Sword of Honour (1967)

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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Adapted from a 1964 trilogy of novels by humorist Evelyn Waugh, the three-part BBC miniseries Sword of Honour was all about a man born approximately 200 years too late. Edward Woodward starred as the incurably idealistic Guy Crouchback, who after being dumped by his icy socialite wife Virginia (Vivian Pickles), decided to prove his salt to the world (and to Virginia) by performing an act of unassailable nobility. Enlisting in the British army during WWII, Guy hoped against hope that he would become a hero; instead, his less-principled fellow soldiers -- most of them cowards and liars -- continued to be showered with medals and honors while he was perpetually left in the lurch. Through it all, Guy inadvertently caused grief for those around him, notably a neurotic mess sergeant (Freddie Jones) and a hapless group of Jewish refugees. Ironically, he was finally afforded the opportunity to be "noble" through the auspices of his shrewish ex-wife -- and even then the results were miles removed from satisfactory. Debuting January 2, 1967, Sword of Honour was remade as a two-parter in 2001.