THE COCKLESHELL HEROES

 

One of my favorite movie genres is the World War II film. It might be surprising to some how extensive that genre is--there's still plenty of major features about the conflict that I haven't caught up to yet. Last night I viewed for the first time a 1955 British production called THE COCKLESHELL HEROES, which stars Jose Ferrer, who also directed. 

THE COCKLESHELL HEROES is loosely based on the real-life Operation Frankton, in which a group of British Royal Marines were dropped off the coast of France, and then made their way up river to Bordeaux, traveling in two-man kayaks. The Marines then attempted to attach limpet mines on various German merchant ships, hoping to damage or destroy them. The operation took place in late 1942, and only two of the Marines involved in the mission survived.  

Most British WWII movies made around the time of THE COCKLESHELL HEROES were taut, down-to-earth stories that were usually in black & white, and focused more on character and plot instead of large-scale battle scenes. THE COCKLESHELL HEROES has more flair than these, being in color and in Cinemascope. 

Jose Ferrer plays Major Stringer, a canoe expert who comes up with the plan to destroy German ships docked at Bordeaux. Stringer is assigned to gather up a team for the mission, and attached to the group is Captain Thompson (Trevor Howard). Thompson is a life-long by-the-book Marine, who has spent most of his career behind a desk, and he's jealous of the idea of a "newcomer" like Stringer getting a chance to lead and take part in a dangerous mission. Stringer has only been in uniform since the war started, and he has very different ideas on how to train and encourage individuals. Needless to say, the two men clash often, but they eventually learn to appreciate how the other thinks and start to work together for the benefit of the operation. 

The "two military officers who are total opposites from each other" is a familiar war movie trope, and THE COCKLESHELL HEROES has plenty of others, such as a motley group of men being whipped into shape, a tough drill sergeant, one of the group going AWOL before the mission due to a marital problem, and a last-minute incident that causes a major change in plans for the operation. This movie is so effectively done, however, that this isn't a handicap. 

Most of the film is taken up with the training of the men by Stringer and Thompson, and there's a lot of light humor in these sequences (maybe too much for some viewers). There's even a pub scene which has a beautiful Wren singing a song about London right before a comedic brawl breaks out between the Marines and members of the Royal Navy. Once the mission begins, things become much more suspenseful. 

Jose Ferrer does well as Stringer, although some may find it hard to see him as a British war hero. Trevor Howard might have been a better choice as Stringer, and the actor plays Thompson as if he knows this. The supporting cast is filled with fine British players such as Victor Maddern, Anthony Newley, David Lodge, Peter Arne, Percy Herbert, and John Van Eyssen. Christopher Lee has a very small role as the captain of the submarine that transports the Marines to the coast of France. 

Jose Ferrer also does well as a director, although it has to be said he got a lot of help from plenty of British behind-the-camera talent. The excellent cinematography was by Ted Moore and John Wilcox, and the rousing music score was by John Addison. The screenplay was by Bryan Forbes and Richard Maibaum, and the film was made by Warwick Productions, a company run by Irving Allen and future Bond producer Albert Broccoli. (A lot of the crew involved with THE COCKLESHELL HEROES would work on future Bond films, such as Ted Moore and Richard Maibaum). 

I enjoyed THE COCKLESHELL HEROES. The characters in the film are fictional, but the picture does present the basic details of the actual mission, and the cast helps make the story entertaining to watch. The movie was very successful when it originally played in the U.K., and it is one that American war movie fans need to seek out if they are not aware of it.