Movie Review: Ice Cold In Alex (1958)

A World War Two desert adventure, Ice Cold In Alex is a gripping battle for survival in unforgiving terrain.

The setting is Libya in 1942, and the British are about to face a second siege in Tobruk. Captain Anson (John Mills) of the Motor Ambulance company is suffering from battle fatigue and a drinking problem, and is ordered to evacuate through the desert towards Alexandria. Separated from other ambulance trucks, Anson and his capable Sergeant Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews) pick up two British Army nurses left behind in the evacuation chaos. Diana (Sylvia Syms) is calm and steady; Denise (Diane Clare) is easily frazzled.

At a refueling station, the burly Captain van der Poel (Anthony Quayle) of the South African army joins them. van der Poel is quick to ply Anson with gin, but his physicality and ability to negotiate with Germans prove invaluable as the traveling party encounters the advancing Afrika Korps. Anson realizes he has to shape up to navigate the arduous trek ahead, and arriving safely in Alexandria becomes a personal quest bordering on obsession.

A perilous sand-in-the-teeth military journey, Ice Cold In Alex builds momentum by placing one obstacle after another in the path of a small but resourceful group. Here the war is background context, and only a few bullets are fired in anger. Writers Christopher Landon and T. J. Morrison (adapting Landon's 1957 novel) are more interested in tracking levels of character determination as a scrappy motley crew overcomes each challenge and moves on to the next, with all their strategic options equally grim.

Director J. Lee Thompson makes best use of the desert expanse to create a desolate and relentless setting, the ambulance truck (nicknamed Katy) an added character subjected to the harsh conditions. Minefields, quicksand, daunting hill climbs, enemy forces, injuries, mechanical failures, and spy activity all stand in the way of Alexandria, not to mention scarce water and fuel supplies. 

Inside the ambulance, Anson has to overcome physical and emotional scars to gradually accept the leadership challenge. At 50 years old, John Mills is willing but undeniably too old for the role, and this becomes awkwardly apparent as 24-year-old Sylvia Syms' nurse Diana instigates a romance. Thankfully Anthony Quayle is frequently nearby, his muscular and seemingly indestructible presence a potent catalyst in most situations. Whether sweet-talking the Germans or supporting the ambulance's weight on his back, Quayle's van der Poel becomes an essential but still vaguely mysterious team member.

The title refers to the ice cold beer Anson intends the group to enjoy upon arrival at his favourite Alexandria hotel. Even the most modest rewards will need to be earned with exhaustive sweat.



All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: The Wrong Man (1956)

A drama based on real events, The Wrong Man recounts the infuriating story of a life disrupted by a case of mistaken identity.

In New York City, Christopher "Manny" Balestrero (Henry Fonda) is a family man who works nights as the band bass player at the popular Stork Club. Manny and his wife Rose (Vera Miles) have two young sons and plenty of financial pressures. With Rose in need of expensive dental work Manny heads to their insurance agency office to request a loan against Rose's life insurance policy. The employees mistakenly identify him as a wanted criminal who held up the same office months earlier.

Manny is questioned by police detectives and then arrested and charged with multiple counts of armed robbery and assault. After he is released on bail with help from his brother-in-law, Manny and Rose approach lawyer Frank O'Connor (Anthony Quayle) for help, but after more setbacks Rose's mental health starts to suffer.

Director Alfred Hitchcock takes a temporary detour away from any vestiges of suspense or horror and tackles a straightforward docudrama. Based on the book The True Story of Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero by Maxwell Anderson, The Wrong Man delves into the minutiae of Manny's ordeal, and while a strong sense of injustice permeates the film, as a drama the material is limited. 

Hitchcock chronicles Manny's arrest, questioning and journey through the court and prison systems in excruciating detail. While Henry Fonda stoically (and mostly silently) subjects himself to the indignities unleashed by misfiring judicial machinery, the film keeps digging the same emotionally stagnant patch of earth long after the point is made that the system can fail and turn against the innocent.

Once Manny is released on bail the narrative momentum improves, and Anthony Quayle's introduction as smooth lawyer Frank O'Connor is a ray of positive light piercing the gloom, although his character is underused. Mary's descent into a severe depression is a heartbreaking overlay of agony, a strong and affectionate wife replaced by a shell of woman destroyed by guilt and a wave of misfortune. Manny has to not only defend against false criminal charges, but also arrange the care Rose needs.

Stylistically Hitchcock relies on crisp close-ups, some excellent moody nighttime shots, and a couple of camera gimmicks. In search of witnesses who can provide essential alibis Manny and Rose visit some seedy parts of town, adding a whiff of murky grit to the Balestreros' torment. The visual artistry helps, but while The Wrong Man is an important story, the film carries only a modest cinematic punch.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Anne Of The Thousand Days (1969)

A historical epic drama, Anne Of The Thousand Days delves into the politics and passions that shaped history in the English royal court.

It's the early 1500s, and England's King Henry VIII (Richard Burton) is desperate to have a son, but stuck in a loveless marriage with Catherine of Aragon (Irene Papas) who can no longer have children. The much younger Anne Boleyn (Geneviève Bujold) catches his eye, and he pursues her incessantly. Anne's sister is already pregnant with the King's child, and Anne has no intention of becoming another of his illicit lovers bearing him illegitimate children: she insists that she will only sleep with the King if he makes her his Queen.

Henry turns to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (Anthony Quayle) to convince the Pope to annul his marriage to Catherine, but to no avail. Henry's chief lawyer Thomas Cromwell (John Colicos) then convinces Henry to break away from Rome and install himself as the head of the church in England. He does so, paving the way to marry Anne. But their long-desired union is hugely controversial, and Henry's increasingly erratic behaviour causes more trouble ahead.

Directed by Charles Jarrott as an adaptation of the Maxwell Anderson play, Anne Of The Thousand Days is two and half hours of lavish historical drama and court intrigue. Handsomely staged with elaborate sets and costumes to recreate a long gone era, the film is a remarkably engaging story of a passionate clash driving politics and reorienting the course of history.

Aided by deliberate pacing, the story carries enormous potency, and indeed the liaison between Henry and Anne sowed the seeds for a major religious realignment and conceived one of England's most influential rulers. But at the personal level the film is about a man who cannot be denied meeting a woman who will yield only after extracting an extraordinary price. The private battle of wills spills into far-reaching matters of church and state, and the film traces the ripple effects from the palace to the courts, prison cells and guillotines.

Henry is portrayed on the margins of madness, the lack of a male heir driving him to the edge, his proclaimed love for Anne representing a yearning for any attractive young woman who may yield a son. The role perfectly suits Richard Burton, who maintains quiet control most of the time and unleashes Henry's frustrated rage only at strategic intervals.

Anne emerges as a most provocative character, a determined and intelligent woman who parlays her brief period of influence over a king into a potential dynasty for her future child. It's an exceptional display of burgeoning feminine power built on self-confidence and a refusal to acquiesce, and Geneviève Bujold pulls off the role with intense relish.

The supporting characters are vivid and add plenty to the unfolding drama. Cardinal Wolsey in his infernal red robes, the conniving Cromwell, the dour and set-upon Catherine, Anne's avaricious parents and the cerebral Sir Thomas More (William Squire) all play their role in animating the court and influencing crucial events.

Anne Of The Thousand Days is a colourful recreation of political machinations, the fierce desire for a male ironically unleashing the power of a female to control the present and rule the future.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.