Odette [DVD] [1950]

Unfortunately this film was made too soon after the war before Maurice Buckmaster, who plays himself, was found out. Buckmaster failed as a leader. He was so stubborn that he refused to believe most (all?) of SOE's French agents had been turned by the Germans despite the evidence and the correct advice of his subordinates that he was wrong. The French correctly felt he should be put on trial. He never was and he lived without ever having to face proper justuce for his evident stupidity

This is very much a biopic.The opening shot is that of the Buckmaster General, head of the disbanded SOE of WW2, informing us that this film representation of Odette is true to the original reports.Anna Neagle portrays Odette as accurately as possible, particularly as it was "Odette on set" that guided her own story through Anna.(BTW, I worked with Anna on the original stage production of Cinderella at Richmond theatre in '82. In later years it transferred to the Palladium).The recruitment and agent-in-the-field scenes are the main thrust of this dramatic 1950 b/w version. Missing out her training scenes was probably an executive decision due to the large extent of intricacies of her story and thus, length of film.This is a very well produced motion picture. A vital story of heroinism within the vast undertaking of defeating an ever encroaching enemy force by undermining their warmachine process an efforts.The acting is expressed and staged as expected in '50s British films. It's direct and animate. You get the major bullet points of story progression with some detailed dialogue to emphasis the danger, dread or euphoria.Critics, on here, of this film are disingenuous. Not taking into consideration the expected style of the era, nor the limitations of technology, FX and other resources. That said some very good archived footage of the actual ally invasion of France is used to emphasis the affects of these SOE agents contribution and success. Though many of them didn't survive.Arguably, a new production of "Odette" wouldn't go amiss. But this film, produced by husband & wife team Wilcox & Neagle, stands as a great herald of the bravery these young women exuded under the threat of death via terrible torture.A great tribute. A fabulous film of its time.

This is an extraordinary film about Odette and the SOE because it was filmed in the actual locations where events took place and included the participation of the head of SOE, Maurice Buckmaster. If you watch this film you will need to read more and find out the truth. Odette was unquestionably courageous but on reading her biography by Jerrard Tickell you have some idea of why she was married three times... why she left her three girls in a convent whilst she was in France... why Peter Churchill was one one level brilliant... but also acted very unwisely and caused the deaths of others... how she failed to act quickly enough on knowing she might be betrayed.Reading the newer biography of Francis Cammaerts (A Pacifist at War: The Life of Francis Cammaerts: The Silence of Francis Cammaerts by Ray Jenkins) who took over from Odette and Peter Churchill and also reading "We Landed by Moonlight: Secret Raf Landings in France 1940-1944 by Hugh Verity, you gain a wider more balanced picture. The story of Francis Cammaerts is a must read... if only Odette had had him as her 'line manager'!Odette was let down by many people and she should have been less trusting. Hers is a tragic life story and she was right to add a postscript to Jerrard Tickell's biography saying how we were likely to ignore the history of WWII and still believe we can gain peace through violence.

I have always liked this film so I was looking forward to watching this on Blu-ray & not for the first time I was disapointed in the transfer to Blu-ray it's covered in grain ? Yes it's an old film but so is I was Montys Double and both from Studiocanal Montys Double is near perfect so why not Odette? The only thing i can come up with is it's the only best copy they could find? So again Great Film Shame About The Transfer.

So glad I own this DVD telling the story of an everyday person, of the title, who joined the SOE's . Played by the excellent Anna Neagle, it tells the story of her bravery after going to France & passing messages, documents etc to & from the resistance. Her superior officer was ably played by Trevor Howard, who falls in love with her. Another stalwart actor was Peter Ustinov. Odette eventually gets captured & passed on to the ruthless Gestapo. She pretends to be the brains & the Trevor Howard character was a playboy relative of Winston Churchill, & he was her husband. This is a truly horrific story of the worst of mankind .& at times the best. It is all the more poignant because It's a true story. Directed by Herbert Willcox who was Anna Neagle's husband. This is rivetting viewing, a must for anyone who wants to know of the sacrifices made to win WW2 .

I was unaware of the existence of this film and only came accross the title whilst reseaching Col. Buckmaster. My stepfather was one of the Colonel's drivers during WW2 and, although I have a number of photos of his time in France, after D-day, I had none of the Colonel, so it was nice to put a face to the man, as he appears in the film.The film is typically '50s format and tends brush lightly over much of the work Odette did. It also left me puzzled by her transformation from Mrs. Samsom - at the beginning - to Mrs. Peter Churchill towards the end. Nonetheless it does a fairly good job of hightlighting the peril these men and women faced in France.