Highly Overrated But Still Good

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Painstaking reconstruction of lost heroes of the war in an almost documentary character, in this case the French resistance organized from England with a quite ordinary woman as the main link and foundation of the operations, as she as an ordinary woman is best fit not to attract attention. When she is asked to volunteer she has no experience whatsoever, an ordinary woman with three children separated from her husband, whom we never hear a word of throughout the film. Instead there is Trevor Howard as a certain Peter Churchill as the other main link in the operations together with Peter Ustinov as the indispensable radio operator. He is caught and killed by the Gestapo, which you learn already in the beginning of the film, but you never see it happen. Instead you see the full torture sessions and ordeals of Trevor Howard and Anna Neagle.It certainly is one of her best performances, the direction by Herbert Wilcox is completely natural all the way, and Anthony Collins has provided the film with discreet but eloquent music perfectly suited to the action; but the perhaps most interesting performance is that of the dubious Marius Goring as the Abwehr man, who like Canaris is well aware of the fallacy of Hitler's regime and continuosly seeks a way out of the war dilemma but falls in with the tragedy and must take the consquences of being part of it. It's a gripping film of the unknown heroes of the war that never reached any public acknowledgement, while they were the ones who risked their lives more than most and often lost it. Still, this is also a film of survival against all odds by sheer obstinacy and refusal to cooperate with a dictatorship.

A truly inspirational real-life war hero(ine), Odette Sanson's story is so dramatic and fascinating that it's eventual translation to the cinema screen is as inevitable as night following day. Tastefully done yet still powerful – with strong performances from Anna Neagle, Trevor Howard, Marcus Goring and Peter Ustinov – the film is a good, solid bio-pic all-round.During WWII, mother of three Odette Sanson (Anna Neagle) offers to work for British Intelligence. She is given a new identity and back-story, and dispatched to France where she comes under the command of top Allied spy Peter Churchill (Trevor Howard). Churchill has within his jurisdiction a small spy network working furtively and endlessly against the German war machine, among them the impetuous and courageous Alex Rabinovich (Peter Ustinov). Odette proves her own worth smuggling some vital documents out of Marseille, and is soon hailed as one of the most invaluable members of the team. Later she is captured and tortured by the Gestapo, but stubbornly refuses to yield any information, simultaneously surprising and infuriating her Nazi captors. After various trials and tribulations, she returns to England a bona fide war hero(ine) when the fighting ends in 1945.After a stodgy and rather clumsily handled opening, Odette picks up pace, interest and drama as it gets going. Neagle handles the title role pretty well, conveying the stubborn pride and inner courage of the character most effectively; Howard too is solid (if a little underused) as her superior and eventual lover. The film is crisply shot, sometimes on the studio backlot but quite often on authentic continental locations, and generates an evocative sense of atmosphere in its dangerous world of wartime skulduggery and military intrigue. The torture sequences manage to be extremely distressing without showing everything in nauseating detail (a trick modern film-makers would do well to learn from), and a good level of tension is sustained pretty much throughout as Odette carries out her clandestine deceptions in this riskiest of times and places. All-in-all, Odette is a good film in the old-fashioned mould.

Anna Neagle is "Odette" in this story of a war heroine, based on the adventures of Odette Sansom. Her costars are Trevor Howard, Marius Goring, and Peter Ustinov.Odette is drafted by the government into spy work after she hears on the radio that Admiralty are asking for photos taken during vacations and trips overseas for possible war use. Odette sends her info to the wrong office and before she knows it, she is drafted as a spy and sent to France to work with the resistance, her three daughters left in a convent school.There, she meets Peter Churchill, code name Raoul, who is to be her supervisor. She is given the name Lise. Unfortunately a double agent reports them and both are captured and tortured by the Gestapo. Odette tells the Gestapo that she is married to Peter Churchill and that he is related to Winston Churchill (he isn't) in the hopes that the Nazis won't kill them.I really loved this movie but what happens to Churchill and Odette is given away in the opening credits, so there are no surprises. There is, however, a lot of suspense, and there are wonderful performances by everyone involved. I didn't care for Marius Goring in "The Red Shoes" - he just wasn't leading man enough for me, but he always made a very effective villain. As a German officer, he does a great job here. Peter Ustinov, as a fellow agent of Lise's and Raoul's, is young and likable in his role, which, despite its seriousness, he tackles with a light touch. Trevor Howard is solid as Peter, and Anna Neagle is lovely and extremely effective as Odette.The real Odette, as we know from those opening credits, does marry Peter Churchill, but they divorced in 1956 and she married a third time. (Her first husband actually died while she was imprisoned by the Nazis, though the film says they are separated.) She was given the legion d'honneur for her war work. Her life was very interesting - as a child she had polio and was blind and crippled for a year. She died in 1995 at the age of 82.Before Odette died, her legion d'honneur Gold Cross was stolen. She made a public appeal and it was returned with the following note: "You, Madame, appear to be a dear old lady. God bless you and your children. I thank you for having faith in me. I am not all that bad - it's just circumstances. Your little dog really loves me. I gave him a nice pat and left him a piece of meat - out of fridge. Sincerely yours, A Bad Egg." Well worth checking out.

I first saw Odette when I first arrived in the United States at age 12. I was captivated by television and watched old movies and old television reruns after school. I was just developing a love for history and world war 2 history at school when I saw Odette for the first time. The story, authentic scenery and realistic performances completely drew me in. This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat for it is extremely intense and Anne Neagle draws you completely into the dark world experienced by Odette Sampson. Trevor Howard is strong, convincing and underplays just enough to allow Miss Neagle to shine, while conveying the strength of his character. I highly recommend this film if and when it can be seen again. The historians in the world would love the chance to add this film to their collection. Waiting patiently for the video and DVD.