The passage of time has not been kind to A TOWN LIKE ALICE.
A huge success on its release in 1956, the emotional impact of this World War Two drama is completely undermined by the decision to save a few quid and shoot large parts of the film on soundstages at Pinewood Studios in England rather than the tropical jungle landscapes of Malaya.
This in itself is not automatically fatal to a film's chances of success. After all until the late 1940s Hollywood routinely recreated its own version of the world on soundstages and produced some of the greatest films in cinema history.
It's not the unreality I object to, it's the cheapness. The studio sets with their obviously painted backdrops are so unconvincing I half expected the cast of "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" to appear at any moment. The effect is only highlighted by jarring cuts to scenes actually shot on location in Malaya.
The other major weakness is the casting. Virginia McKenna is nice to look at but she's hardly a charismatic presence and she's in practically every scene putting the "stiff" into the British stiff upper lip and most other connected body parts.
Peter Finch, whom I rate as one of the finest actors of his generation, is criminally underused in the role of Ms McKenna's love interest. He gets co-star billing but he's too seldom on-screen to rescue the story.
Director Jack Lee's intention may have been to portray the resilience of the human spirit in a docu-drama style but the result is just plain dull.
