Carve Her Name With Pride (1958)

Set during WWII, the English widow (Virginia McKenna) of a French army officer (Alain Saury) is recruited as a spy by the Special Operations Executive to parachute into Nazi occupied France. Based on the non fiction book by R.J. Minney and directed by Lewis Gilbert (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME). Based on the true story of Violette Szabo, a posthumously awarded WWII heroine. Though the tall blonde McKenna (who received a BAFTA nomination for her performance) bares little resemblance to the real Violette Szabo (who was petite and brunette), she gives a strong performance that gives hints of the courage and fortitude of Szabo. This being a fifties movie, it holds back on the brutality and suffering Szabo endured at the hands of the Nazis in a concentration camp. As a film, it's a decent example of wartime bravery and the indominable British spirit but without the artistry that would have elevated it into something more. With Paul Scofield, Maurice Ronet, Billie Whitelaw and Avice Landone.