May 24 - In Which We Serve

Hello. Here is today's movie. I hope you enjoy it and watch it tonight. 

IN WHICH WE SERVE

The opening shows show H.M.S. Torrin, a destroyer being built and commissioned into the Royal Navy. We then jump to the waters off Crete during World War II, where the Torrin is attacking a German troopship convoy at night. The next morning, May 24, 1941[8:35 to 14:14, 20:33 to 23:23; 31:00 to 31:38; 41:35 to 44:27; 1:12:02 to 1:13:06 and 1:38:16 to 1:44:15] the ship is attacked by Stuka dive bombers and is hit and sunk. In the water, the captain thinks back to commissioning day and his home leave to visit with his wife and two young kids. Back in the water, the captain gathers survivors together on a life raft, as they are strafed by the Germans.  Chief Petty Officer Hardy thinks back to the day he left his wife and mother for the ship’s commissioning.  The crew works day and night for three days to get the ship ready for sea as war appears to be imminent. War is declared on Germany. The Torrin does not go into combat at once and they celebrate Christmas, 1939 at home. The captain’s wife gives a rousing speech about the life of a navy wife. After being wounded in another strafing run Seaman Shorty Blake thinks back to how he met his future wife, Freda, who turns out to be a relation of CPO Hardy,  on a train trip.  On the way to their honeymoon, the meet the Captain and his wife, who by chance are traveling on the same train. Mrs. Blake moves in with CPO Hardy’s wife and mother in Plymouth. After his return Blake and the Torrin are sent to the waters off Norway, where they engage in a naval battle. One sailor is terrified and leaves his gun post. The ship is torpedoed and 36 men are killed. They are towed back to port, suffering attack from German aircraft the entire way.   The captain only gives the crewman who left his post a caution, instead of a court-martial. The Torrin is sent to help with the Dunkirk evacuation. The crew gets leave after this, but German aircraft start bombing England. We see an  air raid on Plymouth and CPO Hardy’s house is hit. CPO Hardy’s wife and mother are killed, but  Freda Blake lives and gives birth to a baby boy. Seaman Blake gets a letter informing him of these facts and he has to give CPO Hardy the bad news. The survivors of the sinking, including the captain, CPO Hardy and Shorty Blake are picked up by another destroyer. The captain tells the survivors of the crew that he is proud of them. 

More of a melodrama and a propaganda film than a war movie. Still it doesn’t get too maudlin and the action sequences are very well done. Noel Coward gives a surprisingly good, very underplayed performance as the Captain.

The date of May 23^rd 1941 is given in the film at 5:55 for the first day. So the next day when the Torrin is sunk, must be May 24^th.

Producer  - Noël Coward

Director - Noël Coward and David Lean

Screenplay - Noël Coward

Awards - Nominated for the Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscars.

Released -  September 17,  1942

Runtime - 1 hour 55 minutes

Starring -

Noël Coward as Captain E.V. Kinross

Bernard Miles as Chief Petty Officer Walter Hardy

John Mills as Ordinary Seaman Shorty Blake

Celia Johnson as Alix Kinross

Michael Wilding  as Flags

Leslie Dwyer as Parkinson

James Donald as Doc

Richard Attenborough as Young Stoker

Joyce Carey as Kath Hardy

Kay Walsh as Freda Lewis

Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Blake

Daniel Massey  as Bobby Kinross

 watch "In Which We Serve"