In Which We Serve (1942) User Reviews

The effect of war

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 18 June 2007]

Naval men watch their ship sink as they cling to a raft and remember the lives they left in "In Which We Serve," a 1942 film starring Noel Coward, John Mills, Celia Johnson, and Bernard Miles. The story takes place in World War II and shows how the war affected the British soldiers and their loved ones. Noel Coward also wrote and co-directed this film with David Lean. Like Coward's Brief Encounter, there are no glamorous movie star types. This is the story of the common man bound together by war and by their ship. Coward is Captain Kinross, who has a wife (Celia Johnson) and two children. John Mills is "Shorty," a seaman who falls in love while on leave, gets married and has a short honeymoon. Bernard Miles is Walter Hardy, a happily married man whose wife hates having him go away. Each man reflects on his story in flashback.

The impact of "In Which We Serve" must have been very powerful when it was first released. The announcement of war by the Prime Minister which comes over the radio is met with a chilling silence that the audience feels along with the men. The devastation of a blackout, the impact of the bombs at sea are very real.

"In Which We Serve" is the story of a ship, the HMS Torrin, but we learn quickly that a ship is about its people, united in one cause and who share a special camaraderie. The captain's final speech to his men is highly emotional, all the more so because it is so restrained.

All of the acting is top-notch. Someone commented that Coward seemed stiff. I think his role called for a certain formality. Hard to believe John Mills was ever that young. Celia Johnson, in her first film role, is wonderful. Coward obviously had no problems attracting the best actors to the film, as every person fits his or her role perfectly.

Like many classics, despite changes in film technique, the core story remains compelling, especially today with so many soldiers in Iraq. In one scene, the camera falls on some of the seamen as they go to their stations to do battle. Each man was carefully chosen to show his extreme youth. It was a terrible time for the world, but somehow the film is strangely uplifting. A no-miss.

A British wartime classic - and no mistake!

[KEVMC · 7/10 · 27 August 2003]

The story of British Navy Destroyer HMS Torrin, told in flashback by the surviving crew members as they await rescue in the Mediterranean, the ship having been sunk during a battle.

This film was something of a tour-de-force for Noel Coward, as he produced, wrote and co-directed it (with a young David Lean). Considering its age, the film stands up quite well today. It obviously seems dated in some respects - the dialogue is quite clipped and stilted at times - but is saved by professional work all round and a clutch of strong performances, namely by Noel Coward himself, John Mills and Bernard Miles. Its also notable for the screen debut of Richard Attenborough (it was screened over the holiday weekend as part of a celebration of his upcoming 80th Birthday).

While some may find it presenting an overly romanticised view of the Royal Navy at war, it should be remembered that at the time it was made, in 1942, victory over Germany was still far from certain. With that in mind, it surely must have achieved its aim of boosting the morale of those who saw it. Over 60 years on it remains good solid entertainment and an intriguing glimpse into the mindset of the day.

No mere flag-waver

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 8/10 · 10 June 2005]

I saw this as part of a recent John Mills double bill with 'We Dive at Dawn'; the two pictures are on the face of it remarkably similar, both attempting to show the human face of war as well as mindless explosions and heroics, and it is absorbing to try to pinpoint just why this one is so very much better than the other! For all its literacy and restraint, 'We Dive at Dawn' is ultimately little more than a standard case of Our Boys Win Through Again (aided, naturally, by the grateful oppressed peoples of Europe); it is of course flattering that at least our propaganda films aimed beyond mere gung-ho status, but the submarine movie clichés have been done better and to more stirring effect elsewhere. 'In Which We Serve' seems to be on an altogether higher level.

Music and dialogue by Noel Coward, naturally, can't hurt, and no more can co-direction by David Lean. The opening montage would befit a silent movie in its all-but-wordless narrative sweep, and the film refers back to it in a complex flashback structure, filling in moments around scenes that we recognise, and then taking the story on... to the pre-ordained ending that hangs over everything, adding tension to every successive scene. We know almost from the start *how* the 'Torrin' meets her fate, but not *when*.

In retrospect, the first combat scenes are an incredibly bold stroke, first showing the destroyer shelling unarmed troop transports rather than engaging in an exchange of fire, and then turning the tables the next day as she is caught helpless and sunk by flight after flight of dive-bombers. This is not the stuff of which morale-raising pictures are generally made, and it gives an additional edge to every flashback scene as the doomed ship prepares to go to war.

For ironically this is, and remains, a morale-raiser, celebrating the quiet virtues of endurance, humanity and loyalty in a time of senseless destruction. It is no coincidence that as part of her short history the 'Torrin' carries and salutes soldiers from Dunkirk. Her crew are drawn together from many different vessels, and then the few survivors dispersed; but in one of the most famous sequences -- the three parallel Christmas parties -- we are shown the bond that every one of them, from the captain to the petty officers to the ordinary seamen, feels for his ship.

The film deliberately sets out to depict its characters as a microcosm of English society, from the smoke-filled third class compartment to the Great Western dining car with its dubious "railway fish" (some things never change!), and as a result it is a fascinating social document. But the handful of half-drowned men soaked in fuel oil and filthy, clinging to their float as the aircraft come back for the kill, make no class distinctions. The script eschews both Hollywood schmaltz and confessional TV's bare-all emotionality, and the love and pain in the spaces between the words still ring true sixty years later.

