Based on nevil shutes bestselling novel, a town like alice gave audiences a world war ii story with a different british perspective, concentrating on the conflict in asia. Gordon jackson as noel strachan in a town like alice. They suffer under the hands of the japanese not as prisoners, quite, but as refugees caught between captors. 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, nevil shutes novel of the japanese occupation of malaya during world war ii, was first filmed as a theatrical feature in 1956. Based on the true story of dutch women and children captured by the japanese in sumatra, shute met the strong, courageous woman who led the group through the jungle, and wanted to honour her with this story. Virginia anne mckenna, obe born 7 june 1931, is a british stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner. Most of the rest of it was found at normanton, in the gulf country of north queensland.
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. Shute published alice in 1950, ten years before toolroom in 1960, just before he died at the age of 60 in melbourne, australia. A town like alice is a novel by the australian author nevil shute. Carrie picked a town like alice because she would often find it on those.
It is her characters tremendous struggle to survive as a japanese prisoner of war that drives the narrative. A town like alice pied piper the far country the chequer board no highway by nevil shute. 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 town like alice written by nevil shute ballentine books 1950 carrie chose julys selection and the night was cohosted at megans place all. 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. This book is so well written that i can feel the stones in the road as jean marches along with the other women in their death march.
The rank organisation went whole hog in producing a town like alice with location shooting in malaya, australia, and the united kingdom. 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. I found part of a town like alice in kuala selangor, another part of it at kota bharu, and a great hunk of it at palembang in sumatra. However, i had never read a town like alice 1950 by nevil shute until a few weeks ago. Directed by crown film unit veteran jack lee, a town like alice works as both a. A town like alice 1956 silver collection uk r2 dvd new factory sealed. Read a town like alice absolutely for free at readanybook.
Save town like alice dvd to get email alerts and updates on. Told through the eyes of jean paget, a young englishwoman, the film focuses on the early part of shutes book, which describes expatriate women and children. Joe tells her that he comes from a town in australia called alice. Temporarily, they find a place that has running water and they can. The novel was adapted to film in 1956 as a town like alice. After the war he continued to write and settled in australia where he lived until his death in 1960. A town like alice is a finely crafted novel that really just tells a story.
A town like alice by nevil shute and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Virginia mckenna and peter finch in fact spend less than 15 minutes of screen time together. Nevil shute is currently considered a single author. The results were well worth the effort and the film was a big boost to the careers of peter finch and virginia mckenna. During the second world war he joined the royal navy volunteer reserve where he worked on developing secret weapons. It is told in a whole different voice and manner and if you are older than 12, you are going to be terribly disappointed. A town like alice dvd 1956 network distributing 2017. Probably more people have shed tears over the last page of a town like alice than about any other novel in the english language. 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. A town like alice is a novel worthy of reading not once but many times it is a love story with a difference promoting womens independence at a time in history when women were only just taking control of their own destiny. The film makers attitude toward the japanese appears to go like this. Alice, or even the alice, as it is called by the australians, was a comfortable place to live in the middle of the 20th century 1950.
The book was a delightful read, and id suggest it as a perfect summer beach read if you are so inclined. In 1950, he moved to australia and began a phenomenal tenyear period of productivity, turning out a number of bestsellers including a town like alice 1950,the far country 1952 and on the beach 1957. Jean paget, an adolescent englishwoman, becomes romantically involved with a fellow wwii prisoner, joe harmon, in malaya now the western portion of malaysia. 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. This original 1956 adaptation of the nevil shute book, a town like alice, is a great teaser. His most celebrated novels include pied piper 1942, a town like alice 1950, and on the beach 1957. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Among them a town like alice, made into a feature movie in 1956.
The fruit fluff was the hit of the night not to mention the root beer floats. A town like alice, a novel written in 1950, is intertwined with romance and economic development. A town like alice dvd from network and the british film. Vcis dvd of a town like alice is a betterthan acceptable transfer with a few issues presumably inherited from an itv master.
