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In Which We Serve
Directed by	David Lean
Produced by	Noel Coward
Written by	Noel Coward
Starring	Noel Coward John Mills Bernard Miles Celia Johnson
Music by	Clifton Parker
Distributed by	Universal Pictures British Lion Films
Release date(s)	September 17, 1942
Running time	115 min
Language	English
IMDb profile

In Which We Serve is a 1942 war film that tells the story of the British destroyer HMS Torrin, as told in flashbacks by the survivors as they cling to a life raft.

It was written by and starred Noel Coward, and was directed by Coward and David Lean, both making their directorial debuts. Coward played Captain Edward Kinross, commander of a destroyer flotilla ("Captain D"). Celia Johnson portrayed his wife, Alix. The cast also included Richard Attenborough (in his film debut), John Mills as Ordinary Seaman "Shorty" Blake, Bernard Miles as Chief Petty Officer Walter Hardy, Ann Stephens as Lavinia Kinross and Daniel Massey as Bobby Kinross.

In Which We Serve won an Honorary Academy Award, presented to Coward for "his outstanding production achievement". It was also nominated for Oscars for Best Picture and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

The Torrin is rushed into commission in the summer of 1939, 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 in which the ship is damaged. In this action, one of the sailors runs away from his gun. When the ship reaches shore, Captain Kinross noted of the 243 men in the crew, all but one performed well. "One, however, did not." Although the sailor is brought on charges, Kinross lets him off with a caution, because as Captain he should have been able to make the young sailor understand his duty and he did not. The sailor is haunted by his cowardice.

The ship also takes part in the Dunkirk evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force, rescuing members of the Coldstream Guards. The Torrin is sunk off the coast of Crete in 1941. Only about 90 of the crew survived; the survivors are sent off to join other ships, leaving the Captain alone with his officers.

The story is loosely based on the exploits of Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten, who commanded the destroyer HMS Kelly, sunk during the battle of Crete. Indeed, the cap Coward wore belonged to Mountbatten. Mountbatten's detractors disparaged the movie, dubbing it In Which We Sink.

The characters reflect British society of the time, deeply divided by class or by sex. Nevertheless, each man and woman is dedicated to doing what they must to make it through the war.

The attention to detail in the film is notable. Naval jargon, naval uniforms and naval practice are exemplary and it is exceptional that, in addition to the commissioned officers credited as naval advisers, the first naval adviser listed is a junior rating - Able Seaman T W J Lawlor. This serves to explain, perhaps, how both the wardroom and lower deck scenes, and the scripts, are so authentic.

• In Which We Serve at the Internet Movie Database
• In Which We Serve at All Movie Guide

David Lean
1940s	In Which We Serve (with Noel Coward) | This Happy Breed | Blithe Spirit | Brief Encounter | Great Expectations | Oliver Twist | The Passionate Friends
1950s	Madeleine | The Sound Barrier | Hobson's Choice | Summertime | The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960s	Lawrence of Arabia | Doctor Zhivago
1970s	Ryan's Daughter
1980s	A Passage to India
Television	Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor (1979)