The chronological structure is ambitious, but it works; we are never in any doubt as to where the current scene in the jigsaw fits in. The detail is apt and acutely observed, from the banter between-decks and the blacked-out ship's name on the wartime sailors' caps (National Security) to the prosaic nectar of Bovril-and-sherry on the destroyer's bridge after the hell of Dunkirk. The style ranges from the almost newsreel staccato through the wavering vision of a drowning or semi-conscious man to the simplicity of a kitchen-sink romance, and the music, while unobtrusive, has a notable sophistication beyond most work of this genre. Like its companion piece, 'This Happy Breed', 'In Which We Serve' demonstrates the hidden depths of Noel Coward's "talent to amuse" -- and the versatility of John Mills. As wartime films go, it's a high-class classic.

Portrait of wartime society

[101774.2246 · 29 November 1999]

"In Which We Serve" is more than a story told for propaganda effect about naval heroism and based on Mountbatten's wartime experiences. As the English film critic Barry Norman has put it: "Aboard Coward's fictional HMS Torrin there existed forties British society in microcosm. Here everybody knew his place... The one thing they all had in common was the knowledge that each of them, high or low, was expected to show unswerving loyalty and devotion to duty". The relationships between the men on HMS Torrin and the lives they lead at sea and at home (told through flashbacks) portray a wartime society ordered by class and intentionally defined by the traditional British virtues of duty and sacrifice. It is a society in which understatement and the stiff upper lip reign supreme. Emotions go largely unspoken. They simmer under the surface of the screen in the silences and in the flickering effort of concealment on the faces of the major characters. Personal suffering is borne with quiet forbearance, in the knowledge that it is borne in the service of a higher cause and that to bear it stoically is to set the right example to others. When the ship's chief petty officer is told of the death of his wife and mother in law in the blitz he first congratulates the sailor who brings him the news for becoming a father before going up on deck to bear his grief alone. The clipped style of speech of Captain Kinross played by Coward himself and the slightly shrill upper class accent of his wife played by Celia Johnson heighten the sense of feelings being stripped away from the words. Their conversation is a caricature of communication - the protagonists performing their dialogue in a choreographed ritual. Real communication is only hinted at - the underlying pain understood but never expressed. In "In Which We Serve" the captain and his wife are the models to which other men and women must aspire - in monologues they define the notions of duty and sacrifice to which each sex is bound. Both put duty before the pursuit of personal happiness (a theme David Lean and Coward return to in Brief Encounter). When the Captain talks of the need for a happy ship he is not referring to the right of individuals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Here happiness is a collective duty in the interests of efficiency.

For the men and women in Coward's vision HMS Torrin is much more than a ship - it is personified as the object of their devotion and jealousy. Above all it is a powerful symbol of the qualities and traditions that unite and must protect their vulnerable island at war. Outdated though this vision may be - part of a world left far behind through post-war socio-economic development and emancipation - it is nevertheless a compelling and entirely consistent vision which ensures the film retains a certain appeal to audiences even today and is a major reason why it can still be so highly rated as a piece of British cinema history.

The Ship Comes First ***

[edwagreen · 7/10 · 4 February 2006]

When "In Which We Serve" was made in 1942, England was in the midst of its finest hour. We see a film of honor, devotion, and loyalty to the realm.

It is basically the story of a boat being torpedoed and the flashbacks of 3 sailors aboard the doomed wreckage.

Noel Coward, a brilliant talent, did not perform well here. His scenes with his children appear awkward and he is unusually cold towards them. While a war is going on, that strong sentiment of a loving friendly tie is missing.

Kudos go to Celia Johnson, as Alix, his wife in the film. She states in a memorable way that in the navy, devotion to the ship comes first. John Mills is also effective as a navy man. In a heart-wrenching scene, he must tell a fellow shipman that his wife and mother-in-law have been killed in the blitz.

The ending is poignantly done. A tear will come to the eye as Coward says goodbye to those who survived the torpedoed ship.

A film of valor and of the human spirit. England was certainly at its finest hour.

"Funny to think this is such a little island, isn't it?"

[rhinocerosfive-1 · 9/10 · 4 December 2007]

Opportunities to see Noel Coward recite Noel Coward were necessarily inhibited by his death, but he has left among his filmed artifacts this stunning little achievement, perhaps the quietest war film, probably the most British. To be sure, it veers maudlin once or twice, and the whole production is suffused with the blood of righteousness - but not self-righteousness. This is the kind of movie that makes me want to join the Navy, I who get seasick in the bath.

How does a middle-aged homosexual song-and-dance man support the war effort? By producing a bang-up answer to Wyler and Ford, a vivid recruitment poster for the side of decency and respect. Brutal, tender, horrible, and full of hope, IN WHICH WE SERVE sings the victory song of both shellfire and home fire without mention of glory or distinction. Noel Coward's acting is a marvel of disinterested conviction. Nobody could speak faster, or with more precision, and that with the stiffest of upper lips.