Told through the eyes of jean paget, a young englishwoman, the film focuses on the early part of shutes book, which describes. A town like alice by nevil shute, first edition abebooks passion for books. A town like alice by aussie author nevil shute is an exceptional tale. Jean paget, a young englishwoman, becomes romantically interested in a. The world today shute fan club brings convention to alice springs. As mcml is a much more recent film, it might be considered as a more realistic approach to the daily life in a camp under such circumstances. Apr 29, 20 a town like alice is a historic romance in which the romantic relationship is the least successful thing about the movie. Read any nevil shute book you can get your hands on. A town like alice is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. Nevil shutes most beloved novel, a tale of love and war. Nevil shute writes every character with quiet kindness and intelligence.
When she is captured she joins a group of other european women and children whom the japanese force to march for miles through the jungle an. 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 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. He clearly loved travel and people from all walks of life and cultures. Pages and binding are presentable with no major defects. In 1945 he emigrated to australia with his wife and daughters and there wrote perhaps his most famous novels a town like alice 1950 and on the beach 1957. Usually, like himself, they had enjoyed the privilege of university, not then within the purview of the lower classes. You will read a town like alice and fall in love with shutes writing.
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. Heinemann, 1956 red cloth titled in gilt on spine, film scene dust jacket. 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. 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. However as in trustee from the toolroom, shute valued the honest artisan and his social integrity and contributions to society more than the contributions of the upper classes. She is best known for the films a town like alice 1956, carve her name with pride 1958, born free 1966, and ring of bright water 1969, as well as her work with the born free foundation. A town like alice by nevil shute, first edition abebooks. Books similar to a town like alice a town like alice. A tale of survival in 1941, the advancing japanese army captures a lot of british territory very quickly.
Jean paget, a prisoner in a japanese pow camp, is forced to trek through malaya at bayonet point during the occupation. A town like alice is a historic romance in which the romantic relationship is the least successful thing about the movie. A town like alice the greatest literature of all time. Feb 09, 2010 during the second world war he joined the royal navy volunteer reserve where he worked on developing secret weapons. I come back to it time and again, whenever i need to lose myself in the heat of malaysia or the dust of australia. The hunt for a jersey serial killer sparks a dangerous awakening in a young. The legacy is a romance novel by nevil shute, published in 1950 when shute had newly settled in australia. Thinking back, she recalls the australian man who made a great sacrifice to aid her and her fellow prisoners of war.
Minor issues present such as mild cracking, inscriptions, inserts, light foxing, tanning. A town like alice by shute, nevil and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. A town like alice 1956 a town like alice 1956 user. A town like alice rape of malaya 1956 rotten tomatoes. 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. It starred virginia mckenna and peter finch, directed by jack lee. As a naval volunteer reservist in the second world war, shute developed antisubmarine missiles and was sent to normandy to chronicle the dday landings.
At every place where the women might be taken in by the japanese and given food and shelter, they are turned away. A town like alice 1956 not rated 1h 57min drama, romance, war 1 june 1956 ireland a newly wealthy english woman returns to malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. A town like alice the far country on the beach by nevil shute. We all have our favourite books but the australian classic a town like alice. Nevil shutes most beloved novel, a tale of love and war, foll. 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. A town like alice 1956 a remarkable movie, completely under everyones radar, about a group of english women in asia during world war ii. If we throw in one good jap to appease the bad day at black rock. During her ordeal she meets captive australian joe harman and there is an instant magnetism between them. Save town like alice dvd to get email alerts and updates on your ebay feed. A town like alice pied piper the far country the chequer board no highway.
A town like alice by nevil shute and a great selection of related books. After they are liberated she emigrates to australia to be with him. He subsequently went to burma as a war correspondent and finished the war as a lieutenant commander. I wanted to know where the movie had come from, as books are usually better than movies, and i had forgotten much of the plot. A onesheet for the 1956 film adaptation of a town like alice. 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.
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