In Which We Serve

In Which We Serve
US Theatrical release poster
Directed byNoël Coward
David Lean
Written byNoël Coward
Produced byNoël Coward
StarringNoël Coward
John Mills
Bernard Miles
Celia Johnson
Narrated byLeslie Howard
CinematographyRonald Neame
Edited byThelma Connell
David Lean
Music byNoël Coward
Clifton Parker
Distributed byBritish Lion Films
Release date
  • 17 September 1942 (1942-09-17) (UK)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£240,000[1][2][3]
Box office£300,000 (Commonwealth)
$2 million (US rentals)[1][4][5]

In Which We Serve is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by Noël Coward and David Lean, who made his debut as a director. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information.[6]

The 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 composed the music as well as starring in the film as the ship's captain. The film also starred John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson and Richard Attenborough in his first screen role.

In Which We Serve received the full backing of the Ministry of Information,[6] which offered advice on what would make good propaganda and facilitated the release of military personnel. The film is a classic example of wartime British cinema through its patriotic imagery of national unity and social cohesion within the context of the war.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Noteworthy Films Made in U.K." The West Australian. Perth. 17 January 1953. p. 27. Retrieved 4 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ Murphy, Robert (2 September 2003). Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48. Routledge. ISBN 9781134901500 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Wood, Alan (1952). Mr. Rank a Study of J.Arthur Rank and British Films. p. 133.
  4. ^ Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-23004-3. p220
  5. ^ "Top Grossers of the Season", Variety, 5 January 1944 p 54
  6. ^ a b c Clive Emsley (24 October 2009). War, culture and memory. Open University Worldwide Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7492-9611-7.