1942: The Libyan War Zone, North Africa. After a German invasion, a British ambulance crew are forced to evacuate their base but become separated from the rest of their unit. Somehow they must make it to Alexandria, but how? Their only hope is a dilapidated ambulance named “Katy” and an irrational, alcoholic soldier known as Captain Anson (John Mills). Facing landmines, a Nazi attack, suffocating quicksand and the relentlessly brutal and unforgiving Sahara desert, can Captain Anson face his demons and make the road to hell a journey to freedom?
Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize and nominated for the Golden Bear Award at Berlin International Film Festival, Ice Cold in Alex was also nominated for 4 BAFTAs including Best British Film, Best Screenplay and Best British Actor for Anthony Quayle. Directed by J. Lee Thompson (Cape Fear, The Guns of the Navarone) with one iconic set piece after the next and with career best performances from Mills (Goodbye Mr Chips, Great Expectations), Sylvia Syms (Woman in a Dressing Gown, The Queen) and Anthony Quayle (Lawrence of Arabia), Ice Cold in Alex is a suspenseful, invigorating journey which leaves film fans gasping for breath… and a cold beer.
Extras
Steve Chibnall on J. Lee Thompson – an interview with Steve Chibnall, Professor of British Cinema, De Montfort University
Interview with Melanie Williams – Reader in Film and Television Studies, University of East Anglia
Interview with Sylvia Syms
John Mills Home Video Footage
Extended Clip from A Very British War Movie Documentary
