Tarnished Heroes (1961) – British War film

It is fairly rare for me to come across a British War film I have never seen before and “Tarnished Heroes” is one of them. I found it by accident on YouTube while searching covers of David Bowies hit “Heroes” my lucky day, maybe.

Take away the big stars, Technicolor, widescreen, hundreds of extras, lots of pyrotechnics and you end up with “Tarnished Heroes” not the “Dirty Dozen”. Both films follow the same story, a mission behind enemy lines. I just watched the film swerving most of the football last night and found it acceptable enough, given the obviously limited budget but it is a British film and budgets were never that big unless there was foreign money involved.

Maj. Roy Bell (Dermot Walsh) leads his band of misfits to blow up a bridge, not the biggest of bridges over which a German convoy must pass. Naturally, he comes into conflict with the motley bunch of deserters and thieves, who are awaiting a Court Martial, have clearly been chosen for the mission because there were expendable. While making their way to the bridge some try to do a runner but fail and they reach the target.

They decide to hide away in a church to plan their attack on the bridge. At the church, enter the love interest when a young French girl and her dying uncle are discovered. When one of the soldiers becomes frisky with the Mademoiselle. In steps Maj. Roy Bell who soon lays claim to her, rank you know old boy.

They destroy the bridge but the Germans chase them back to the church where they besieged the major and his men. They fight through the night and when they hear the British guns, they hope it is a counter attack. All but Maj. Bell, a talkative Irishman and the young French woman survive the attack on the church the rest are killed. Bell’s misfit bunch rise to the challenge, prove themselves as heroes, and fulfil the mission.

It is a good little film not like the brash American “Dirty Dozen” more a British stiff up a lip from Maj. Bell and his dirty seven and the acting was fine not worthy of a BAFTA but solid.

My Rating