I'd waited many years to catch up with this movie but, didn't make any special effort after finding that Lewis Gilbert was director. Gilbert, I always thought of as a maker of by-the-numbers, crowd pleasers, and this entry did nothing to alter that perception. With so many opportunities to make an exciting based on fact story, Gilbert turns in another general run-of-the-mill fact/fiction crowd pleaser.
Firstly, the casting of sweet, prim-and-proper girl next door, McKenna (as good as she is) to play Violette Szabo (the last woman executed by the Nazis) a woman who would risk her life as death-dealing, behind-enemy-lines secret agent, is a long bow to draw. Then changing the origins of the code poem allotted to her by the SOE, turning it into a 'love' poem - supposedly written by her French soldier husband, was just too 'romantically' manipulative for serious belief.
There were enough 'facts' to this story to make two exciting films, let alone this rather lame commercial effort. This project needed a director in the class of John Guillermin or Carroll Reed, to capture and create, the tense and grueling situations these people faced. The great Paul Schofield is somewhat wasted in a limited mock role. For those simply wanting a 'based' on fact story of inspirational war service, this will do a neat job but anyone looking for a re-creation of reality and suspense, may find themselves a little disappointed. The ITV DVD re-release offers nice images and sound and this picture certainly made a lot of money.
Firstly, the casting of sweet, prim-and-proper girl next door, McKenna (as good as she is) to play Violette Szabo (the last woman executed by the Nazis) a woman who would risk her life as death-dealing, behind-enemy-lines secret agent, is a long bow to draw. Then changing the origins of the code poem allotted to her by the SOE, turning it into a 'love' poem - supposedly written by her French soldier husband, was just too 'romantically' manipulative for serious belief.
There were enough 'facts' to this story to make two exciting films, let alone this rather lame commercial effort. This project needed a director in the class of John Guillermin or Carroll Reed, to capture and create, the tense and grueling situations these people faced. The great Paul Schofield is somewhat wasted in a limited mock role. For those simply wanting a 'based' on fact story of inspirational war service, this will do a neat job but anyone looking for a re-creation of reality and suspense, may find themselves a little disappointed. The ITV DVD re-release offers nice images and sound and this picture certainly made a lot of money.