No one wrote dialog at once so arch and comfortable, either, except maybe Kipling. Coward celebrates the most sophisticated level of civilization, the blithe, eloquent man of society who has managed not to become jaded. He embraces his England with a respectfully familiar pinch on the cheek, and he kisses her with the most restrained of passions in front of the children. But he also loves with all his heart the simple proletarian bedrock, and he allows the working classes to display as much humanity and emotion as he denies his own character.

There is much stage-like, not to say stagey, in the production, which shouldn't be very surprising given its principal antecedents. The film is sometimes expressionistic in design, the angles and sets a terrifying collage of unsettling, theatrical images in contrast to the reassuring tea cozy and the ramrod-straight captain on the quarterdeck. The symbols are profoundly simple and the effect is disarmingly true.

As Coward says over a drink, "Perfect; it's not a bit too sweet." Well, it is rather, but mix another pitcher of Bovril and sherry and don't complain, there's a good chap.

Coward's Courage.

[screenman · 7/10 · 19 April 2008]

Noel Coward's take on naval warfare brings what is surely the stiffest upper lip to the silver screen. In fact every one of his features is an object lesson in emotional restraint. I am surprised he wasn't used more often.

Coward apparently co-directed and starred, and it is very much his baby. His domineering personality dominates the movie. His is a very apt representation of the upper middle-class of the day. A sort of understated arrogance, a modest but stoical assumption of superiority. You could easily see why Colonel Sito threw exasperated tantrums at the River Kwai.

Others have mentioned how this subtly manifests itself in English class hierarchy. The middle classes manage with a benign authority, whilst the working classes work - manually - and take orders. Things have changed - but not necessarily for the better; unless you're a fan of the inner cities being overwhelmed by drunken louts.

There are some very good combat sequences which, eventually, sink the destroyer, and much of the movie is shown in flash-back from the view-points of various crew members. It is well done, but not to my taste. I find it breaks up the narrative flow too much.

Throughout the movie, Coward presents an image of unflappable professionalism, and you wonder how this stratum of human society became extinct so quickly. The 1960's have a lot to answer for.

That same stoicism - though to a lesser extent - is expected of everyone else. In a particularly poignant scene one crew member learns of the death of another's wife and is obliged to tell him even as he is writing her a letter. His bereaved response is to 'just go on deck for a bit'. Back home, the ladies knit and bicker as the bombs fall, terrified but resolute.

John Mills' more regular stiff upper lip co-stars, as indeed does that of a very boyish and uncredited Richard Attenborough, who actually cracks up.

It makes an interesting comparison with the equally dated 'Went The Day Well?' in which that same British restraint is seen to dissolve in a very unbecoming bloodthirsty slaughter. And also the much more realistic 'The Cruel Sea' which, coming 11 years later in 1953, is no longer propaganda, but gritty and honest.

Still, 'In Which We Serve' is well worth a watch both as an entertaining war movie in its own right and as an educational archive, a commentary on social and moral attitudes of the time.

Possibly the best film yet about war's totality

[arbarnes · 9/10 · 18 April 2000]

"In Which We Serve" is not only a wonderful pastiche of British society during the second world war, but a complex, yet correct statement of a very simple theme -namely the duty of a country's citizens to defend the system it believes in. The simplicity of the story is one of the movie's key strengths, but the most appealing aspect of the film is, for me at least, the way in which each scene reflects the preceding and suggests the subsequent one. The motivation behind this may have been to demonstrate the unifying elements of the various different characters and their individual stories, but the skill with which this is done makes for a wonderfully satisfying experience. The film is excellently crafted, moving from a semi-documentary style that would have been instantly recognizable to cinema audiences of the forties, with the then common weekly news reviews; and then moving into everything from light-comedy to exciting action and pure drama. It is a film that for many will seem old-fashioned, but only in some of its sentiments, never its techniques or its wisdom. And the "old-fashionedness" of some of it -such as the love scene between John Mills and his girlfriend on the bench by the water- has a poignancy that is nevertheless almost painful in its innocence. Above all the film expresses one immensely important concern: dignity. It is reflected in the words and actions of all the characters, and shines through the film with the immense pride the film-makers (Noel Coward especially) put into making this film. It is an important film not least because it is not afraid of expressing loss -for many the thought of a film about a sinking British ship was a shocking risk to take in a time of war. And it is an entertaining film as well, in the best tradition of British cinema. Like the other main Coward/Lean masterpiece "Brief Encounter" this film can be enjoyed on so many levels that it demands multiple viewings. And like "Brief Encounter" you will discover new subtleties each time...

Wartime experiences of British men during early days of WWII...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 22 March 2007]

The downed crew of a British destroyer have plenty of time to dwell on fond memories of their past as they cling to a raft on the open sea during the early days of WWII. Noel Coward's IN WHICH WE SERVE is a superior treatment of war--at sea and at home--as seen from the viewpoint of various crew members.

NOEL COWARD plays the Captain of the ill-fated destroyer; JOHN MILLS is a young sailor recalling his romance with a nice British gal, KAY WALSH; CELIA JOHNSON is Coward's Navy wife who knows the ship is the foremost thing in her husband's life, but she bravely salutes it at a Christmas party; and the large male supporting cast includes MICHAEL WILDING, a very young RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH as a troubled sailor and BERNARD MILES.

