Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Cockleshell Heroes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 21, 2019

José Ferrer's "The Cockleshell Heroes" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The future heroes

The men that volunteered to do the mission that Jose Ferrer’s film reconstructs were not a motley crew of thrill seekers. For a little over an hour the film does a pretty good job of describing them as such, but this is just nonsense. What they volunteered to do is exactly what special forces do nowadays -- a very, very risky operation, which in their case was essentially a suicide mission. These men did not volunteer for the action, they stepped forward because they were soldiers and patriots who wanted to defend their country from the enemy. We live in some pretty cynical times which is why the above clarification might seem a bit too melodramatic, but this is exactly who these men were and what took place all those years ago.

Sometime during WWII. In occupied France the port of Bordeaux has become a crucial hub for Hitler’s navy because its location makes it virtually impossible to destroy. However, in England the newly promoted Major Geoffrey Stringer (Ferrer) thinks that he knows how to penetrate the safe hub and then, while using only a few of his soldiers, sink the German ships that are docked there.

Immediately after Stringer reveals the ambitious plan his subordinate, Captain Hugh Thompson (a very good Trevor Howard), who is actually more experienced than him, expresses skepticism. Stringer’s intention is to organize a small group of volunteers that will be transported to the coast of France by a submarine and from there dispatched to the port of Bordeaux to place limpet mines on the German ships. The volunteers will use conventional two-person canoes without navigation equipment.

During an unorthodox training program where the volunteers are encouraged to think independently and improvise, the best men for the job are handpicked by Stringer. However, shortly after the operation is launched, one of the volunteers collapses and his spot is taken by Thompson.

The Cockleshell Heroes has a solid cast and at times even looks impressive, but Ferrer’s inexperience behind the camera is rather obvious. The entire first half and a small portion of the second seem a lot more appropriate for a conventional period British comedy which uses the historic event only as an exotic distraction, which makes the all the drama that emerges after the action moves to Bordeaux quite odd. The profound transformations the men undergo also become extremely difficult to take seriously. As a result, even though there is a lot of historical material that the film gets right, it is not the authentic drama that it could and should have been.

On the other hand, a lot of the humor is quite good and is presented with a casual tone that actually leaves the impression that Ferrer was not trying to prove that he can successfully juggle different types of material. It is just that it should have been managed better so that it helps and prepares the drama from the second half, not interfere with it.

Ferrer shot the film on location in England and Portugal, but it is virtually impossible to tell where the shifts occur.

The special effects that were used for the big explosions at the end look rather dated now, mostly because it is fairly easy to see that miniature models were used and then lit in a studio setting.

The Cockleshell Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, José Ferrer's The Cockleshell Heroes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

I don't know when the master that was used to source this release was prepared, but it has some qualities that are usually present on older masters that were done during the DVD era. This being said, I don't think that it is bad either, it just has some obvious limitations. Density levels for instance are quite good, but delineation fluctuates and during the nighttime footage is rather easy to see that it could be quite a bit better. Generally speaking, close-ups look the best, while the wider panoramic shots reveal the most weaknesses. Color is good, but there is room for improvement both in terms of stability and saturation. The current saturation levels and nuances do not have the consistent organic Technicolor values, though I personally did not find them disappointing either. Again, they just look a tad dated. Image stability is good. Some tiny dirt spots and scratches pop up here and there, but they will not distract you. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Cockleshell Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio is stable and clean. The music, which has a very prominent role throughout the film, is nicely balanced with the dialog as well, though I think that it is possible to introduce some minor improvements in the upper register. There are no audio dropouts, hiss, hum, distortions, etc.

The Cockleshell Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Sheldon Hall Interview - in this brand new video interview, critic Sheldon Hall discusses the historic event that inspired The Cockleshell Heroes, the film's production history (with some very interesting comments about its American producers), its style, and the era in which it emerged. The interview was conducted exclusively for Eureka Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

The Cockleshell Heroes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I enjoyed The Cockleshell Heroes but I found its characterizations and tone incompatible with the true story that it aimed to recreate. The men that volunteered to go to Bordeaux and destroy the German ships that were docked there were not the mostly clueless thrill seekers that you will see in the film, and it is beyond childish to even speculate that they were. In other words, the film is a lot more credible as a straightforward British comedy than as a factual war drama. So, if you like these types of vintage films consider picking up a copy for your library, but approach it with the right set of expectations. RECOMMENDED.