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| In Which We Serve [1942] | ![In Which We Serve [1942]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H47N74N2L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Directors: Noel Coward, David Lean
Actors: Noel Coward, John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson, Kay Walsh
Studio: ITV DVD
Category: Video
List Price: £10.99
Buy Used: £1.95
You Save: £9.04 (82%)
New (4) from £3.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 17004
Format: Black & White, Pal, Special Edition
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Media: VHS Tape
Running Time: 138 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
EAN: 5030370606637
ASIN: B00005NFDM
Theatrical Release Date: December 23, 1942
Release Date: January 28, 2002
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: 1st class next day despatch
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the true story of Lord Louis Mountbatten's destroyer HMS Kelly, In Which We Serve is one of the most memorable British films made during World War II. Unfolding in flashback as survivors cling to a dingy, constantly strafed by the Luftwaffe, the film recounts the history of HMS Torrin through various battles to her sinking off the coast of North Africa, interwoven with the onshore lives of her crew. The film was the inspiration of Noel Coward, who desperately wanted to do something for the war effort, and he produced, wrote the screenplay, composed the stirring musical score and starred as Captain Edward Kinross. Coward also officially co-directed, though in reality he soon handed the reigns over to David Lean, whose directorial debut this became. There is a fine performance from Celia Johnson, anticipating her character in Lean and Coward's Brief Encounter (1946) and excellent support from John Mills, as well as a star-making debut from an uncredited Richard Attenborough. The use of real navy and army personal as extras, together with lavish studio production and authentic shipboard location footage lends the film a sense of realism unusual for the time. A landmark in the careers of many of the most important names in British film, this moving and occasionally harrowing classic has a vital place in the development of British cinema. On the DVD: The image is presented in a close approximation of the original 1.37:1 Academy ratio using a print that is good for its age but which would benefit from some restoration, several scenes showing notable damage. The sound is robust mono, though the main title music is very distorted. Speech is very clear. Extras are the original trailer, a stills gallery set to music from the film and a 23-minute retrospective documentary. This last is excellent, containing information on how to simulate bullets hitting water using condoms, and interviews with surviving members of the production including Sir John Mills and cinematographer Ronald Neame. --Gary S Dalkin
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| Customer Reviews:
 A bit too much like a play May 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There is a movie quite like this one, made later and a lot better, I recommend the Cruel Sea.
In Which We Serve is worth viewing, it is a propaganda movie from WW2 for a nation unsure of its future and in 1942 thisgs did look bleak for England and the Commonwealth.
The movie isn't bad at all but feels more like a play than a movie. It uses some footage but otherwise you feel like you are watcing a stage with a certain extent of overacting and stiff dialog.
The Cruel Sea was made after WW2 and is a better movie in all respects, both are B/W but the Cruel Sea covers a larger time frame and covers the rather inglorious but very important convoy duties. The characters are more believable as is their situation. Otherwise the 2 are remarkably similar.
In Which We Serve is well worth a watch but it is too much a propaganda movie and feels too much like a play to merit much more than 3 stars.
 Turns a Statistic into a Human Story June 15, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This film was made and released in 1942, at the height of World War 2, a crucial year in the battle of the Atlantic.
It tells the story of a ship, from its construction to its sinking. We see the home lives of the crew, from the dinner parties of the captain to the kitchen sinks of the crew. Some are killed, and some survive. It reminds us of the very human tragedy of loss of life in the war, which can seem like just a statistic sixty odd years later. The sense of duty and camaraderie amongst the crew is truly touching.
The picture quality is not the best, but it is perfectly watchable. The film shows us the sacrifices that previous generations made to keep us free.
Dramatic WWII heart felt story. July 16, 2000
29 out of 31 found this review helpful
During the early dark years of the last war, British cinema managed to produce this epic. With a cast of all the best available, and headed up by the upright and perfect Noel Coward, the story followed the life and adventures of a single ship and her crew in a hetic but short existance.The story is based loosely on the exploits of Lord Louie Mountbatten and his ship HMS Kelly. Just what the public needed to lift the gloomy feelings of a dark and almost defeated Great Britain. A must for any classic collector or younger generation to learn values of friendship and comradship, thrown together by the ravages of war.
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