ICE COLD IN ALEX 169
substitutes didn’t look au then tic on film. By the 14th and final take, Mills was actu-
ally quite inebriated and had to go to his trailer and sleep it off. The film’s last
scene, outside the bar, was shot in the “Maidan Djzair” (Algeria Square) in Tripoli,
Libya.
Plot Summary
Capt. Anson ( John Mills) is an officer commanding a British Royal Army Ser vice
Corps (RASC) motor ambulance com pany in the Western Desert Campaign
during World War II. When it becomes obvious that Tobruk is about to fall to
Rommel’s Afrika Korps, Anson and most of his unit are ordered to evacuate to Alex-
andria, hundreds of miles to the east. Joining Anson, who is suffering from exhaus-
tion, battle fatigue, and alcoholism, are Sgt. Major Tom Pugh (Harry Andrews) and
two young nurses: Diana Murdoch (Sylvia Syms) and a very panicky Denise Norton
(Diane Clare), who initially has to be restrained and sedated. The vehicle they drive
across the desert back to British lines is a worn- out Austin K2/Y ambulance, nick-
named “Katy.” Anson loses his liquor supply at the outset; it is in the DDMS Briga-
dier’s (Liam Redmond) command vehicle, which takes a direct hit from a German
artillery shell, killing the brigadier and his staff officer (Allan Cuthbertson). When
the group stops at a refueling station they come across Capt. van der Poel (Anthony
Quayle), a tall and muscular Afrikaner South African Army officer carry ing a large
backpack. After van der Poel shows Anson three bottles of high- quality gin, Anson
lets him join them. The journey proves to be extremely challenging. They have to
leave the main road after a bridge is blown and are forced to traverse a minefield,
with Anson and van der Poel tensely walking ahead of Katy to ferret out mines. As
soon as they cross safely, they encounter an Afrika Korps detachment. Anson, who
is now driving and slightly drunk, decides to try to outrun the Germans. The Ger-
mans open fire— mortally wounding nurse Norton— and soon catch up to Katy.
Van der Poel, who claims to have learned German while working in Southwest
Africa, is able to parlay with the enemy, who inspect their vehicle and let them go.
Later, when Anson is informed that Norton has died, he is filled with remorse and
admits that he’s a drunk; still, he motivates himself by telling Diana Murdoch that
he will buy them all ice cold lagers when they fi nally reach the safety of Alexan-
dria (the “Alex” of the title). After a night’s stopover, they fashion a makeshift grave
marker and bury Denise Norton in the desert. Just then a German light tank loaded
with infantry approaches. The Germans disarm them, inform them that Tobruk
has fallen, and let them go after their officer converses with van der Poel and inspects
his knapsack. Low on water, they confer. Anson suggests they travel southeast, cut-
ting straight through the Qattara Depression in northwestern Egypt— a giant
sinkhole 190 miles long that lies below sea level and is covered with salt pans,
sand dunes, and salt marshes. Fearing Katy will sink in the mire, Pugh and van
der Poel overrule Anson so they start out on a more circuitous route. Soon one
of Katy’s rear springs breaks. During its replacement, van der Poel’s great strength
saves the group when he briefly supports Katy (which weighs two tons) on his back
when the jack collapses, averting damage that would have rendered the ambulance
useless. Just then an Allied plane passes over and drops a message, informing them