C/-\R\/E |-|ER N@/\/\E \/\/!T|-| PR!|)E1 1958

After Violette Szabo's (Virginia McKenna) French husband is killed in North Africa during World War II, she is amazed to find herself seconded to the British secret service, and agrees to undertake resistance work in France. Subjected to rigorous training, she is put through a rite of passage in which she has to learn to fight and think like a man. She is parachuted into enemy territory and proves herself a valuable and resourceful agent. After her mission to Rouen, Vi meets up with her control, Tony (Paul Scofield), in Paris and reports on her difficulties during the mission. Its success is emphasised when Tony tells her that its aim - the destruction of the viaduct - was achieved. But this is not just a professional meeting; Tony makes his love for her clear.

On a second mission, Vi is captured when her ammunition runs out. The German interrogator reminds her: 'what will become of your child if you die?', before offering her new clothes and fun, 'you're young, you're attractive and you're in Paris.' Violette slaps him. After physical torture, memories of her husband Etienne prove an even greater temptation. The final scenes of the film, in which Vi is tortured, taken to a prison camp and finally shot are punctuated by close-ups of her translucent skin, her cheekbones sharp and her fair hair pushed away to reveal her drawn features. Tanya, dressed in the dress bought for her in Paris, goes to collect the George Cross that the state has bestowed on her dead mother. The repetition of a special poem and the final image of children playing in the street give a hopeful resonance to Violette's sacrifice.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• FILM

[eastlight]

Can you imagine what that London street looks like now?

[eastlight]

It looks like the people, for eample the director, Lewis Gilbert, who made this film were also those who made 'A Night to Remember', the film about the Titianic and which was also made at Pinewood.

[reginaDeviant]

@yankao100 Could you tell us more about this?

[yankao100]

Each and every one of the agents from Szabo's unit was captured, tortured, and executed by the Germans as soon as they landed. It was strongly hinted, but no proofs, that the woman-control who sent them was a German agent. At the end of the War, the control was awarded an OBE to coverup the debacle.

[calvink2005]

Thanks for this, great old story of real courage.

[Shinkansen91]

Thank you so very much for uploading this film - I watched it several times many years ago, and as with all the war hero/heroines, she is up there with the best, played very well by Virginia McKenna. :)

[Zajuts149]

Thanks for putting this up!

[kellyofsiam]

The Clancy Brothers on their "Older, But No Wiser" CD sing a song based on the Leo Mark's poem that is now thought of as the definitive World War II code-poem The Life That I Have. I've listened to that song many times and now I can see the story behing it. Thanks