Review of Carve Her Name With Pride (Special Edition)

Introduction

Following the death of her husband at the battle of El Alamein in 1942, Violette Szabo was approached by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to use her skills and knowledge of the French language to become a spy and coordinate anti German activities in occupied northern France. After extensive training, she left behind her young daughter and parachuted into France in 1944. Her exploits were turned into a novel by R. J. Minney in 1956 which formed the basis for this film, released in 1958.

Video

Surprisingly this special edition presents the film in a letterboxed 1.66:1 format and the fact that it`s not an anamorphic transfer is shocking. Even so, the video is largely free from blemishes and has good depth and contrast.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack is perfectly clear and free from hiss and other sound distortion.

Features

The commentary itself features Virginia McKenna and editor John Shirley; whenever you hear a contributor say, as McKenna does, that "it`s been many, many years since I last saw this film", your heart sinks as you realise that they`re going to spend more time watching the film than talking about it. Sadly this is the case here as, after only about two minutes, they sit back and enjoy watching the film, interjecting occasionally to impart nothing of great interest or value.

If you do decide to listen to the commentary, I would advise you to turn your amp down as the film was quiet and when I selected the commentary track, my speakers nearly exploded as the volume difference was so great!

There is also a trailer and an image gallery which failed to raise my pulse rate.

Conclusion

Two years after `Reach for the Sky`, which told the story of Douglas Bader, Lewis Gilbert adapted R. J. Minney`s book about Violette Szabo and her heroics towards the end of WWII. In almost every respect, this is a moving and powerful film, with a terrific performance by Virginia McKenna at it`s centre.

I feared like the other Granada/Network releases that I have recently reviewed (`The Man in Grey` and `The History of Mr. Polly`) that this was going to be another budget disc which few were clamouring for. I was surprised to find that this is already available on DVD and that this is released as a `special edition`. With that tag, you would expect a plethora of extras, a flawless anamorphic transfer and a superb soundtrack. Sadly, there is little special about this edition, the commentary is welcome but dire and, as the film is available in a set with `Nurse Edith Cavell` and `Town Like Alice` for only a few pounds more, it seems an unnecessary purchase and a wasted opportunity to give this film the special edition it deserves.