Carve Her Name With Pride (1958)

Directed by Lewis Gilbert; produced by Daniel M Angel

In the middle of World War Two, young Violette Szabo (Virginia McKenna) is contacted by a covert arm of the War Office, who are impressed with her French language and athletic skills. After some reluctance, she agrees to join the department, which, among other things, assists the resistance movement in occupied France. She turns out to have a talent for the work, but even with her assets, the dangers are formidable, and with each mission the dangers increase.

I read a little while ago that the female operators of the Special Operations Executive were under-appreciated and largely unknown compared to their male colleagues. Though this seems to be in line with a standard sentiment these days, it is in fact ironic, since the women who performed the stressful and hazardous under-cover and guerrilla work of the SOE appear to be better known than the men. Aside from Szabo, Odette Sansom, Christine Granville, Nancy Wake, Noor Inayat Khan (‘Madeleine’) are some, all of whom have been depicted in film. Though men made up the majority of operators, those individuals’ names are much less known.

That written, Carve Her Name With Pride is a good, if not very good, story of adventure and sacrifice in German-controlled territory during the Second World War. McKenna gives a fine performance, within the confines of the script (more about that below.) Despite not looking anything like the real Violette Szabo, she manages to portray a very young woman who quickly matures into a responsible wife, mother and soldier. Paul Scofield rarely puts a foot wrong in his rôles, but here, like McKenna, he has a minimum with which to work, and so must show his character’s attraction to Szabo almost immediately; their relationship, as passive as it is, is compressed into a very short time.

Other performances are adequate, though the parts are undemanding. Jack Warner was well-established in radio, cinema and even television (he would be the star of Dixon of Dock Green for 21 years) by 1958 - indeed, that in Carve Her Name With Pride was one of the last of many movie rôles for him - but here he takes on a smallish supporting part. Billie Whitelaw plays Violette’s friend, while Michael Caine has a tiny bit as a thirsty prisoner on a train, Nigel Hawthorne an equally small bit as a Polish soldier, Victor Maddern as a parachuting instructor and Geoffrey Keen as the narrator.

The direction is satisfying. Gilbert was a versatile director, behind the camera for Alfie, Educating Rita (evidently he saw something in that bit-player Caine), Sink the Bismarck! and several James Bond films. The action scenes of Carve Her Name With Pride are well-handled and exciting.

The main problem is the script (co-written by the director) and, related to that, the story. Despite being two hours long, it doesn’t give enough time to Szabo’s work in France; a couple of clandestine meetings, an interview with the Gestapo and a shopping trip in Paris comprise the extent of her first mission. Nor does it relate a great deal about the nuts and bolts of her training.

Perhaps the most regrettable omission is that of her experiences in Ravensbruck prison camp. Certainly, one doesn’t want to see scenes of torture and privation, and the little that is shown of the former is effective. However, some of the most glowing compliments of Szabo’s character came from her fellow prisoners in the camp, describing her endurance and encouragement to others. Admittedly, there was much that had to be left out, but one can’t help thinking that in the hands of a more capable writer, all of this would have been depicted.

Carve Her Name With Pride is an above average film, a fitting record of a courageous woman’s fight, and good entertainment. But it might have been better with a more skilled screenwriter.