A tense, engrossing adventure set in the 1942 Libyan war zone in the hot Western Desert. A British ambulance officer (John Mills) escapes the siege in Tobruk and tries desperately to get his passengers to safety in Alexandria, where he dreams he will have the luxury of an 'ice cold' glass of beer.
His passengers include a stranded hospital nurse, a Sergeant-Major and a stray South African Officer, trying to return to his unit. Despite saving the group from the Germans, something is not quite right about the last passenger.
As he begins to undermine the group's stamina using psychological tactics, the British officer begins to suspect he might be a German spy.
A gripping and timeless drama from director J. Lee Thompson, compared by critics in 1958 to A Bridge On The River Kwai.
Cast:
John Mills (I) .... Captain Anson
Sylvia Syms .... Sister Diana Murdoch
Anthony Quayle .... Captain van der Poel/Hauptman Otto Lutz
Harry Andrews .... M.S.M. Tom Pugh
Diane Clare .... Sister Denise Norton.
Richard Leech (I) .... Capt. Crosbie
Liam Redmond .... Brigadier (DDMS)
Peter Arne .... British Officer at Oasis
rest of cast listed alphabetically
Allan Cuthbertson .... Brigadier's Staff Officer
Walter Gotell .... 1st German Officer
Basil Hoskins .... CMP Lieutenant (Alexandria)
Frederick Jaeger .... 2nd German Officer
David Lodge (I) .... CMP Captain (tank trap)
Richard Marner .... German guard
Michael Nightingale .... CMP Captain (checkpoint)
Paul Stassino .... Barman
Runtime: UK:124 min
Country: UK
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Also Known As:
Desert Attack (1961) (USA)
Country: UK
Language: English
Color: Black and White
If you like this film you will enjoy Dunkirk, the extended version or The Long and the Short and the Tall.
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