The homefront scenes are reminiscent of a veddy, veddy British version of SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (especially the romance between Kay Walsh and John Mills). It's all very stiff upper lip and that sort of thing, as expected from the British.

There's an artfulness in the manner in which the story veers back and forth between past and present, mixing scenes of battle with homefront memories. Superb craftsmanship in writing, acting and direction and truly one of '42's finest films. Coward, who co-directed with David Lean, received an award for "outstanding production achievement".

One of the rare British films that was distributed in America at time of release, long before Americans were accustomed to viewing British films.

"God Bless This Ship And The Men Who Serve In Her"

[bkoganbing · 10/10 · 13 September 2008]

It's ironic indeed that in Noel Coward's greatest screen role he played a part so atypical of what we expect from that most witty and erudite of artists. There's a lot good in In Which We Serve, but if you are expecting Coward bon mots, skip this film.

Whatever else Coward was, he was one patriotic British citizen who loved his country and wanted to do his bit in World War II. The incident in which In Which We Serve is based on what actually happened to the the destroyer HMS Kelly in 1941 off Crete which was sunk after taking a few of the enemy with her. The ship was commanded by one Louis Mountbatten of the royal family and a good friend of Coward's.

Coward's character while not a member of the royal family is still of the upper crust of British society. Mountbatten when war broke out used his considerable royal connections to get into a combat assignment when war broke out. The sequences in which Coward's ship is sunk and the actions of Coward and the crew hews pretty close to what happened to Mountbatten and the men of the Kelly.

While we Coward and his survivors clinging to life rafts and bits of wreckage, the audience gets a series of flashbacks revolving around three men, Coward, CPO Bernard Miles, and Seaman John Mills. We see them at peace and at war with the women they are involved with who are Celia Johnson, Joyce Carey, and Kay Walsh.

This was total war for Great Britain, something until 9/11 I don't think Americans could fully appreciate. While the men are at sea, the women live under threat and fact of bombardment by air. Their scenes are every bit as important as the battle scenes at sea, showing a people totally mobilized.

In small roles you can find such people as James Donald, Michael Wilding, and Richard Attenborough all part of the crew. Attenborough in particular makes a vivid impression in his part.

The Earl of Mountbatten made a series of televised memoirs in the early seventies that didn't reach American television until after his assassination in 1979. It was about 10 episodes and they dealt with all facets of his career. Before he retired in fact he became the First Sea Lord of the British Navy. But one episode dealt with the sinking of the HMS Kelly and the men of the Kelly who survived year after year got together for a remembrance. Some footage was shown of one of the gatherings. I wonder if they still do that and how many men are left from the ship survivors.

In fact it's altogether fitting and proper that this review be dedicated to Lord Louis Mountbatten who not without controversy served his country well and faithfully throughout a long a productive life. And of course this review is also dedicated to the brave men of the HMS Kelly, those that have passed on and those who might still survive. They and the other members of the Royal Navy kept their country from invasion for almost a thousand years and in the case of World War II kept the world from a totalitarian nightmare.

And they couldn't have a better film than In Which We Serve to perpetuate the memory of their deeds.

Britain expects everyone to do their duty

[barryrd · 7/10 · 28 March 2011]

The purpose of this movie from 1942 was to raise the morale on the British home front during World War II and it achieves this objective in a superb piece of film-making that drew on the virtues that made Britain one of the toughest and most courageous countries in history. Loyalty, devotion to duty, the stiff upper lip in the face of tragedy, deference to authority, and the obligation of those in authority to their subordinates were considered the foundation of a stable country. In a series of flashbacks after a British naval ship is attacked, the movie reinforces the importance of these virtues and of each man and woman to the war effort.

David Lean made his directorial debut under the guidance of Noel Coward, one of the deans of British stage and screen. The movie presents a number of young actors who went on to notable acting careers: John Mills, Bernard Miles, Richard Attenborough. Coward was the ship's captain and carries out his role, not only with the obligatory noblesse oblige, but with genuine affection for the men he leads. Celia Johnson, his wife, also rises to the occasion and in one memorable speech to a group of guests, makes known that she must share her husband's love with the ship he commands. Of course, she went on to several major roles, including Brief Encounter, another quintessential British movie in 1946. This movie is a textbook example of how the British expected their people to carry out their duty in the face of adversity. It is a pleasure to watch with its excellent dialogue and acting. It is definitely not the movie one would expect to be made in 2011 but it has style and grace, elements sadly lacking in many of today's movies.

Great film of a culture, a people and a time in war

[SimonJack · 10/10 · 12 July 2010]

"In Which We Serve" is a great movie about World War II, England's entry into the war, the war's toll on people at home, and sea battles and survival. As such, it is a marvelous character study of the culture that was England at the time, running the gamut of social classes.

