In Which We Serve

Released Dec 23, 1942

1h 54m

War

Drama

List

90%

20 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Co-directors David Lean and Noel Coward (in his sole filmmaking effort) created this patriotic World War II drama under the auspices of Great Britain's Ministry of Information. After the sinking of the HMS Torrin during the Battle of Crete in 1941, the ship's survivors -- including Captain Kinross (Noel Coward), Chief Petty Officer Hardy (Bernard Miles) and Seaman Blake (John Mills) -- recall their tour of duty in flashback while awaiting rescue in lifeboats being strafed by German airplanes.

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Manny Farber

The New Republic

One is aware from the start of this movie that it is something new, not done before... The content of each shot was conceived in a film sense rather than any other, and no other picture this year has equaled it. Not even nearly.

Mar 25, 2022

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

No less than half a dozen credits for this film go to Noel Coward. And they're well earned.

Nov 6, 2007

Full Review

Tom Milne

Time Out

Staged with what passed at the time for honest understatement, it now looks impossibly patronising, the epitome of stiff upper lip.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

T.C. Kemp

Birmingham Post

Because Mr. Coward has held himself in with admirable restraint, the effect of In Which We Serve is a taut emotion.

Feb 17, 2022

Full Review

Gilbert Seldes

Esquire Magazine

Palpably fraudulent.

Sep 20, 2019

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Established Lean as the a director to watch, and foreshadowed his later prowess at focusing on intimate themes against a grand backdrop.

Rated: 4/4

Aug 6, 2019

Full Review

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Leaburn O

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/05/23

Full Review

John T

Simply put: the Brits knew how to make WWII films. This combines the geniuses of writer/actor Noël Coward with the brilliant direction of David Lean... with yet a stellar cast. Through a series of flash backs several of the crew of a sunken British Battleship recount their lives from the start of the war until the day of the sinking. Brilliant cast including Noël Coward himself, John Mills, Celia Johnson and a young Richard Attenborough. Its the "real life" scenes that make this movie work and it pulls at you from every angle.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/14/23

Full Review

Stephen R

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.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/06/23

Full Review

david l

In Which We Serve is a British WWII drama that features an interesting structure, strong acting and excellent cinematography, but it a movie that is so slowly paced, too densely plotted and filled with way too many characters, resulting in a slog to sit through. It was important back when it was released, but now it holds very little cinematic value.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

john m

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Noël Coward

Director

David Lean

Director

Noël Coward

Capt. Edward V. Kinross

John Mills

Ordinary Seaman Shorty Blake

Bernard Miles

CPO Walter Hardy

Celia Johnson

Alix Kinross

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Synopsis

Co-directors David Lean and Noel Coward (in his sole filmmaking effort) created this patriotic World War II drama under the auspices of Great Britain's Ministry of Information. After the sinking of the HMS Torrin during the Battle of Crete in 1941, the ship's survivors -- including Captain Kinross (Noel Coward), Chief Petty Officer Hardy (Bernard Miles) and Seaman Blake (John Mills) -- recall their tour of duty in flashback while awaiting rescue in lifeboats being strafed by German airplanes.

Director: Noël Coward, David Lean
Producer: Herbert Smith
Screenwriter: Noël Coward
Distributor: Belle & Blade Studios, United Artists, Criterion Collection
Production Co: British Lion Film Corporation, Two Cities Films Ltd.
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 23, 1942, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 21, 2016
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Mono

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