In Which We Serve
| In Which We Serve | |
 Original poster |
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| Directed by | David Lean Noël Coward |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Noël Coward |
| Written by | Noël Coward |
| Starring | Noël Coward John Mills Bernard Miles Celia Johnson |
| Music by | Noël Coward Clifton Parker |
| Cinematography | Ronald Neame |
| Editing by | Thelma Connell David Lean |
| Distributed by | British Lion Film Corporation (UK) United Artists (US) |
| Release date(s) | 17 September 1942 (UK) 23 December 1942 (US) |
| Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
In Which We Serve is a 1942 British war film directed by David Lean and Noël Coward. The patriotic screenplay by Coward was inspired by the exploits of Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was in command of the destroyer HMS Kelly when it was sunk during the Battle of Crete. Coward also composed the film's music and starred in the film. Other stars of the film included John Mills, Bernard Miles and Celia Johnson.
Contents |
Plot
In the summer of 1939, the Torrin is rushed into commission as the possibility of war becomes a near-certainty. The ship's company spends a relatively quiet Christmas, but in 1940, the Torrin takes part in a naval battle off the coast of Norway, during which the ship is damaged. In this action, one of the sailors runs away from his gun, while another sailor mans a gun alone after his crew is killed. When the ship reaches shore, Captain Kinross notes that of the 244 men in the crew, 243 performed well. When the derelict sailor is brought up on charges, Kinross lets him off with a caution, because he feels as Captain he failed to make the young man understand his duty. The sailor continues to be haunted by his cowardice, especially when a pianola plays the Flanagan and Allen song "Run Rabbit, Run."
The Torrin participates in the Dunkirk evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force, rescuing members of the Coldstream Guards. When it is sunk off the coast of Crete in 1941, about 90 crew members survive, and they are sent off to join other ships, leaving the Captain alone with his officers.
Production
Shortly after his play Blithe Spirit opened in the West End in July 1941, Noël Coward was approached by Anthony Havelock-Allan, who was working with the production company Two Cities Films. Its founder, Filippo Del Giudice, was interested in making a propoganda film and wanted someone well known to write the screenplay. Coward agreed to work on the project as long as the subject was the Royal Navy and he was given complete control.[1]
The 23 May sinking of the Kelly was still on Coward's mind, and he decided to use the ship's demise as the basis for his script. Mountbatten, aware that there was some public antipathy to his political ambitions, agreed to support the project as long as it did not closely follow his own experiences. In order to do research, Coward departed for the naval base in Plymouth, where Michael Redgrave, with whom he was involved in a romantic relationship at the time, was stationed. He also visited the fleet at Scapa Flow, where he cruised on the HMS Nigeria, and spent considerable time in Portsmouth.[2]
When Coward submitted his first draft, Havelock-Allan advised him the film would run between eight and nine hours if it was made as written. The original screenplay included lengthy scenes in Paris, China and West India, and Coward needed to trim his plot to the basics. He eliminated everything not related to the Torrin, started his story with the laying of the ship's keel in 1939 and ended it soon after it sinks off the coast of Crete.[3]
Coward was determined to portray Captain Kinross in the film, despite the studio's concern that his public "dressing gown and cigarette-holder" persona might make it difficult for audiences to accept him in the role of a tough navy man. Havelock-Allan supported him, although he later called his performance "always interesting, if not quite convincing." Coward also needed to convince the censors that the sinking of the ship was a crucial scene and not the threat to public morale they perceived it to be.[4]
Coward had experience directing plays, but he was a novice when it came to films, and he knew he needed to surround himself with professionals if the project was to succeed. He had seen and admired Ronald Neame's work, and he hired him as cinematographer and chief lighting technician. Knowing he could handle the direction of the actors but would be at a loss with the action scenes, he asked David Lean to supervise the filming of those. In Which We Serve proved to be the first of several films on which the two would collaborate.[5]
Filming began on 5 February 1942. Coward was happy to let production crew members take charge in their individual areas of expertise, while he concentrated on directing the actors and creating his own portrayal of Kinross. He soon became bored with the mechanics of filmmaking, and after six weeks he came to the studio only when scenes in which he appeared were being filmed. At one point he invited the royal family to the set, and newsreel footage of their visit proved to be good publicity for the film. Coward was anxious that it succeed, not only because it was his first film project, but because he felt it was his contribution to the war effort, and he wanted it to be perceived as such by the public. The premiere was a gala event held as a benefit for several naval charities, and Coward was pleased to see a large presence of military personnel in attendance.[6]
Cast
- Noël Coward ..... Captain E.V. Kinross
- Bernard Miles ..... Chief Petty Officer Walter Hardy
- John Mills ..... Ordinary Seaman Shorty Blake
- Celia Johnson ..... Alix Kinross
- Michael Wilding ..... Flags
- Leslie Dwyer ..... Parkinson
- Joyce Carey ..... Kath Hardy
- Kay Walsh ..... Freda Lewis
- Kathleen Harrison ..... Mrs. Blake
- Daniel Massey ..... Bobby Kinross
Critical reception
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times observed, "There have been other pictures which have vividly and movingly conveyed in terms of human emotion the cruel realities of this present war. None has yet done it so sharply and so truly as In Which We Serve.... For the great thing which Mr. Coward has accomplished in this film is a full and complete expression of national fortitude.... Yes, this is truly a picture in which the British may take a wholesome pride and we may regard as an excellent expression of British strength."[7]
Variety called the film "a grim tale sincerely picturized and splendidly acted throughout" and added, "Only one important factor calls for criticism. It is that all the details are too prolonged. The author-producer-scriptwriter-composer and co-director gives a fine performance as the captain of the vessel, but acting honors also go to the entire company. Stark realism is the keynote of the writing and depiction, with no glossing of the sacrifices constantly being made by the sailors."[8]
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Coward was presented with an Academy Honorary Award for "his outstanding production achievement." The National Board of Review honored it as the Best English Language Film of the year and cited Bernard Miles and John Mills for their performances. It also won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film and the Argentine Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Film.
DVD releases
A Region 2 DVD with a running time of only 96 minutes was released by Carlton on 11 October 1999. A Region 1 DVD was released as part of the David Lean Collection by MGM on 7 September 2004. It features subtitles in English, Spanish and French and an English audio track in Dolby Digital 1.0.
References
- ^ Hoare, Philip, Noël Coward: A Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster 1995. ISBN 0-684-80937-0, p. 322
- ^ Hoare, pp. 323-24
- ^ Hoare, pp. 324-25
- ^ Hoare, pp. 325-26
- ^ Hoare, p. 323
- ^ Hoare, p. 326-31
- ^ New York Times review
- ^ Variety review
Additional reading
- Vermilye, Jerry, The Great British Films. Citadel Press 1978. ISBN 0-806-50661-X
External links
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