The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

José Ferrer

Writers:

Bryan Forbes (screenplay)
George Kent (story)

Release Date:

27 March 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | War | Drama

Tagline:

Ten Brave Men Started Out on the Most Desperate Adventure of the War!

Plot:

During WW2, German ships are "safely" docked upriver at Bordeaux, but the British send a team of kayakers to attack them.

Plot Keywords:

Royal Marines | WWII | Army Life | Commando | U Boat

Cast

José Ferrer	...	Major Stringer (as Jose Ferrer)
Trevor Howard	...	Captain Thompson
Dora Bryan	...	Myrtie
Victor Maddern	...	Sgt. Craig
Anthony Newley	...	Marine Clarke
David Lodge	...	Marine Ruddock
Peter Arne	...	Marine Stevens
Percy Herbert	...	Marine Lomas
Graham Stewart	...	Marine Booth
John Fabian	...	Marine Cooney
John Van Eyssen	...	Marine Bradley
Robert Desmond	...	Marine Todd
Walter Fitzgerald	...	Gestapo Comdt.
Karel Stepanek	...	Assistant Gestapo Officer
Beatrice Campbell	...	Mrs. Ruddock

Runtime:

110 min | USA:97 min | West Germany:94 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #17642) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Eastney Barracks, Southsea, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Warwick Film Productions

Trivia:

Of all of Victor Maddern film roles this was his favorite role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The German soldiers guarding the dockyard drive American jeeps.

Quotes:

Marine Ruddock: [Marine Ruddock stumbles to the gate in his shorts, having run all the way back from the drop zone] I made it.
Sgt. Craig: You're not finished yet, Jesse Owens. Come on, double up! Pick 'em up! Hup! Two! Three! Four! Hup! Two! Three! Four! Pick 'em up! Pick 'em up! PICK 'EM UP! Hup! Two! Three! Four! Hup! Two! Three! Four! Pick 'em up! Pick 'em up...!

Soundtrack:

The London I Love

British commandoes sink German supply ships

I saw the cockleshell heroes many years ago and greatly enjoyed it.I was impressed enough to read the factual account of the unit and mission depicted in the film.The film was good but did not begin to show the reality of the training and the hardships these men went through.The actual mission was pretty much as depicted in the film.The Royal Commandoes that made up the real unit went on to form the nucleus of what is now known as the SBS or special boat section.This is the British version of the Navy Seals,but formed many years earlier.I highly recommend reading the book.You will appreciate the film even more.