In Which We Serve

A flag waver for the British navy (‘the story of a ship') in which we meet rough representatives of the three classes (upper, middle, working) brought together by circumstance and service.

The working classes are represented by John Mills and Kay Walsh, who marry quietly during a leave and go to their honeymoon on a train. Mills plays a good sort, reliable, the usual depiction of the honest working Joe. Slightly above them in class (with a garden and refined accents) are Bernard Miles and Joyce Carey, both very fine performances. The top of the scale is naturally Noel Coward (who wrote, co-directed, and produced this) and Celia Johnson, with their luncheon parties and their two affected children (one is the actor Daniel Massey, then a little child).

By weaving the stories of all three together we do go some way to understanding the (fictional) mind-set of the man at war, his worries, his triumphs and preoccupations. And as a morale-booster for our chaps at sea it must have done its job very well - it remains fairly touching all these years on.

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.

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.

The British destroyer HMS Torrin serves as the meeting place where men from all walks of life come together as they are called to do their duty for their country. The lives of the different men interconnect in amazing ways, in good times and during tragedy at sea.

David Lean and Noel Coward shared the directorial duty in a film that is one of the best ones of the genre. It would appear impossible by today's egotistical standards that two men, like Mr. Coward and Mr. Lean, would even consent to work in a film project. The unity shown in the making of the film must have come from those trying days during the war days in England.

The large ensemble cast put together for the film showcases some of the best talent of the British screen like no other of its kind. Noel Coward, who was a colossal figure in the East End stage, is seen as Capt. Kinross, the man at the helm of the Torrin. His wife is played by Celia Johnson, one of the best actresses of her generation, and who later would go to collaborate with Mr. Coward in what must be, perhaps, one of the best achievements in the English cinema, "Brief Encounter".

In supporting roles we see a young John Mills playing Shorty Blake. Bernard Miles is seen as the kind Walter Hardy. His wife Katherine is portrayed by Joyce Carey, another excellent character actress who was always a welcome presence in any film in which she appeared. Kay Walsh, Michael Wilding, Daniel Massey seen as a young boy, and the baby Juliet Mills also appear in the film.

"In Which We Serve" is still a pleasure to watch because it shows the valor of the men called to defend their country.

"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.