The film covers about three years, from the launch of a new destroyer before Britain enters the war after Germany invaded Poland in 1939. The story unfolds in three ways. First, through the eyes of several men assigned to the ship. The captain, a chief, a regular seaman and others survive the sinking of their ship during the battle of Crete in mid- 1941. On their raft in the Mediterranean, each has flashbacks to times at their homes, with families and of loved ones. Second, we see scenes of their families at home enduring the long waits and then the Battle of Britain and German bombings. Third, we see the men in service on the ship in battle with enemy ships and convoys and in the rescue of British troops from Dunkirk in mid-1940.

This film has a fairly large cast of people with significant parts, and all perform with excellence. In various scenes, I felt right a home as though I were a member or welcomed friend or guest of the families or groups. Others have commented on the stiff upper lip of the Brits, portrayed so well by all in this film. I only add that one can get a sense of the heroism in this, in each person doing his or her part to help keep some sanity and not letting things fall apart. And, the excellent script by Noel Coward, and directing with the excellent acting only brings the audience more into the emotion of the moments so that we feel and care deeply for the people.

What is dated, if not history? One of the great values of film, it seems, is that it gives us a record of history. Any story put on film in the time in which it takes place, is naturally dated. But that gives us a picture, a few years later and decades into the future, of what the life and times and culture and people were like at that point in history. And that only enhances the value of older films, it seems to me, in helping later generations better learn about and understand the past. At least for those people who don't mind watching, enjoying and learning from films produced in the past, about lives and times of the past.

This film is a strikingly rich and seemingly honest portrayal of its period, the war, the life around naval families of the time, and of British people and society. It was produced right in the middle of World War II, when the outcome was far from certain. While it portrays the strength of the British people in persevering, with their stiff upper lips, it also shows the reality and horrors and loss of war. And, it does all that at a time when it will be shown in theaters in England and abroad. We might call it "real" time, today. "In Which We Serve" is a classic that will be around well into the future. I highly recommend it.

Enjoyable classic movie about the sinking of a destroyer warship told via flashbacks

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 16 June 2022]

Superb and brooding movie , though stiff-upper-lipping at times ; dealing with the brave men on a British fighting ship told through flashback . This "story of a warship", the British destroyer H. M. S. Torrin that is sunk during the battle of Crete , being told in flashbacks by survivors as they cling to a life raft . The greatest picture you've ever seen ! . Noel Coward's Academy Award Winner! . The Greatest Motion Picture Of Our Time! It stands alone - The Greatest Of All Motion Pictures! You'll Never Forget...In Which We Serve . Chosen by the critics as the year's best film ! Dedicated to every woman with a man in service! The year's greatest picture is dedicated to love.. The throbbing emotion of a million wartime romances ! You'll add your name to this list of people who say ¨This is the finest human drama of our time¨.

Inspiring and expertly-scripted jingoist-war drama capturing faithfully the spirit of the British Navy during WWII . A splendid picture with an emphasis on realism that was unusual in other patriotic , flagwaver films . At the time considered to be the greatest human drama of war filmed in which Noel Coward directed and Lean watched and assisted the finished movie together . Unlike several WW2 this unforgettable picture doesn't date one bit , and remaining , nowadays , its deep sentiment and agreeable message . The first Brit movie to depict a naval war in all its grim reality , it proved the country's top moneymaker in the year its premiere . Noel Coward himself gives his best screen acting in the lead , likewise it revived the career of the young John Mills by casting him as a sympathetic and sensitive sailor . Adding other great English actors , such as : Michael Wilding , Kay Walsh , Bernard Miles, James Donald , Philip Friend, Walter Fitzgerald and as narrator : Leslie Howard . As well as film debuts of Richard Attenborough , Celia Johnson , Daniel Massey and John Mills' daughter : infant Juliet Mills .

This masterpiece motion picture was compellingly written , co-directed and scored by co-star Noel Coward who was given a special Academy Award for his outstanding production achievement and being Lean's first directing credit . Of course , In Which We Serve (1942) got a big hit in the year its release in England and all around the world . With the onset of World War II Noel Coward and David Lean redefined the spirit of the country in films such as "This Happy Breed" (1944), "In Which We Serve" (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945) and, perhaps most memorably, "Brief encounter" (1945). Rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Essential and indispensable seeing for British classic films enthusiasts.

In which Noel Coward gets out of his depth

[ianlouisiana · 1/10 · 8 January 2006]

