IN WHICH WE SERVE Movie Review

1943 David Lean, Noel Coward

Noel Coward, a man whose name is synonymous with erudite sophisticated wit, is perhaps the last person anyone would expect to produce feature-length propaganda. But his only foray into the field is one of the finest films to come out of the war. And perhaps it's not so surprising. Throughout his long career, Coward proved to be talented in many areas—drama, comedy, song, composition—so, why shouldn't he be able to handle another popular art form? When the British government asked him to write a patriotic piece, he agreed and said that he wanted to tell a story without sentimentality but with simplicity and truth. He did just that, basing his script on the experiences of his friend Lord Louis Mountbatten on the ship HMS Kelly. Coward also produced the film, wrote the score, and co-directed with David Lean, who'd established his reputation as an editor.

“This is the story of a ship,” Leslie Howard states in the introductory narration, and the opening montage follows HMS Torrin from construction to christening to commission on the eve of England's declaration of war on Germany. Immediately after, the destroyer is engaged in battle and is heavily damaged by aircraft. The crew is forced to abandon ship and, from their raft, watch the Torrin sink. The body of the film then is told in several layers of flashback, as members of the crew are introduced and the ship takes part in various campaigns.

At the center is Capt. Kinross (Coward), perfect archetype of the upper-class British sailing man. He's dedicated to his ship and his crew, knowing each of them by name and treating all fairly and compassionately. His wife Alix (Celia Johnson) understands that she and the children come second to him. Chief Petty Officer Walter Hardy (Bernard Miles) represents the upper middle-class. He lives in a cozy flat with his wife (Joyce Carey) and, when he's home, referees squabbles between her and her mother. Another notch or two down the social scale, Ordinary Seaman Shorty Blake (John Mills) is a younger man who meets Hardy's niece Freda (Kay Walsh) on a train and falls in love.

In other hands, the interconnected lives of those three families could be the stuff of soap opera, but Coward treats them seriously. Though some have faulted the film for its flattering view of the English caste system, social criticism is hardly the point. And if Coward fails to condemn the unfairness of social strata, he does make clear the bonds that connect the classes and responsibilities that are shared.

That's really a side issue. Coward's script moves artfully through several time frames, filling in details of the lives of his characters. Despite the film's unambiguous political agenda, it is not built on conventional military heroics. The focus is relatively evenly balanced between life on the Torrin and fiercely British domestic scenes set in music halls, pubs, and countryside. Whether it's accurate or not, one lovely moment describes the innocence of pre-war England by showing a sailor's return home. He goes up the steps from a city street to the front door of his apartment and unlocks it with a key that's kept on a string nailed to the jamb. The rest of the film is filled with equally Capra-esque touches.

Of course, the performances are first rate. Look for a very young Richard Attenborough as a sailor who panics. As an actor, Coward is completely comfortable in a role that, at first, appears to be all wrong for him. But if he lacks the indefinable “presence” that a movie star can bring to a commanding role, he makes up for that with absolute conviction. It's impossible to watch the film even now without accepting that he believed every word that he wrote and spoke. The emotions are so honest that they make many of the American war films produced then look a bit thin.

Cast: Noel Coward (Capt. Kinross), John Mills (Ordinary Seaman Shorty Blake), Bernard Miles (C.P.O. Walter Hardy), Celia Johnson (Alix Kinross), Kay Walsh (Freda Lewis), James Donald (Doctor), Richard Attenborough (Young Sailor), Michael Wilding (“Flag”), George Carney (Mr. Blake), Gerald Case (Jasper), Joyce Carey (Mrs. Hardy); Written by: Noel Coward; Cinematography by: Ronald Neame; Music by: Noel Coward; Technical Advisor: I.T. Clark, C.R.E. Compton, T.W.J. Lawlor. Producer: Noel Coward. British. Awards: New York Film Critics Awards ‘42: Best Film; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘43: Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture. Running Time: 114 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta.