CARVE HER NAME WITH PRIDE

UK, 1951, 117 minutes Black and white.
Virginia Mc Kenna, Paul Scofield, Jack Warner, Denise Grey, Maurice Ronet.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert.

Carve her Name with Pride is one of those excellently acted and produced films that the English made during the 50's. These films paid tribute to particular branches of the services for their loyalty and heroism during the war, or also they singled out individuals for the same tribute. This film shows the work of Violette Szabo, half-English. Half-dumb, left a widow during the war and asked to train for espionage work in, Prance. This film is more successful than most because it fills in the life the personality of the heroine more completely than other films and Virginia McKenna? acts excellently in the role. These war films are becoming slightly remote now. but they impress
because of the quality of conviction and competent film-making.


1. How did the film build up a picture of England in 1940, the British family, shops…?

2. What kind of a person was Violette Bushell? French and English background, her marriage with the French soldier, as a mother and widow? Was she a strong and pleasant character?

3. Why did she choose to serve in the war, knowing the risks and realising her responsibility to her daughter? Did she make the right choice?

4. Should women have been asked to collaborate in such missions and submit to such rigorous physical training? How realistically and suspensefully was the mission filmed?

5. Why did Violette Szabo return to France?

6. What were your impressions of Violette machine-gunning torture, her imprisonment and death? Was she heroic? In what did this heroism consist?
7. The epilogue of her daughter representing her and receiving the medal from the king? An appropriate ending?