This is the true story of how a group of Royal Marines were taken by submarine to the mouth of the river Gironde from where they went by kayak to attack the "unassailable" port of Bordeaux (3 days journey) They laid limpet mines on many German warships & freighters causing major devastation. The next problem was how could they get away … Based on a true story. During WW2, a German submarine base in Bordeaux seems impregnable, but it has to be destroyed and who better for the task than a group of Royal Marines led by Royal Marine Major Stringer. After a series of initiative tests, drills and selection the time approaches. The Cockleshell Heroes is a wartime story that is primarily true, but it carries some story embellishments that might be viewed as baggage or entertainment. Like The Dirty Dozen, a ragtag group of "volunteers" is assembled to attempt a daring, death-be-damned mission. The lead up to the mission is filled with some conventions of the genre: an untested younger officer who is put in command of a seasoned officer of lesser rank; He uses unconventional methods; obedience is a problem; the odds against success are nearly impossible.<br/><br/>The actual mission is rather linear. As the group encounters German forces along the way, their ranks are reduced until only one pair completes the mission without capture.<br/><br/>The value of the mission is not clearly established. The viewer is left to assume that blowing up boats must be important. But if the mission's objective had been better explained as integral to larger military objectives, the viewer might buy into the drama with more emotion. An alternative would have been to give the enemy a face, perhaps by creating a German officer given the task of protecting the vital German ships. (See The Bridge on the River Kwai for an example of this approach).<br/><br/>A young Anthony Newley is the surprise of this film. Who knew his talents would later be shown to be so multifaceted?<br/><br/>This movie is a rather uncomplicated story that entertains, but is not inspiring. Competent but not a tour de force. The 1950's were a surprisingly good decade for the British war movie. During those years of victorious rationing and austerity, one has the impression that the queue-stricken public needed to be reminded as to who actually won the war. Before the universal availability of television, cinema offered the only easy escapism that was available to and cheap enough for the masses. It was the national panacea.<br/><br/>In those days money was scarce and movies cheaply made. But even so, there were lots of truly excellent examples, notably 'Ice Cold In Alex', 'The Dam Busters' and 'The Cruel Sea' - one of the most authentic and gripping war movies of all time.<br/><br/>But this item simply doesn't compare.<br/><br/>Jose Ferrer, the director, seems to have had at least enough funding. Unusually for its genre, it was shot in colour. There was plenty of location-work too - even access to a submarine. Yet the cast was hardly expensive A-list material. Apart from Trevor Howard, there were just a couple of British character stalwarts. And I have never been a fan of Anthony Newley. His 'cheeky-chappie' persona has invariably been a thumbs-down for any movie. I am apt to wonder if Mr Ferrer as the director/star was afraid of being outshone by an excess of talent in the ranks.<br/><br/>Preparations for the mission went on just far too long. As a result, the story began to get lost in trivial minutiae. We saw a tedious, embittered confessional from Trevor Howard's character, which cut to an amateurish female singer; we were obliged to endure her whole routine as she wandered around a bar, flirting amicably with its clientèle like 'Nancy' from Lionel Bart's 'Oliver'. What - was this a musical then? Her song was punctuated with a fight, and finally a childish monologue from Anthony Newley, in testament to his lack of comic skill. The combined takes lasted for almost 9 utterly pointless, meandering and wasted minutes.<br/><br/>I have seen Jose Ferrer do excellent work as an actor, notably in 'The Caine Mutiny'; he's not too bad in this either. But as a director he evidently had no sense of economy. The scenes above and many others would have carried more drama with half as much celluloid. This was a case of cut and cut again. The mission was the big issue here, and should have occupied at least half the movie. If the preparations must be emphasised then details should have been relevant. For example; we see the team ascending and abseiling up and down cliffs, yet none were to be encountered on the mission. They were canoing not climbing. Compare this with 'The Dam Busters' where there is equally lengthy preamble in creating the bomb - from marbles in the garden, to convincing sceptical authorities. Yet all of it is pertinent to the outcome. The pacing is near perfect. Barnes Wallis's chafing impatience replicates the mission's urgency in the movie's early stages.<br/><br/>As the culmination of their work, the destruction of the ships should have been much more dynamic in its presentation, and surely deserved more detail and therefore time. The sequence lasted just 20 seconds, and this in a total running-time of 94 minutes. For comparison; Howard's griping lasted 120 seconds and Newley's prattle 55 seconds. Confused priorities or what?<br/><br/>The destruction itself was pitiful. A few models and firecrackers? Hardly a tribute to those who's courage the movie presumes to extol. Most of the men died for that magnificent anti-climax. Ships are being scrapped all the time. Couldn't they have found a few hulks and really gone to town on some convincing big bangs?<br/><br/>There were also gaping holes in the plot: like their discovery by a dog and Ferrer's character disclosing himself to a large group of French fisherman. He returns, announcing 'They'll be alright'. How did he know? There may have been supporters of the Vichy government amongst them. Twenty times as many French people collaborated with the Nazis than supported the resistance. You couldn't trust anyone. Their mission and their lives depended upon strictest secrecy. And this is where the spare celluloid should have gone: emphasising the eternal moments of danger. The waiting, the not-sleeping, the stress and fear of discovery; so much more could have been done with these issues to emphasise the gripping sense of peril.<br/><br/>Then that needlessly jaunty theme music would keep piping-up. 'A life on the ocean wave'; give me a break. And 'night-time' bore a striking similarity to any winter afternoon, it was so ludicrously light. <br/><br/>As to marching-off down the road accompanied by the ghosts of the fallen - how corny an ending is that? <br/><br/>Mr Ferrer should have stuck to acting.
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365 weeks ago