Tarnished Heroes

Tarnished Heroes is a 1961 British war film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Dermot Walsh and Anton Rodgers. It was produced by Danziger Productions.[1] The film is set in France during World War II, and concerns a British major who destroys a Nazi convoy.[2] The plot of the film bears similarities to The Dirty Dozen, although it was made five years before Robert Aldrich's film, and three years before the novel on which it is based. However, it is possible that Tarnished Heroes was inspired by the success of The Magnificent Seven, released in 1960, as the concept seems close: the recruitment of a band of renegades to fight a difficult fight for the common good.[3]

Tarnished Heroes
Directed byErnest Morris
Produced byEdward J. Danziger
Harry Lee Danziger
Written byBrian Clemens
StarringDermot Walsh
Anton Rogers
Music byBill LeSage
CinematographyJames Wilson
Edited byDesmond Saunders
Production
company
Distributed byWarner-Pathé Distributors
Release date
1961
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

When Major Roy Bell (Walsh) and his company are trapped by the advancing German army, Bell decides to embark on a suicide mission to blow up a bridge which is of strategic importance to the enemy. However, the only resource available to him is a group of rag-tag army failures, made up of drunks, thieves and deserters. According to the officer's handbook, 'an officer will perform whatever task confronts him with whatever men are available'. Under Bell's guidance, these men must now rise to the challenge and prove themselves as heroes if they are to fulfil the mission and come back alive.[4][5]

Cast

Critical reception

Tortillafilms wrote, "Ernest Morris makes a good little film."[3] Sky Movies noted, " things are reassuringly in their place with Dermot Walsh, hero of a fistful of `B' movies, at the head of the cast. In a small role as a trench officer, you may spot Frank Thornton, later well-known on television for his long-running role in Are You Being Served?."[6]

References
  1. Tarnished Heroes at BFI
  2. "Tarnished Heroes | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  3. http://tortillafilms.tortillapolis.org/attaque-commandos.html
  4. "Tarnished Heroes (1962)". dvdcity.dk. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  5. "Tarnished Heroes [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Dermot Walsh, Anton Rodgers, Maurice Kaufmann, Patrick McAlinney: DVD & Blu-ray". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  6. "Tarnished Heroes - Sky Movies HD". Skymovies.sky.com. 2003-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
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