Noel Coward,a witty and urbane man,was friends with Louis Mountbatten.Mr Coward,a long-time admirer of all things naval,was commissioned to write a story loosely based on the loss of Mountbatten's ship.In a peculiarly British way it was considered that a film about the Royal Navy losing an encounter at sea would be good propaganda.It was also considered a good idea to have Mr Coward play the part of the ship's captain.Amang the many qualities needed to command a fighting ship,the ability to speak in a very clipped voice and sing sophisticated "point" songs does not come very high up the list at Admiralty House,or at least one would hope not.A captain must earn and retain the respect of the wardroom and the lower deck alike. Mr Coward might have had the respect of the gentlemen of the chorus at Drury Lane and Binkie Beaumont might have been terrified of him but his ability to tame,mould and direct a ship's crew in wartime must be brought into question.He folds himself languorously around the bridge,patronising the other ranks and barking orders at the officers,he only needed a silk dressing gown and a cigarette holder to seem right at home. Much is made of the "warship as a microcosm of British Society"theme,and the crew largely comprises of the usual cheery cockneys,canny northerners etc.without whom no war can be fought.They spend most of their time on board smoking,moaning about Lord Haw Haw and getting blown up. Never mind,there's plenty more where they came from.Once ashore they go straight to the pub where they spend most of their time smoking,moaning about Lord Haw Haw and getting blown up .By contrast Mr Coward lives in a dream cottage with a rose covered door somewhere very quiet with very little chance of getting blown up.He,his lady wife and their two rosy cheeked cherubs converse in ludicrously convoluted tones and said lady wife spends much of her time knitting things for the poor unfortunates who comprise his crew and who she refers to by their surnames.That nice young master Johnny Mills has a prominent role as a completely unbelievable lower deck type who worships Mr Coward in much the same way as a thrashed dog will worship its master.He marries his girlfriend after kissing her on the cheek,presumably on the grounds that she might be pregnant after such unfettered passion. So yes,we do have a microcosm of British society here,but perhaps not in the way the makers of "In which we serve" intended. At the end Mr Coward gets one last chance to patronise his men as the few survivors shuffle past him,"Goodbye Edwards,it was a privilege to sail with you"he enunciates as if he was reciting "How now brown cow". It may have been David Lean's feature debut,but the hand of Noel Coward looms large right across this picture.He was a funny and clever man,better suited to writing waspish plays about poor little rich girls and boys interspersed with the occasional wry song.He had a talent to amuse,no doubt,but he could neither write nor speak convincing dialogue. Being Noel Coward was a full-time job,he had no time to be a real person.

Eyes wet, lump in my throat, but stiff upper lip all the way

[MartynGryphon · 29 June 2004]

In Which We Serve, is a blistering film, that never fails to hit the mark. The story revolves around the Life and Sinking of a Royal Naval Destroyer HMS Torin, and the gallant men that served on her.

Loosly based on the story of HMS Kelly a real Royal Navy Destroyer commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, it takes us back to the days when Britannia really did rule the waves.

The ship is sunk during the battle of Crete, and the main characters of the movie are then clinging to the life raft awaiting rescue. The film is a combination of flashbacks showing the effect that War has on the sailors and their families back home.

Sir Noel Coward is brilliant as the upper class Captain that commands the ship and the respect of his crew. Sir Bernard Miles is equally as pleasing as the middle class Petty Officer, and Sir John Mills gives a movie-making performance representing the majority of the Royal Navy, as the ordinary every day working class able seaman.

I've noticed that a lot of reviews of this movie talk of the class divide between the three characters, but I disagree entirely. First of all it is a true depiction of what the class structure was like in those days coupled with the fact that it was a message to say that in War time EVERYBODY is in the same stink, regardless of Class. A prime example of this is when the ship sinks. At home these men may lead different lifestyles. but after having a ship blown from beneath them. they are all the same.

Cowards film is a masterpiece, and his score is haunting and beautiful. Sir David Lean's directorial debut, (under the watchful eye of Coward), is something to be proud of, and it's no surprise they were to team again.

One the best moments of this movie is when the crew of the Torin rescue Coldstream Guardsmen from the bloody beaches of Dunkirk. On the dockside back in Blighty the Guardsmen disembark. Tired, wounded, and emotional. One word from an officer, and these broken men SNAP to attention regardless of how they feel, and in perfect unison are marched away. leaving John Mills to say "If I weren't so tired I'd give 'em a cheer......and that's no error" Incredible.

This is a triumph for War time movie making and remains a milestone in British Cinema which also includes Lord Attenborough's movie debut.

This Movie never fails to bring a lump to my throat. and the younger generation should be MADE to watch this movie. Who knows? it may help to restore this countries flagging patriotism.

A solid first (co)directorial effort from Lean.

[davidmvining · 7/10 · 8 September 2020]

David Lean's first feature film as a director after a decade as an film editor came about because Noel Coward wanted to direct his own film but wasn't sure enough of his own abilities directing a film. So, Lean was brought in with his reputation as the best editor in England, and Lean, apparently, largely took over directing after a few weeks of solid work. It's very much a wartime film done to help the war effort's emotional toll on the audience that included sailors and their families back home, but both Coward's script and Lean's direction create an array of believable characters performed admirably by the cast (including Coward) that anchors the film in an emotional reality for these people beyond just being a propaganda film. It turns out to be a film that still connects eighty years later.

The story of a ship from its construction in the opening to its sinking...minutes later, is told mostly through flashback as a group of survivors cling to a rubber raft after the destroyer the HMS Torrin was hit by a bomb. The main three that we focus on are Captain D. (Coward), Blake (John Mills), and Hardy (Bernard Miles). The transitions backwards in time are artificial but still rather elegant, focusing the camera on a particular character and then dreamily dissolving backwards in time to an event before. They're not driven by particular reminiscences from the character or conversations, just a more literal bridge from what we're seeing now to what we're transitioning to next. The mechanical aspect is strong, but the emotional aspect is weak, but it's still a strong move overall, possibly influenced by Lean's editing career.

