Carve Her Name With Pride
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''Carve Her Name with Pride'' is a 1958 British war
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
based on the book of the same name by R. J. Minney. The film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, is based on the true story of
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
agent Violette Szabo, GC, who was captured and executed while serving in
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
-
occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
. Szabo was played by Virginia McKenna.


Plot

Violette Bushell is a young woman whose father is English, and whose mother is French, living in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
early in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. She meets
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
officer Etienne Szabo, stationed in the city, and they become engaged to be married. They have a daughter, Tania, but Etienne never sees the child, as he is killed fighting in the North African front; Violette Szabo and her daughter move into her parents' home. Because of her linguistic skills, the widowed Szabo is recruited as a spy by the
Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...
(SOE) for operations in France. On her first mission, she is teamed with Captain Tony Fraser (
Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was an English actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award for his work. Scofield ...
), a man she had met earlier socially and liked. She arrives by small plane in France, and shares a train compartment to
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
with curious German soldiers. The
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
group Fraser had set up in Rouen has been betrayed. The job of the new arrivals is to contact any survivors and to blow up a major railway viaduct. One Resistance member whom Szabo contacts tells her that another survivor, a garage mechanic ( André Maranne), is suspect, but Szabo takes the risk of meeting him anyway. He informs her that only three of 98 group members remain. Nonetheless, she persuades him to try to blow up the viaduct. Szabo is picked up and questioned by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
. She is released, and meets in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
with Fraser, who congratulates her: The viaduct was destroyed. They return to Britain, and Szabo reluctantly agrees to another mission. Once again, she is under Fraser's command, this time in the
Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...
region. She sets out with a guide to contact the various Resistance units to coordinate their actions. She and her guide become involved in a firefight with German soldiers. They are outnumbered and they flee. Szabo injures her ankle, and she insists on remaining behind. She runs out of ammunition and is captured. Though tortured, she defiantly refuses to provide any information. Eventually she is reunited with two other women agents she had befriended during their initial training, Lilian Rolfe and Denise Bloch, in a Nazi prison. As Allied forces advance on Paris, the women are placed on a train for Germany. When the train is bombed by Allied aircraft, the women have a chance to attempt to escape, but Szabo instead fetches water for male prisoners. One of them is Fraser. That night, Szabo and Fraser acknowledge their love for each other. The men and women are separated. The three women are taken to a
concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
, where they are executed. After the war, Tania and her grandparents go to
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
, where King
George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...
gives the child her mother's posthumous
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...
. Afterwards, they meet Fraser.


Cast

* Virginia McKenna as Violette Szabo *
Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was an English actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award for his work. Scofield ...
as Tony Fraser * Jack Warner as Mr. Charles Bushell, Violette's father * Denise Grey as Mrs. Reine Bushell, Violette's mother *Alain Saury as Etienne Szabo * Maurice Ronet as Jacques *Anne Leon as Lilian Rolfe *
Sydney Tafler Sydney Tafler (31 July 1916 – 8 November 1979) was an English actor who after having started his career on stage, was best remembered for numerous appearances in films and television from the 1940s to the 1970s. Personal life Tafler was bor ...
as Potter *
Avice Landone Avice Landone (1 September 191012 June 1976) was an English actress who appeared in British television and film. She was born in Quetta, British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, pres ...
as Vera Atkins, assistant to Colonel Buckmaster * Nicole Stéphane as Denise Bloch * Noel Willman as Interrogator * Bill Owen as NCO Instructor, who trains Szabo, Rolfe and Bloch * Billie Whitelaw as Winnie * William Mervyn as Colonel Maurice Buckmaster * Michael Goodliffe as Coding expert * André Maranne as Garage Man * Harold Lang as Commandant Suhren *
Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...
as Thirsty Prisoner on Train (uncredited) * Victor Beaumont as German Colonel (uncredited) * George Mikell as German Officer (uncredited) * Enid Lorimer as Madame Renaud (uncredited) * John Moulder-Brown as Child (uncredited) *
Miriam Karlin Miriam Karlin (23 June 19253 June 2011) was an English actress whose career lasted for more than 60 years. She was known for her role as Paddy in ''The Rag Trade'', a 1960s BBC and 1970s LWT sitcom, and in particular for the character's catchp ...
as Bus Conductress (uncredited)


Production


Development

The film was based on a biography about Szabo written by R.J. Minney. Lewis Gilbert had previously made a film of a Minney novel, '' Time Gentlemen, Please!'' and the two men had remained friends; Minney told Gilbert the story of the book at dinner, and the direct read proofs of Minney's novel. He felt it would made a "wonderful movie" and purchased the film rights. Gilbert brought in his usual producer, Daniel Angel, and set up the project at the Rank Organisation, which provided finance. Rank had Virigina McKenna under contract and insisted Gilbert use her in the lead. Gilbert felt McKenna "really wasn't the right type for it... Ideally, it should have been someone like
Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a Bombshell (slang), blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Mamie Van ...
, who was much rougher, because Violet was a Cockney who had lived in Brixton, a very poor area of London." However Gilbert ultimately felt McKenna "was wonderful in the film."


