In Which We Serve (1942)

Directors:

Noel Coward
David Lean

Writer:

Noel Coward (writer)

Release Date:

23 December 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

IT STANDS ALONE - The Greatest Of All Motion Pictures! [Australia theatrical]

Plot:

This "story of a ship," the British destroyer HMS Torrin, is told in flash backs by survivors as they cling to a life raft. |

Plot Keywords:

Destroyer | WWII | British Navy | Ship Sinking | Produced By Director

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Noel Coward	...	Captain E. V. Kinross R.N. / Captain 'D'
Derek Elphinstone	...	No. 1
Michael Wilding	...	Flags
Robert Sansom	...	Guns
Philip Friend	...	Torps
Ballard Berkeley	...	Engineer Commander
Hubert Gregg	...	Pilot
James Donald	...	Doc
Michael Whittaker	...	Sub
Kenneth Carten	...	Sub-Lieutenant R.N.V.R.
John Varley	...	Secco
Bernard Miles	...	Chief Petty Officer Hardy / Walter Hardy
Caven Watson	...	Brodie
John Mills	...	Ordinary Seaman Blake / Shorty Blake
Geoffrey Hibbert	...	Joey Mackeridge

Runtime:

USA:115 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

D and P Studios, Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Two Cities Films

Trivia:

There were four classes of destroyers being built for the Royal Navy around the late 1930s - Tribal, Hunt, J/K/N and L/M classes. Given the name HMS Torrin, it cannot belong to the last two classes as all the names of the ships in these classes began with the same initial as the class name. No ships of the Tribal class were built after 1938. HMS Torrin is most likely to have belonged to the Hunt class of destroyer. Ships in the Hunt class were generally named after places in the UK. This matches with the HMS Torrin, as Torrin is a village on the Isle of Skye.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When a scene is shown in the wardroom, the point of view changes to simulate the ship moving. However the sherry or wine in the glasses does not move at all showing that it is the camera that is moving rather than the 'ship' (or set).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Voice: [voiceover] This is the story of a ship...
[long sequence of ship-building and launch]

Movie Connections:

Featured in War Stories (2006) (TV)

Noel Cowards' Citizen Kane

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.