In Which We Serve

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Walt B @WaltB Jan 2, 2026 Directed by, produced by, written by and starring Noel Coward, who thankfully had the rising genius of David Lean to co-direct and edit the film. This is definitely a film of 1942, with the British satisfying one audience (the UK and Commonwealth) while remembering that American -- who had just entered the war -- would also see it. This is the thinly veiled story of Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, World Ray I veteran, future admiral and viceroy of India, who commanded the destroyer HMS Kelly and its detroyer squadron. In real life, Kelly was sunk off Crete in 1941, and this forms the fictional core of the film. The acting is flawless, even if Noel Coward was reciting his lines at the speed of light. This film was clearly intended to buck up the British, Commonwealth (and American) public, which was still unsure of the war's outcome. Tight editing by Lean and a stellar cast make the less-than-sunny ending a metaphor for Churchill's bulldog tenacity. See more

Leaburn O @RT35452347 May 2, 2023 A standard war time propaganda film this time paying homage to the British navy. Was immediately struck by how quick the family speak to each other in those 1940s clipped tones. It's all pretty obvious and wet, nothing to get excited about but is paced reasonably enough to keep you engaged. See more

Stephen R @RT68994847 Jan 6, 2023 I found Coward's portrayal of the Captain ludicrous. Arch, camp and far too old for the age of his children it was devoid of any human emotion. Very good supporting cast but very patronising towards the lower deck. Watch The Cruel Sea if you want to see what the RN was really like during the war. See more

john m @RT84485968 Mar 9, 2022 I felt it was an honest movie for it's time was a British propaganda flick. And ( disagreed with the review from Esquire Magazine that it was ‘Fraudulent' The reviewer must be a teenager and not understand the turbulence in 1942. See more

Paul G @RT67423558 Nov 5, 2021 Sorry but I found this pretty dull. Firstly I don't like a film told in flashbacks anyway but is simply not enough to interest me. Yes I get this was released during WW2 and contains lots of stick upper lip British bravado, but its aged badly in my mind. See more

Ęxçëşș M @ExcessMale Jan 12, 2021 A tribute to the British navy during World War II but also an arresting 40's motion picture with some developed emotional impact and some searing plot points and performances. See more

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In Which We Serve

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