Getting to know the three men as they cling to the raft with some others as they watch the remnants of the Torrin sink beneath the water, we see how Captain D. said goodbye to his wife and two children before whipping the new ship into shape with a firm but kind hand before its maiden voyage. We watch as Blake meets a girl on a train and their whirlwind little romance that leads to a quick marriage before he departs. We also see Hardy, who is actually Blake's new uncle-in-law after the marriage, and his tender relationship with his wife. It's a strong basis to build the rest of the story, fleshing out these characters so that they are more than just archetypes or thin excuses for military type shouting.

The action then moves to the Torrin's actions between its launch and the attack that sunk her, taking her from the start of the war with a strong scene as we watch out characters in different locations listen to Winston Churchill's speech declaring war on Germany. They go out to sea, finding a burning ship in the night and getting torpedoed in the ensuing action, barely limping home afterwards in a rather intelligent subversion of expectations as we imagine the battle to be where she sinks and then the tense ride back to be where she gets attacked by the bombers only to find out that it's still in the future.

We do eventually get to the action that led to the Torrin's sinking, and we finally move on from it as the remaining crew is rescued. The finale where Captain D. has to give a speech in commendation for his crews bravery as they split up to be placed on different ships is a strong final moment only matched by the long takes of him shaking his men's hands including both Blake and Hardy.

It's handsomely made and very much of its time being made mid-war and about the war effort itself. However, Coward's pen and Lean's directing makes it about the men themselves which turns the timely tale into a timeless one of men in war and the women they leave behind. It's a strong opening work and a good example of how working one's way up to the directing chair by learning other elements of the craft first can yield strong narrative and cinematic dividends. Lean did not direct this on his own, but he did start his directing career with a winner.

Heart and will.. Beauty and truth!

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 10 September 2000]

David Lean's directorial debut was made with Noël Coward with a version of the playwright's "In Which We Serve"... The film's success led the pair to work together on three further films: "This Happy Breed," "Blithe Spirit," and "Brief Encounter."

English filmmakers had a prevailing direction to be more sensitive to the interplay of roles in wartime action...

Heroism was not the privilege of one man... With a common social understanding, working together, as the title of Noël Coward's and David Lean's "In Which We Serve" suggests...

The film, one of the finest wartime dramas to come out of Britain, tells the story of an English destroyer HMS Torrin, sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by the Germans, during the Battle of Crete...

As commander and crew keep close to the life raft, the screen fades gradually to take us back in active to the commission of the ship...

By concentrating on each member of the crew a different memory is relieved, and each flashback advances the story of the life of the ship and the men who served on her...

It is a magnificent film about courage and dedication, devotion and sacrifice... It is a tribute to the spirit of the western democracies but also to the spirit of the British people who would not admit defeat...

A last but one powerful moving scene is the farewell on Alexandria's dock of the Torrin's Captain (Noël Coward) to the few remaining seaman survivors...

For all its weepy-eyed patriotism stands a good film

[adamscastlevania2 · 6/10 · 16 March 2015]

(56%) A very respectful wartime based drama featuring Noel Coward playing one of the most classy navy captains in cinema history. I've never really been a huge fan warship/submarine based films as they always seem to have such limited scope, but this is still a very well made film with a few famous up and coming young faces added into the mix, a fair share of action, and is still as watchable now as it was all those years ago. The plot is flash-back heavy as it cuts back and forth giving more insight into the men involved as well as their life before their service on board the almost worshipped destroyer Torrin. This is by all accounts is a propaganda piece, but as far as films of that nature go this is one of the very best.

graphic and moving and a reminder of what war is like from the inside

[secondtake · 8/10 · 29 April 2013]

In Which We Serve (1942)

A curiously different and really moving film about World War II, directed by two top British talents, Noel Coward and David Lean. It's filmed in the thick of the actual naval war and so might be unofficially called a propaganda film. (Though not made by the government, there was a lot of influence and assistance.). It clearly has a sense of presenting the British war effort at its best. But it's also complicated, filled with sadness alongside heroism and, perhaps most of all, selflessness. Both by soldiers and by their women left behind. The war in 1942 was not looking great for the Brits.

Coward co-directs but also is the leading man, and he's an established actor from both film and stage at this point. Lean, whose huge career as a director is all ahead of him, is in charge of the action sequences and this is his first attempt at directing--for which he won awards. If there is a sentimental side to some of the Coward directed scenes it's partly because of when it was shot. Try to imagine the audience suffering from bombings and having their loved ones in battle. We see it now with very different eyes.

In fact, it is hard to imagine how a wife or mother could watch this at all. The basic structure is that the ship goes out to sea with a bunch of men and then disaster strikes, and the rest of the movie is a series of flashbacks to the home lives of the men, and to the women who are dreading seeing their men go off to sea. It's actually about the very sadness of the people sitting in the audience.

The filming is rather different between the two directors. Coward understands a traditional kind of culture well, with conversation and interpersonal nuance. Lean captures a more direct emotional energy, and lots of vivid action. Normally two directors means problems, but here it's divided naturally.

