Stories about wars within wars, like this one, can be fascinating. What motivates a person to go undercover and behind enemy lines to obtain intelligence or complete a tactical mission? The risks are so great, who could ask another person to do so? When the tale is based upon a true story, it is even more compelling.
"Carve Her Name" is the true story of Violette Bushell (Virginia McKenna) a widowed mother who joins the British SOE. Like many such stories, it details some of her training. It is always interesting to know what transforms an "average" person into a trained expert in the various crafts of deception and warfare. The film does not feel contrived or reinvented for dramatic effect. The truth is dramatic enough and director Lewis Gilbert does a good job of employing camera angles that emphasize the action without seeming overly dramatic.
What makes this film resonate well with the viewer is its focus on the human story, not the overall war effort or some clash of wills. Violette is anyone of us ordinary people who might do something extraordinarily brave in a time of crisis.
"Carve Her Name" is the true story of Violette Bushell (Virginia McKenna) a widowed mother who joins the British SOE. Like many such stories, it details some of her training. It is always interesting to know what transforms an "average" person into a trained expert in the various crafts of deception and warfare. The film does not feel contrived or reinvented for dramatic effect. The truth is dramatic enough and director Lewis Gilbert does a good job of employing camera angles that emphasize the action without seeming overly dramatic.
What makes this film resonate well with the viewer is its focus on the human story, not the overall war effort or some clash of wills. Violette is anyone of us ordinary people who might do something extraordinarily brave in a time of crisis.