, orders him to wait. Having become friends with van der Poel and indebted to him for saving the group's lives, Anson tells him that if he gives his real name, he will be treated as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, rather than as a spy (which would mean execution by firing squad). Van der Poel admits to being Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
Otto Lutz, an engineering officer with the 21st Panzer Division. Pugh notices that Lutz is still wearing fake South African dog tags and rips them off before the police see them. Lutz, after saying his farewells and concluding that they were "all against the desert, the greater enemy", is driven away.
Cast
- John MillsJohn MillsSir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
as CaptainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
Anson - Sylvia SymsSylvia SymsSylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
as SisterNursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
Diana Murdoch - Anthony QuayleAnthony QuayleSir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
as Captain van der Poel/HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
Otto Lutz - Harry AndrewsHarry AndrewsHarry Fleetwood Andrews, CBE was an English film actor known for his frequent portrayals of tough military officers. His performance as Sergeant Major Wilson in The Hill alongside Sean Connery earned Andrews the 1965 National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the...
as MSM Tom Pugh - Diane ClareDiane Clare-Filmography:* Ice-Cold in Alex * Indiscreet * The Reluctant Debutante * Let's Get Married * The Green Helmet * The Naked Edge * Out of the Shadow * Lunch Hour...
as Sister Denise Norton - Richard LeechRichard LeechRichard Leech , born Richard Leeper McClelland, was an accomplished actor.Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, son of Isabella Frances and Herbert Saunderson McClelland, a lawyer. He was educated at Haileybury and Trinity College, Dublin...
as Captain Crosbie - Liam RedmondLiam RedmondLiam Redmond was an Irish actor known for his stage, film and television roles.-Early life:Redmond was one of four children born to carpenter Thomas and Eileen Redmond...
as BrigadierBrigadierBrigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
, Deputy Director Medical Services - Allan CuthbertsonAllan CuthbertsonAllan Cuthbertson was a naturalised Anglo-Australian actor.-Early life:Born Allan Darling Cuthbertson in Perth, Western Australia, son of Ernest and Isobel Ferguson Cuthbertson, he performed on stage and radio from an early age.During World War II, he served as a Flight Lieutenant with the RAAF...
as the Brigadier's Staff Officer - David LodgeDavid Lodge (actor)David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
as CMPCorps of Military PoliceThe Corps of Military Police is the military police of the Indian Army. In addition, the CMP is trained to handle prisoners of war and to regulate traffic, as well as to handle basic telecommunication equipment such as telephone exchanges...
Captain (tank trap) - Michael NightingaleMichael Nightingale-Selected filmography:* The Man Who Watched Trains Go By * Man in the Shadow * Ice-Cold in Alex * The Stranglers of Bombay * Watch Your Stern * The Young Jacobites * The Silent Weapon...
as CMP Captain (checkpoint) - Basil HoskinsBasil Hoskins-Biography:Hoskins, a native of Edmonton, London was educated at the Edmonton County School. The popular British actor who also had a distinguished career on the London stage, Hoskins studied acting at RADA and later joined the Nottingham Playhouse company...
as CMP Lieutenant (Alexandria) - Walter GotellWalter GotellWalter Gotell was a German actor, known for his role as General Gogol, head of the KGB, in the James Bond film series.Gotell was born in Bonn, Germany; his family emigrated to the United Kingdom after the Nazis came to power...
as 1st German Officer - Frederick JaegerFrederick JaegerFrederick Jaeger was a German-born actor who found success working in British television.Jaeger was born in Berlin, but moved to England following Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany. He graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1948, and became a British citizen two years later...
as 2nd German Officer - Richard MarnerRichard MarnerRichard Marner, born Alexander Molchanoff was a Russian-born British actor. He was probably best known for his role as Colonel Kurt Von Strohm in the British sitcom Allo 'Allo!.-Early life:...
as German Guard - Peter ArnePeter ArnePeter Arne was a British character actor best known for various performances in British film and television, including supporting roles in the television series The Avengers, Danger Man, as well as villains in Blake Edwards' Pink Panther series, in a career that spanned 40 years...
as British officer at oasisOasisIn geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source... - Paul StassinoPaul StassinoPhaedros Stassinos is a Greek-Cypriot actor whose international stage name is Paul Stassino.He was born in Cyprus but spent most of his acting career in Britain....
as the barman
Lager
The final scene, in which Mills' character finally gets his glass of lager, was reportedly filmed some weeks after the rest of the film, at Elstree StudiosElstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
. Real lager had to be used to 'look right', and Mills had to drink numerous glassfuls until the shots were finished, and was "a little 'heady'" by the end.
Sylvia Syms
Sylvia Syms
Sylvia M. L. Syms OBE is a British actress. She is probably best known for her roles in the films Woman in a Dressing Gown , Ice-Cold in Alex , No Trees in the Street , Victim and The Tamarind Seed...
has said that (Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
) Carlsberg was chosen because they could never have been seen to be drinking a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
lager. In fact the beer referred to in the original novel is Rheingold
Rheingold Beer
Rheingold Beer, introduced in 1883, is a New York beer that held 35 percent of the state's beer market from 1950 to 1960. The company was sold by the founding Liebmann family in 1963...
, which, although not German, has German connotations.
Scenes from the film were used in a late-1980s television advertising campaign for the German Holsten
Holsten
Holsten Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1879 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager Holsten Pilsener...
Pils lager. Each advertisement mixed original footage from a different old film (another example was The Great Escape
The Great Escape (film)
The Great Escape is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough...
) with new humorous material starring British comedian Griff Rhys Jones
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith "Griff" Rhys Jones is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, television presenter and personality. Jones came to national attention in the early 1980s for his work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Mel Smith...
and finishing with the slogan "A Holsten Pils Production". In retaliation, rival Carlsberg simply lifted the segment in which Mills contemplates the freshly poured lager in the clearly Carlsberg-branded glass, before downing it in one go and declaring, "Worth waiting for!" This was followed by a variation in the usual Carlsberg tag-line: "Still probably the best lager in the world."
Continuity errors
As the four main characters drink their lagers, the size of the head in their glasses keeps changing; as they drive into the square, the location of which is in fact Cathedral Square in TripoliTripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, a 1956 Morris Minor
Morris Minor
The Morris Minor was a British economy car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1971...
can be seen; and as van der Poel/Lutz leaves, a Series 2 Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
and a Renault Fregate
Renault Frégate
The Renault Frégate is a full-size or executive car produced by the French automaker Renault between 1951 and 1960.-Origins:The Frégate was conceived in the years immediately following World War II...
are in the frame.