Carve Her Name with Pride facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carve Her Name with Pride |
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Original film poster
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| Directed by | Lewis Gilbert |
| Produced by | Daniel M. Angel |
| Written by | Vernon Harris Lewis Gilbert |
| Starring | Virginia McKenna Paul Scofield |
| Music by | William Alwyn |
| Cinematography | John Wilcox |
| Editing by | John Shirley |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
| Release date(s) | 18 February 1958 |
| Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English French German |
Carve Her Name with Pride is a 1958 British war film that tells an amazing true story. It's about a brave secret agent named Violette Szabo during World War II. She worked for a special group called the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Violette Szabo was captured and sadly died while helping the French Resistance in France, which was occupied by Nazi Germany at the time. The film is based on a book by R. J. Minney and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. The famous actress Virginia McKenna plays Violette Szabo in the movie.
Contents
The Story of the Film
Violette Bushell is a young woman living in London during the early days of World War II. Her father is English and her mother is French. She meets a French soldier named Etienne Szabo, who is stationed in London. They fall in love and get married.
They have a baby girl named Tania. But Etienne never gets to see his daughter because he is killed fighting in North Africa. Violette and Tania then move in with Violette's parents.
Violette Becomes a Spy
Because Violette speaks both English and French, she is asked to join the Special Operations Executive (SOE). This was a secret British organization that sent spies and agents into enemy-occupied countries. Her job is to go on missions in France.
For her first mission, she works with Captain Tony Fraser (Paul Scofield). She had met him before and liked him. Violette travels to France by a small plane. She even shares a train ride with German soldiers, who don't know she's a spy!
Dangerous Missions in France
Violette's first task is to find members of the French Resistance group in Rouen. This group had been betrayed. She needs to contact any survivors and help blow up a big railway bridge. She takes a risk by meeting a garage mechanic who is suspected of being a traitor, but he turns out to be a loyal Resistance member.
Even though only a few Resistance members are left, Violette convinces them to try and destroy the bridge. Later, the German secret police, called the Gestapo, question her. But she is released and meets Fraser in Paris. He tells her the mission was a success: the bridge was destroyed!
A Second Mission and Capture
Violette and Fraser return to Britain. Violette bravely agrees to go on another mission, again working with Fraser. This time, they are in the Limoges area of France. Her job is to contact different Resistance groups and help them work together.
While on a mission, Violette and her guide get into a gunfight with German soldiers. They are outnumbered and try to escape. Violette hurts her ankle and insists on staying behind to cover their escape. She runs out of bullets and is captured by the Germans.
Brave Defiance and Sad End
Even though she is questioned and treated harshly, Violette bravely refuses to give any information to her captors. Later, she is reunited in a Nazi prison with two other brave women agents she had trained with: Lilian Rolfe and Denise Bloch.
As Allied forces get closer to Paris, the women are put on a train to Germany. When Allied planes bomb the train, the women have a chance to escape. But Violette chooses to get water for other prisoners, including Fraser, who is also on the train. That night, Violette and Fraser share a moment, showing their love for each other.
The men and women are then separated. Violette, Lilian, and Denise are taken to a concentration camp in Germany, where they are sadly killed.
After the war, Violette's daughter, Tania, and her grandparents go to Buckingham Palace. There, King George VI gives Tania her mother's George Cross medal. This medal is given for incredible bravery. Afterwards, they meet Tony Fraser.
Meet the Cast
Here are some of the main actors and the characters they play in the film:
- Virginia McKenna as Violette Szabo
- Paul 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
- Anne Leon as Lilian Rolfe
- Nicole Stéphane as Denise Bloch
- William Mervyn as Colonel Maurice Buckmaster
- Avice Landone as Vera Atkins, assistant to Colonel Buckmaster
- Michael Caine as Thirsty Prisoner on Train (uncredited)
Behind the Scenes
Don Sharp helped direct some parts of the film, especially the action scenes.
The Real Violette Szabo
The film is based on a true story, but some parts are changed for the movie. For example, the actress Virginia McKenna looked different from the real Violette Szabo. Violette had dark hair and eyes and was shorter. The film also doesn't show all the terrible things Violette went through when she was captured, especially in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.
However, the movie does a great job of showing how incredibly brave and strong Violette was. People who knew her described her as incredibly courageous. Her daughter, Tania, called her "young, brave, and beautiful." Another brave SOE agent, Odette Sansom, who survived the same camp, said Violette was "the bravest of us all."
Denise Bloch and Lilian Rolfe were indeed real SOE agents who were killed with Violette Szabo on February 5, 1945, at Ravensbrück. Colonel Maurice Buckmaster was the real head of the SOE's French section, and Vera Atkins was his assistant, helping with the female agents.
Some real people who knew Violette, like Vera Atkins and Odette Sansom, even helped advise on the film to make sure it was as accurate as possible. The character Tony Fraser, played by Paul Scofield, was made up for the movie. But he was based on Violette's real-life male colleague, Philippe Liewer, who helped organize the secret networks in France.
The Poem "The Life That I Have"
In the film, Violette's husband Etienne recites a beautiful poem called "The Life That I Have" to her. Many people thought this poem was written just for the movie.
However, it was actually a real secret code poem given to Violette by an SOE code expert named Leo Marks. He wrote it in 1943 to remember his girlfriend who had passed away. Leo Marks, who later became a scriptwriter, only allowed the poem to be used in the film if his name wasn't revealed as the author at the time.
