In Which We Serve

Noël Coward (1942)

109min

U Certificate

Review

Our Score

by Tony Sloman

This wartime propaganda film is a thinly disguised take on the maritime exploits of Lord Mountbatten. Co-directed by the debuting David Lean and Noël Coward, it has matured to become a paean to a lost world. Told in flashback, as a group of stranded sailors await rescue after the sinking of their ship, the film is immensely moving, and contains definitive performances from Coward himself (his speech about his ship, the HMS Torrin, is a classic) and Celia Johnson, all chintz, beauty and stoicism in her film debut. Watch out, too, for screen bows from Richard Attenborough, Daniel Massey and an 11-week-old Juliet Mills. A box-office hit in its day, the film was awarded a special Oscar, to Coward for his "outstanding production achievement".

Summary

When a British destroyer is torpedoed during the Battle of Crete, surviving crew members are left clinging to the wreckage and recall their previous adventures at sea - and the reasons why they enlisted for service in the first place. Second World War drama, starring Noel Coward, who co-directed with David Lean, alongside John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson and Richard Attenborough.

Cast & Crew

Captain "D" Noël Coward

O/S "Shorty" Blake John Mills

CPO Walter Hardy Bernard Miles

Alix Kinross Celia Johnson

Mrs Hardy Joyce Carey

Freda Lewis Kay Walsh

Number One Derek Elphinstone

Edgecombe Frederick Piper

Joey Mackridge Geoffrey Hibbert

Mr Blake George Carney

Mrs Blake Kathleen Harrison

Uncle Fred Wally Patch

Colonel Lumsden Walter Fitzgerald

Lavinia Kinross Ann Stephens

Bobby Kinross Daniel Massey

"Flags" Michael Wilding

Maureen Fenwick Penelope Dudley Ward

"Guns" Robert Sansom

"Torps" Philip Friend

Doctor James Donald

Engineer commander Ballard Berkeley

Pilot Hubert Gregg

Young stoker Richard Attenborough

Director Noël Coward

Director David Lean

Other Information

Language: EnglishBlack and whiteTheatrical distributor: British Lion Film Corp LtdAvailable on: video and DVD

Drama

Full Episode Guide

Noël Coward (1942)

Review

Summary

Cast & Crew

Other Information

Latest News