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IMDbPro

In Which We Serve

  • 19421942
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
21,173
4,622
Noël Coward in In Which We Serve (1942)
This "story of a ship", the British destroyer H.M.S. Torrin, is told in flashbacks by survivors as they cling to a life raft.
Play trailer1:16
1 Video
88 Photos
DramaWar
This "story of a ship", the British destroyer H.M.S. Torrin, is told in flashbacks by survivors as they cling to a life raft.This "story of a ship", the British destroyer H.M.S. Torrin, is told in flashbacks by survivors as they cling to a life raft.This "story of a ship", the British destroyer H.M.S. Torrin, is told in flashbacks by survivors as they cling to a life raft.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
21,173
4,622
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Noël Coward
      • David Lean
    • Writer
      • Noël Coward(by)
    • Stars
      • Noël Coward
      • John Mills
      • Bernard Miles
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Noël Coward
      • David Lean
    • Writer
      • Noël Coward(by)
    • Stars
      • Noël Coward
      • John Mills
      • Bernard Miles
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 69User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 7 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:16
    Trailer

    Photos88

    Richard Attenborough in In Which We Serve (1942)
    Noël Coward and Bernard Miles in In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)
    Penelope Dudley-Ward and Michael Wilding in In Which We Serve (1942)
    John Mills in In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)
    In Which We Serve (1942)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Noël Coward
    Noël Coward
    • Capt. E.V. Kinross R.N. - Captain 'D'
    • (as Noel Coward)
    John Mills
    John Mills
    • Ordinary Seaman Shorty Blake
    Bernard Miles
    Bernard Miles
    • Chief Petty Officer Walter Hardy
    Celia Johnson
    Celia Johnson
    • Mrs. Alix Kinross
    Kay Walsh
    Kay Walsh
    • Freda Lewis
    Joyce Carey
    Joyce Carey
    • Mrs. Kath Hardy
    Derek Elphinstone
    • No. 1
    Michael Wilding
    Michael Wilding
    • Flags
    Robert Sansom
    • Guns
    Philip Friend
    Philip Friend
    • Torps
    Chimmo Branson
    • Midshipman
    Ballard Berkeley
    Ballard Berkeley
    • Engineer Commander
    Hubert Gregg
    Hubert Gregg
    • Pilot
    James Donald
    James Donald
    • Doc
    Michael Whittaker
    • Sub
    Kenneth Carten
    • Sub-Lieutenant R.N.V.R.
    John Varley
    • Secco
    Caven Watson
    • Brodie
    • Directors
      • Noël Coward
      • David Lean
    • Writer
      • Noël Coward(by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Noël Coward vetoed the casting of James Mason in a key role because of his stance on the war.
    • Goofs
      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

      Mrs. Alix Kinross: [Christmas dinner toast] Ladies and gentlemen. I'll begin by taking my husband's advice and wishing you all a very happy Christmas. I'm sure Elizabeth and June will back me up when I say I'd like to deliver, on behalf of all wretched naval wives, a word of warning to Maureen who's been unwise enough to decide to join our ranks. Dear Maureen: we all wish you every possible happiness, but I think it only fair to tell you in advance exactly what you are in for. Speaking from bitter experience I can only say that the wife of a sailor is most profoundly to be pitied. To begin with, her home life, what there is of it, hath no stability whatever. She can never really settle down. She moves through a succession of other people's houses, flats, and furnished rooms. She finds herself having to grapple with domestic problems in Bermuda, Malta, or Weymouth. We will not deal with the question of pay as that is altogether too painful. But we will deal with is the most important disillusionment of all, and that is that wherever she goes there is always in her life a permanently undefeated rival: her husband's ship. Whether it be a battleship or a sloop, a submarine or a destroyer, it holds first place in his heart. It comes before wife, home, children, everything. Some of us try to fight this and get badly mauled in the process. Others, like myself, resolve themselves to the inevitable. That is what you will have to do, my poor Maureen. That is what we all have to do if we want any peace of mind at all. Ladies and gentlemen I give you my rival. It is extraordinary that anyone could be so fond and so proud of their most implacable enemy - this ship. God bless this ship and all who sail in her.

    • Crazy credits
      This film is dedicated to the Royal Navy "whereon under the good providence of God, the wealth, safety and strength of the kingdom chiefly depend".
    • Connections
      Featured in Film Review: Richard Attenborough (1968)
    • Soundtracks
      Eternal Father, Strong to Save
      (uncredited)

      Lyrics by William Whiting

      Music by John B. Dykes

    User reviews69

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    The effect of war
    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.
    helpful•12
    0
    • blanche-2
    • Jun 18, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 23, 1942 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Heroji mora
    • Filming locations
      • Dunstable Downs, Hertfordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Two Cities Films
      • The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • £240,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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