This film is part of Rentals
A Town Like Alice
An Englishwoman is captured by Japanese forces during WWII and befriends an Australian POW, in this gritty adaptation of Nevile Shute’s novel.
War 1956 116 mins
Director: Jack Lee
Overview
A rare British feature to cover the Pacific theatre of World War Two, this adaptation of Nevil Shute’s best-selling novel (in fact, just the book’s first half) relays the experiences of an Englishwoman who's captured by Japanese forces while building wells in Kuala Lumpur (Virginia McKenna). During her ordeal she falls for a fellow POW, an Australian soldier (Peter Finch), and the pair band together to help ease the suffering of their fellow prisoners.
Directed by Crown Film Unit veteran Jack Lee, A Town Like Alice works as both a touching love story and a gritty, tense war drama, notable for its strong ensemble of female actors (Marie Löhr, Renée Houston, Jean Anderson). Remarkably, it was almost entirely shot in and around Pinewood Studios, with the cold ponds of Burnham Beeches standing in for the humid swamps of Malaya. Both leads would be rewarded with Baftas for their committed performances, but the film itself was withdrawn from the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, lest it offend Japanese sensibilities.
Related
War
The Painted Bird The Painted Bird
Drama 2019 169 mins Director: Vaclav Marhoul
Based on Jerzy Kosiński’s 1965 novel and a long time in the making, Václav Marhoul’s extraordinary The Painted Bird finds a lone Jewish boy on a dark odyssey towards home during wartime.
Summerland Summerland
Drama 2019 100 mins Director: Jessica Swale
Gemma Arterton stars in acclaimed theatre director Jessica Swale’s moving Second World War drama, as a woman rediscovering her ability to love.
Kanarie Kanarie
Drama 2018 124 mins Director: Christiaan Olwagen
A Boy George-obsessed smalltown boy joins the South African Defence Force army choir, in this quirky Apartheid-era musical drama.
Journey's End Journey's End
Drama 2017 108 mins Director: Saul Dibb
Sam Claflin, Paul Bettany and Asa Butterfield bring R C Sherriff’s acclaimed First World War play to the screen, in this new adaptation from director Saul Dibb.
The Angel with the Trumpet The Angel with the Trumpet
Romance 1950 99 mins Director: Anthony Bushell
Anthony Bushell directs this 1950 British drama about the rise and fall of a family of Austrian piano-makers in Vienna.
Two Worlds Two Worlds
War 1931 89 mins Director: E.A. Dupont
An Austrian officer falls in love with a Jewish villager in this early sound epic set during WWI
Best of BAFTA
Calm with Horses Calm with Horses
Drama 2019 100 mins Director: Nick Rowland
Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth) gives a visceral performance as the hired muscle for a crime family in rural Ireland.
White Riot White Riot
Documentary 2019 81 mins Director: Rubika Shah
Revolution rock! Rubika Shah’s vital documentary profiles punky reggae protest movement Rock Against Racism, from grassroots beginnings through to a major multicultural event.
Collective Collective
Documentary 2019 109 mins Director: Alexander Nanau
When burn patients begin dying from non-life-threatening injuries a group of investigative journalists uncover a vast healthcare scandal, in this gripping Romanian documentary.
Les Misérables Les Misérables
Thriller 2019 104 mins Director: Ladj Ly
Ladj Ly’s extraordinary Cannes Jury Prize-winning debut obliterates the myth of cultural integration in France.
Babyteeth Babyteeth
Drama 2019 118 mins Director: Shannon Murphy
Seriously ill Milla (Eliza Scanlen) clashes with her parents, who disapprove when she brings home her sketchy new boyfriend Toby, in this tragicomic debut from Shannon Murphy.
Saint Maud Saint Maud
Horror 2019 81 mins Director: Rose Glass
A mysterious nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient in director Rose Glass’ divine debut.
Featuring Peter Finch
Girl with Green Eyes Girl with Green Eyes
Drama 1963 92 mins Director: Desmond Davis
Rita Tushingham plays the shy, naive girl who catches the eye of Peter Finch's middle-aged writer, in this effervescent adaptation of Edna O’Brien's best-selling novel.
Far from the Madding Crowd Far from the Madding Crowd
Period drama 1967 165 mins Director: John Schlesinger
Terence Stamp and Julie Christie star in the classic adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s tale of tragedy and passion.
New
A Brixton Tale A Brixton Tale
Drama 2021 76 mins Director: Darragh Carey
Affluent YouTuber Leah is drawn to shy youth Benji as the subject for her Brixton documentary, but her desire for edgy footage leads them both down a dangerous path.
A Running Jump A Running Jump
Comedy 2010 36 mins Director: Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh's sports-infused comedy short starring Eddie Marsan, produced as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Life is Sweet Life is Sweet
Drama 1990 103 mins Director: Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh’s hilarious yet tragic domestic portrait features a dazzling ensemble performance and remains a potent, true-to-life story, and one of the celebrated director’s most admired and affecting films.
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao
Drama 2019 140 mins Director: Karim Aïnouz
A deserving winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard prize, this sumptuous tale of two sisters cruelly separated by family and fate makes for deeply moving drama.
I Am Belmaya I Am Belmaya
Documentary 2021 81 mins Director: Sue Carpenter
An inspirational story of rebellion, courage and hope as Belmaya, a young Dalit woman in Nepal, silenced and subjugated for most of her life, takes up the movie camera to tell her story.
Darling Darling
Drama 1965 123 mins Director: John Schlesinger
Julie Christie stars in the quintessential swinging sixties film, as a young woman flitting nonchalantly through London's nightlife.