In Which We Serve facts for kids

In Which We Serve is a 1942 British war film. It was directed by Noël Coward and David Lean. This was David Lean's first time directing a movie. The film was made during Second World War with help from the British government.

Noël Coward wrote the story for the film. He was inspired by Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten. Captain Mountbatten was in charge of the destroyer HMS Kelly. His ship was sunk during the Battle of Crete.

Coward also wrote the music and starred in the film. He played the ship's captain. Other famous actors in the movie included John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson, and Richard Attenborough. This was Richard Attenborough's first movie role.

The British government fully supported In Which We Serve. They gave advice on how to make the film good for wartime messages. They also helped get military people to work on the movie. The film is a great example of British movies from wartime. It shows strong national unity and people working together during the war.

Plot

The movie begins by saying, "This is the story of a ship." In 1941, a British destroyer called HMS Torrin fights German ships at night. This happens during the Battle of Crete. But at dawn, German planes attack the Torrin. The ship is hit badly, and the crew has to leave it. The Torrin quickly flips over. Some officers and sailors find a life raft. German planes keep shooting at them from above.

The story of the ship is told through flashbacks. These are memories from the people on the life raft. Captain Kinross is the first to remember. He thinks back to the summer of 1939. The Torrin was being quickly prepared for duty. War was almost certain to begin.

The Torrin spends a quiet Christmas in Scotland during the "Phoney War." This was a time when war had started but there wasn't much fighting. In 1940, the ship fights its first battle during the Battle of Narvik. During this fight, the ship is hit by a torpedo. The damaged Torrin is pulled back to port. Dive bombers keep attacking it the whole time.

Once safely back in the harbor, Captain Kinross talks to his crew. He tells them that almost everyone did their job well during the battle. But one man did not. He surprises everyone by saying he only gave that man a warning. The captain felt he had failed to teach the man his duty.

Back in the present, the survivors on the life raft watch the Torrin slowly sink. The raft is attacked again by German planes. Some men are killed or hurt. Shorty Blake remembers how he met his future wife, Freda. He met her on a train while on leave. Freda is related to the Torrins friendly Chief Petty Officer Hardy. When both men go back to sea, Freda moves in with Hardy's wife and mother-in-law.

The Torrin helps with the Dunkirk evacuation. This was when British soldiers were rescued from France. Blake gets a letter saying Freda gave birth to their son. This happened during the Plymouth Blitz, a bombing attack. But Hardy's wife and mother-in-law were killed. Blake has to tell Hardy the sad news. Hardy was writing a letter home at the time.

The survivors on the life raft watch the Torrin finally disappear under the water. Captain Kinross leads a final "three cheers" for the Torrin. Soon, a British destroyer comes to rescue the men. Captain Kinross talks to the survivors. He collects addresses from those who are dying.

Messages are sent to the families of the crew. Kinross speaks to the ship's survivors in Egypt. He tells them they lost their ship and many friends. He says these friends now "lie together in fifteen hundred fathoms" (a very deep part of the ocean). He notes that these losses should make them fight even harder. Captain Kinross then shakes hands with all the sailors as they leave. When the last man goes, the tired captain quietly nods to his remaining officers. Then he walks away.

The movie ends with a message. It says that bigger and stronger ships are being built. These ships will get revenge for the Torrin. Britain is an island nation with strong, determined people. Captain Kinross is now in charge of a battleship. Its huge guns fire at the enemy.

Cast

Production

After his play Blithe Spirit opened in 1941, Noël Coward was asked to work on a movie. A film company wanted to make a movie that would help the war effort. They wanted a famous person to write the story.

Screenplay development

Coward agreed to work on the movie. He said it had to be about the Royal Navy, the British navy. He also wanted to be in charge of the whole story.

The sinking of HMS Kelly in May 1941 was still on Coward's mind. So, he decided to use that event as the main idea for his script. Lord Louis Mountbatten, the real captain of the Kelly, agreed to help. He just wanted to make sure the movie wasn't only about him. To do research, Coward visited naval bases. He also sailed on HMS Nigeria.

Coward spent months writing the story in late 1941. But when he showed it to the producer, it was too long. The movie would have been eight or nine hours! It included scenes in Paris and China. The producer told Coward to make the story shorter. He needed to focus only on the Torrin and its crew. Coward took this advice. He started the story when the ship was built in 1939. He ended it soon after it sank off Crete. For the captain's speech at the end, Coward used the real speech. Mountbatten gave this speech to his crew after they were rescued.

Pre-production roles

Coward really wanted to play Captain Kinross in the film. The studio was worried that people wouldn't believe him as a tough navy man. This was because of his public image. But Coward got the role. He also had to convince the movie censors that showing the ship sinking was important. They thought it might make people feel sad or lose hope.

Coward had directed plays before, but not movies. He knew he needed good people around him. He hired Ronald Neame to be the main camera and lighting person. He also asked David Lean to help direct the action scenes. In Which We Serve was the first movie they worked on together.

Filming

Filming started at Denham Studios on February 5, 1942. Coward was happy to let the film crew handle their jobs. He focused on directing the actors and playing his own part. But he soon got bored with the technical side of filmmaking. After six weeks, he only came to the studio when he had scenes to film. At one point, he invited the royal family to the set. News reports of their visit helped promote the movie.

During filming, an actor named William Hartnell was supposed to play a character. But he was late on his first day. Coward got very angry and fired him. Another person from the film crew, Michael Anderson, took over the part.

Coward really wanted the movie to do well. It was his first film. He also felt it was his way of helping with the war. He wanted the public to see it that way. The first showing was a big event. It raised money for navy charities. Coward was happy to see many military people there.

Richard Attenborough played a young sailor who left his post during a battle. His name was not in the movie credits at first. But it was added later.

Locations

The indoor scenes were filmed at Denham Studios in Denham, Buckinghamshire. The destroyer HMAS Nepal was used to represent HMS Torrin. The scene where the Kinross family has a picnic was filmed on the Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire. This scene was set during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Filmmakers were careful not to show exact locations because of wartime rules. But some scenes were shot at Plymouth's naval dockyard in Devon. The naval station on the Isle of Portland was also used. For example, the scene where Blake and Hardy leave was filmed at Devonport's main entrance. Smeaton's Tower in Plymouth Hoe was used for scenes where Shorty Blake and his wife Freda were on shore leave.

Home media

In Which We Serve has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is part of a collection called 'David Lean Directs Noel Coward'. This collection also includes a short film about how In Which We Serve was made.

See also

• BFI Top 100 British films