Eventually the movie wears its formula, back and forth with flashbacks, pretty hard. But it's so well done you don't much mind. An emotional, finely seen movie, and surprisingly valid even now.

very good wartime drama

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 11 September 2005]

This is a very good, though a tad predictable wartime film. This is because although more than half of the crew members are killed, you can pretty much expect that ONLY those you don't recognize will be the ones to "buy the farm". Noel Coward, John Mills and Richard Attenborough are among the crew, and as I said, you KNOW they will survive because they are big-time actors (though at this point, Mills and Attenborough were at the beginning of their film careers). This reminded me of the original Star Trek series--you knew Kirk, Scotty, McCoy and Spock were going to live but you could pretty much guarantee that one of the "red shirts" would be killed! In addition, though the film is much better than average compared to other WWII war films, I don't agree that it is THAT much better than average as SOME of the portrayals are clearly too good to be true because this was intended as propaganda. However, I was intrigued that Attenborough's character reacted cowardly at one point in the movie and this DID elevate this movie above the average war film because of added realism.

The Benefits of a Stiff Upper Lip

[davefrieze · 10/10 · 21 April 2004]

This is a really first-rate film, much more convincing than the fairly crude WWII propaganda films the US studios were turning out around the same time. The good guys and the bad guys are just as clearly delineated, but in some ways - perhaps the consistent understatement of emotions and the sometimes over-the-top stiff upper lips displayed by the characters - the stakes, and the dangers, seem clearer. There are no John Waynes or Errol Flynns on this ship.

The acting is extremely good, although Noel Coward seems a little stiff and uncomfortable in his leading role. John Mills and Bernard Miles are outstanding, and Celia Johnson (in her first film role) is simply extraordinary. The final scene, where Coward as the captain of the lost ship shakes hands with the survivors, is unexpectedly moving.

Lean Learns His Craft

[lotus07 · 6/10 · 15 February 2008]

SYNOPSIS: The story of a British Destroyer in WWII and the lives of her crew. The stories of the various crew members are shown in flashback after the destroyer is sunk in the Mediterranean.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Propaganda in the 1940s. A film to boost British morale during their darkest hours of WWII. The film is meant to be an example of how the British were supposed to behave and fight and how British resolve can conquer almost anything.

PROS AND CONS: Noel Coward is the over-riding presence in this film, having produced, written, co-directed and stared in it. My primary reason for wanting to see the film is David Lean's directorial debut, having co-directed it with Coward.

While this is a competent film and enjoyable to watch, it shows the British as somewhat one dimensional characters. This probably has to do with the era in which it was filmed. The film also highlights the concept of class society in England during the 1930 and 40s, although this was not meant to be the focus of the film when it was made.

All of the characters in this film are basically emotionless. Noel Coward, as the Captain of the ship, never smiles and appears to be almost condescending to his ever-faithful wife and children. The enlisted seaman seem to be the only characters that have any real affection for their ship or their spouses, but this is also shown in the light of them being 'lower-class' individuals, fit only to be ordered around and to do physical labor.

While watching the film I noticed a small cameo by a very young Richard Attenborough, who is not named in the credits.

This film epitomizes the concept of the British 'stiff upper lip' and their sheer determination to prevail in the face of overwhelming odds. It is fascinating to see a culture such as this but I would never want to live in it. There is resolve....and then there is being reduced to an automaton. This film blurs the lines between the two.

Noel Cowards' Citizen Kane

[Pedro_H · 10/10 · 30 September 2002]

The life and times of a British WW2 ship told in flashback. Loosely based on the war time experiences of Louis Mountbatten.

A powerhouse classic that drags you in and doesn't let go for a single second. Not only one of the best war films of all time, but the best told from a navy perspective. Hasn't dated one little bit since it was made in 1942.

Actor/Director (with help from David Lean) Coward made the filming as much like reality as possible and the scenes in the tank almost resulted in the drowning of several of the actors - including Coward himself!

If you haven't seen it you really should because it belongs in the highest rank of world cinema.

Very dated

[Penfold-13 · 6/10 · 14 May 2000]

That this film was a propaganda effort is not in doubt. As a morale-boosting call to the British people to do their bit uncomplainingly, with the whole country, high and low, all in it together, it was a remarkably well-made movie.

For an audience which did not have to suffer the Blitz or rationing, it is only a piece of history.

As a window on how the British were in the early part of WW2, it's an excellent document, but as cinema entertainment, it is simply a way of passing time harmlessly.

An interesting story

[adamjohns-42575 · 3/10 · 29 September 2021]

It's all quite spit-spot and British in that typical Noel Coward way and without the danger in their voices "Here come the Nazi's!" "Oh no, I say, that's just not cricket!" That sort of thing.

There is also a scene with Noel's family where they speak so fast it's like their getting paid to get it finished as quickly as possible.

But I did like the plot line and the way it was made, although the chronology got a bit lost in places. I can absolutely see why the film was recognised by the BFI for the different treatment that other films may not have had before.

I can also see the appeal for those present during the war and at the time of the release of this film. It would certainly bear more relevance on their lives I'm sure.

It gets a bit harrowing towards the end as I tend to find films about war do for me. I always start to wonder, what if that was my grandad? I was very fortunate to have both of mine survive the war, but now they are gone, that connection that I may never have met them is saddening.

332.97/1000.