Great WW2 naval drama. Starring, produced and directed by Noel Coward, with music written by himself too (though David Lean co- directs and co-edits). Though a fictional story it is based around the true story of HMS Kelly, captained by Lord Louis Mountbatten and sunk off Crete in 1941. Apparently Mountbatten pitched the idea of the story of HMS Kelly being made into a movie to Noel Coward, and provided most of the detail.Great story, well told. Very realistic, down to the military commands and interactions.Great performances all round. Noel Coward is initially irritating - being rather stiff and dour in his role - but his character grows on you.Being made in 1942 as a war propaganda movie, it does have the inevitable one-eyed jingoistic scenes, butt these are mostly fairly subtle, unlike many WW2 movies.

I wasn't expecting much from this film and the slow start didn't heighten my expectations. However I stuck with it and am glad I did. It builds gradually and eventually becomes incredibly absorbing. It follows the survivors of a sunken warship as they float in the sea waiting to be rescued. Using flashbacks it shows their lives back home and on the ship before it sank. The stories are often mundane but show how life must have been at this tumultuous time in history. It boasts a strong cast featuring John Mills, Noel Coward and Celia Johnson who all bring life to the script. There are a number of very moving scenes as the true horror of the war is bought alive. As this was filmed whilst the war was still in full flow I can only imagine how the audience at the time, many of whom would have had family fighting abroad, must have felt. This is an unusual war film in that it shows little fighting but the stories of courage and determination more than make up for this. One of the best war films I have seen, Highly recommended.

The purpose of this movie from 1942 was to raise the morale on the British home front during World War II and it achieves this objective in a superb piece of film-making that drew on the virtues that made Britain one of the toughest and most courageous countries in history. Loyalty, devotion to duty, the stiff upper lip in the face of tragedy, deference to authority, and the obligation of those in authority to their subordinates were considered the foundation of a stable country. In a series of flashbacks after a British naval ship is attacked, the movie reinforces the importance of these virtues and of each man and woman to the war effort.David Lean made his directorial debut under the guidance of Noel Coward, one of the deans of British stage and screen. The movie presents a number of young actors who went on to notable acting careers: John Mills, Bernard Miles, Richard Attenborough. Coward was the ship's captain and carries out his role, not only with the obligatory noblesse oblige, but with genuine affection for the men he leads. Celia Johnson, his wife, also rises to the occasion and in one memorable speech to a group of guests, makes known that she must share her husband's love with the ship he commands. Of course, she went on to several major roles, including Brief Encounter, another quintessential British movie in 1946. This movie is a textbook example of how the British expected their people to carry out their duty in the face of adversity. It is a pleasure to watch with its excellent dialogue and acting. It is definitely not the movie one would expect to be made in 2011 but it has style and grace, elements sadly lacking in many of today's movies.

The closing chapter: At the end of the film 'In Which We Serve'the crew of the Torrin ship line up in a hanger after being rescued from the sea and one by one they each shake hands with Noel Coward the captain before leaving to go to new ships. I'm sure one the crew is a young Ronnie Barker, but can't prove it. He appears as one of the last crew members to shake Noels hand before the scene changes and while its a very brief clip of him I'm convinced its got to be him. If there is anyone out there who is able to check into this or knows if this is the case could you please confirm this as it would be great to know one way or another. Its a fantastic film which always makes me proud to be British, a real classic of British filming.