Shooting

Filming started 6 July 1957 and took place in Pinewood and on location in France over 16 weeks. The movie used Odette Hallowes as an adviser. Gilbert said this was "very useful, especially as Odette, having already had a film made about her life, understood a bit about film-making." McKenna said Odette "was living proof of a woman who had suffered enormously — torture, solitary confinement, things which are probably almost impossible for us to imagine coping with. Not many films had been made about women during war so, until that time, women hadn’t had the same opportunity as men to show other dimensions of their nature." McKenna prepared for the role by learning judo and how to shoot a Sten gun and parachute jumping. "I did quite a lot of research," she said. "It’s one of the films I’m proudest of — not because of what I did, but because it told the story of this extraordinary person who represents so many others whose stories have not been told. The courage of women who work behind enemy lines, the terror they must feel on a day-to-day basis, risking their lives and risking never seeing their families again. All that became a real experience for me which affected me very deeply." She added, "My most treasured source of information and understanding, however, was Odette Hallowes. Another technical adviser was Leo Marks, who wrote the poem containing the code. The film made this poem enormously popular. During editing, Daniel Angel introduced Marks to Michael Powell, leading to the collaboration that would make ''Peeping Tom''. McKenna called it "A film of huge emotions, demanding total commitment to the real people we were interpreting. Often I couldn't ‘cut off at the end of the day’s filming. But, thank heaven, we had the most sensitive, honest and discriminating of directors, Lewis Gilbert."
Don Sharp Donald Herman Sharp (19 April 192114 December 2011) was an Australian film director. His best known films were made for Hammer Film Productions, Hammer in the 1960s, and included ''Kiss of the Vampire (film), Kiss of the Vampire'' (1963) and ' ...
directed second unit.


Reception


Box office

In April 1958 ''Kinematograph Weekly'' reported " It’s a war film, but by approaching its subject from the distaff side, it’s opened its doors to both sexes, and they're crowding in." According to ''Variety'' film was one of the twelve most popular at the British box office in 1958. ''Kinematograph Weekly'' listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958. Gilbert said the film "did quite well in America as well".


Critical

''Variety'' called it "a dignified and absorbing pic." ''Kinematograph Weekly'' praised the "powerful true-life adventure story, superb portrayal by Virginia McKenna, first-rate supporting cast, clever direction"


Award nominations

* BAFTA Award for Best Actress – Virginia McKenna


The real Violette Szabo

With her blonde hair and handsome angular features, Virginia McKenna bears no resemblance to the real Violette Szabo, a brunette with dark eyes standing at less than 5 ft. 5 in. tall. McKenna gives Szabo a marked
south London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...
accent brushed with
received pronunciation Received Pronunciation (RP) is the Accent (sociolinguistics), accent of British English regarded as the Standard language, standard one, carrying the highest Prestige (sociolinguistics), social prestige, since as late as the beginning of the 2 ...
, her performance being in the tradition of the "stiff upper lipped" strictly class-structured heroine that would be anticipated by audiences in the atmosphere of a pre-Bond 1950s
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
. The film itself, released in 1958, does not show the full horror of Szabo's treatment in captivity, especially in
Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a Nazi concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure of 1 ...
, or the true manner of her execution, but it gives a broad impression of her bravery and fortitude. Szabo was described in the citation to her posthumous
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...
as having shown a "magnificent example of courage and steadfastness", by her daughter, Tania, in the title of her 2007 book about her mother's missions, as "young, brave, and beautiful", and by fellow SOE agent,
Odette Sansom Odette Marie Léonie Céline Hallowes, (née Brailly; 28 April 1912 – 13 March 1995), also known as Odette Churchill and Odette Sansom, code named Lise, was an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) in ...
, GC, who survived Ravensbrück, as "the bravest of us all". Denise Bloch and Lilian Rolfe were fellow SOE agents, and were executed with Violette Szabo on 5 February 1945 in Ravensbrück. Colonel Maurice Buckmaster was head of SOE F Section; Vera Atkins was his assistant and the section's intelligence officer, with special responsibility for female agents. Vera Atkins, Odette Sansom, and Leslie Fernandez, one of Szabo's SOE instructors and a field agent himself, were advisors on the film. The role played by
Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was an English actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award for his work. Scofield ...
, Tony Fraser, was created for dramatic purposes, but is based upon Szabo's actual male colleague on her missions to France, and organiser of the
Salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...
circuit, Philippe Liewer ('Major Charles Staunton').


"The Life That I Have"

The poem, " The Life That I Have", also known as " Yours", recited to Violette by her husband Etienne, was once believed to have been written especially for the film, but was in fact the actual code poem given to her in March 1944 by the SOE cryptographer
Leo Marks Leopold Samuel Marks, (24 September 1920 – 15 January 2001) was an English writer, screenwriter, and cryptographer. During the Second World War he headed the codes office supporting resistance agents in occupied Europe for the secret Special ...
, and written by him on Christmas Eve 1943 in memory of his girlfriend, Ruth, who had recently died in a plane crash. Marks, who became a scriptwriter after the war, would only let the poem be used on condition that his authorship was not revealed.


Notes

* *


References


External links

*
Carve Her Name with Pride
' at the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carve Her Name With Pride 1958 films 1950s war drama films British spy drama films Films about the French Resistance Films based on biographies Films directed by Lewis Gilbert Films shot at Pinewood Studios Special Operations Executive Western Front of World War II films * World War II films based on actual events World War II spy films British war drama films Films scored by William Alwyn Films set in London Films set in France Films set in Paris 1958 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films English-language spy drama films English-language war drama films