Captain Anson (Mills) is assigned to escort an ambulance across the Libyan desert to Alexandria in WWII. The German advance starts to surround them will Anson lead his motley band to safety or succumb to self-doubt and whisky. Thompson directs with confidence as he resists the constraints of the British war drama genre. Along the way he helps Mills break the mould of his acting career playing a character shot through with weaknesses. Thompson’s sure handling of suspense creates some iconic nail biting sequences.

Recently described on Channel 4 as the ultimate British war film, Ice Cold enthralled the biggest crowds at Edinburgh’s 2005/06 Mills season. We welcome Professor Gill Plain, author of John Mills and British Cinema to introduce Ice Cold in Alex and give expert insight into the actor and the film.

“John Mills is the skipper, strained to the limit, who seeks solace in a few swift swigs a credible, edgy performance.” Variety (film).

“John Mills performance as Captain Anson is worlds apart (and deliberately so) from his usual star persona, defined by film historian Brian McFarlane as epitomising reliability under stress.” Melanie Williams, BFI Screenonline Review