On C List of Movie Reviews

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Carve Her Name with Pride (1958)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 2/25

CarvePr
2/25: How the hell was Virginia McKenna not Oscar-nominated?

I initially picked up Carve Her Name with Pride for Paul Scofield, one of the greatest actors ever who rarely appeared in feature length pictures. But make no mistake: this is Virginia McKenna's show. What a brave person her character was.

The story is based on a British spy named Violette Szabo. She could speak both English and French fluently, shoot a rifle, and play sports. After being trained as a spy, she performed two missions but, because of her sprained ankle, got caught by the Germans and was tortured and executed at age 23. To this day, Tania, who's without family, is still alive, having sold her mother's medals a decade ago, and they're currently on display at the Imperial War Museum in London, England.

So...what am I missing here??? This sounds like a story that Hollywood has been desperately looking for when it comes to the creation of a heroine except this time it actually happened. Anyway, it's a fine performance by Virginia McKenna. I like her better than Eleanor Parker. She has spunk. Paul Scofield, of course, is a terrific supporter. So is Alain Saury who played Violette's husband.

All in all, Carve Her Name with Pride is a moving biographical wartime film, and I absolutely recommend it.