Whether it's Lawrence of Arabia in shiningwhite striding amid the smoking wreckage of an Ottoman train, or the frantic efforts to blow the Bridge on the River Kwai, the difficulty of stopping a train appeals to us.
For the past three years, the vast cap of shining-white ice covering the Arctic has melted away in summer to an area that would have been unbelievable just a decade ago.
Ms Zille, a white former anti-apartheid campaigner and one-time journalist, fought a jovial and energetic campaign, shining a light on the DA's efforts to bring better services to cities such as Cape Town.