I have the movies "Three Came Home" and "Paradise Road". Both are great movies but when I found this movie I knew I had found something special! I have watched it several times since I got it about two weeks ago and I can't seem to get enough of this movie. Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna are wonderful and the chemistry between them is amazing. We certainly did not treat the Japanese or any of our prisoners of war the way our ours ( English,American,or any of our Allies)were treated. I will not tell about the movie, everyone else has, but I can tell you to buy this movie. You will not regret it you'll be so glad you did. Whoever put this movie on DVD thank you, thank you!

Well acted, but tediously grim war drama without relief of any kind. Very reminiscent of an earlier prison camp film, THREE CAME HOME, starring Claudette Colbert in 1949. The latter film at least was better paced and had even more human interest value in its telling.It takes over an hour before the relationship between Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch becomes more of a focal point. Before that, the prison camp scenes are relentlessly harsh and ponderous while showing the indifference of the Japanese in Malaya to the plight of women who are forced to march too many miles in an effort to find a suitable prison camp. The hardships become an endurance of patience for the viewer too. The only upbeat moments come during the last fifteen minutes. The story becomes more engrossing midway as Peter Finch assumes more of a role, but it's not an easy film to watch. Much of the strong drama is undercut by failure to make the most of crucial scenes and practically no development of their Japanese tormentors. By comparison, THREE CAME HOME had much stronger emotional ingredients and conflicts to deal with in the relationship between the main character (an American woman) and the Japanese commander, an intelligent man who was in constant confrontations with the woman over inhumane treatment and cultural differences.

A Town Like Alice (1956)A remarkable movie, completely under everyone's radar, about a group of English women in Asia during World War II. They suffer under the hands of the Japanese not as prisoners, quite, but as refugees caught between captors. Having nowhere to go and no one to protect them, they end up walking and walking, through jungle and no-man's land, past actual POW camps and through native villages, until gradually they start to die from the hardship.Mixed into this really vivid and heartbreaking drama is a love affair between a passing Australian soldier and one of the women. The man is a prisoner of the Japanese who seems to have some freedom because he can fix things for them, and he crosses paths with the women a few times over the years. Years, yes. The movie moves quickly through a long period of war. This is the real war for most people, the occupation by the Japanese and their arrogance, and the patience and impotence of ordinary people. It is told with alarming frankness. I mean, it's still a movie from the 1950s, not a documentary, but the plainness of the actors, the relatively low budget of the film, and the location shooting all make for a convincing final product. It's amazing, at times, and heartwarming as much as heartwrenching. There is even the one terribly good Japanese soldier trapped by the same bigger circumstance of a war that was not his doing.The one known actor here is Peter Finch, who is marvelous, even though his role is limited. He is meant to be a bright spot in the life of this woman, and he is wonderfully bright and cheerful (a true Aussie stereotype that we all love). The book that inspired the movie is widely regarded to this day, and was written by Nevil Shute, who heard about a group of Dutch (not English) women shuttled about by the Japanese in Dutch Malaysia during the war. It turns out that they were not usually made to walk, but Shute's misunderstanding of the story led to the main drama of the book and later movie. The crucifixion of prisoners by Japanese soldiers (shown in the movie) is substantiated, however, and it's a gruesome final turn of events for the plot.There are few movies of this post-war period that really deal with ordinary suffering by ordinary people in Asia during the war (the suffering of civilians in Europe or Britain is fully shown, by contrast). This one does it well, very well. A wonderful surprise.

I've never read the novel upon which this film is based upon, but I'm interested in reading it now after seeing this very good film. Told in flashback, it's a WW2 drama with a difference, as we trade in the battlefields for the harrowing experiences of a group of English women who are forced on a Japanese death march through Malaya. It's a starkly realistic film, with many confronting scenes as the women have to drawn on every last emotional and physical reserve they have to survive. It feels so realistic and draws you into the storyline so much that when character after character succumbs to the awful trek it's like a knife through the heart. And when the women finally get to bathe after weeks of marching through the swamps, we feel their relief too. Virginia McKenna is the lead actress as young Jean Paget, and while McKenna may not be the world's greatest actress she's a good fit for the role, determined with a winning smile and warmth. The supporting actresses are colourful and each bring something different to the film. Peter Finch plays the Australian soldier Joe who falls for McKenna, and she for him. The "Alice" of the title is of course Alice Springs, NT, where Finch works on a station. Alice becomes a symbol of hope and comfort. He's charming and they have terrific chemistry together. I understand the ending is romanticized (but, hey, that's Hollywood for you!), but I liked it. Great cinematography and location shooting in Malaya and Australia (is this the first feature film to show the interior of Australia?), and strong direction from Australian Jack Lee