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Amazon.co.uk Review
Even if all written and documentary evidence were to disappear, you could still get a real insight into Britain's involvement in the Second World War through feature films such as Above Us the Waves (1955) and In Which We Serve (1942). Directed by Ralph Thomas, Above Us the Waves tells of a Royal Navy mission to sink the "invincible" German battleship Tirpitz off the Norwegian coast. John Mills is calm and confident as the mission commander, with strong support from John Gregson and Donald Sinden--all treated by the German personnel as fellow gentlemen when captured. Despite stirring music from Arthur Benjamin, the action sequences are visually no more than adequate, and the film is only a partial success compared with the naval and domestic drama of the earlier In Which We Serve. Noël Coward wrote the screenplay and musical score, co-directed (with David Lean) and gave possibly his finest screen performance as the commander of HMS Torrin. His speech to the survivors of the sunken ship, as they prepare for reassignment, is just the highlight of a film packed with memorable visuals and perceptive dialogue.
On the DVD: Though there are no additional features the black-and-white prints have come up excellently in the 4:3 video aspect ratio. There are 15 access points for each film, though the lack of subtitles is an unfortunate omission. These are period pieces that capture the mood of an era.--Richard Whitehouse
Synopsis
In Which We Serve is an engrossing account of the sinking of the British destroyer HMS Torrin during the Battle of Crete, told by three survivors who recount their lives aboard the vessel. The film received two Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
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.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Yes it's wartime propaganda, yes it's so frightfully stiff upper-lipped, and yes it's full of stock 'ordinary' sailors puffing out their chests for King & Country. BUT it's so much much more than this, and well worth going back to and reassessing. First of all, it contains shards of true genius. Coward as writer and actor at his best - with a cast you could not equal. David Lean's eye, which means you get images and scenes that are as good as it gets (seeing the men run outside into the rain at action stations whilst a gun is wound out in readiness over them...following the journey of a shell from the hold up into the gun...). And with a subtle, telling story and writing that is truly great (a family picnic on the Downs with planes dogfighting overhead - modestly brilliant). And above this there is a certain essence - the essence of britishness, the essence of why we were able to fight the war how we did and who we are now as a consequence. I found it deeply moving at every turn, and 'true' in everything that matters. Just watch Celia Johnson as she picks up the telegram and knows she has to open it - just the tiniest hint of recoil. And a scene where the Captain shakes the hand and says farewell to each of his surviving men in turn - unhurried, eye to eye and hand to hand. I didn't expect to respond quite like this - but there is something great about humanity distilled into every frame of this great work.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is without a doubt one of my favourite ever British films. Undoubtedly it is pure propaganda, made at the height of World War Two, but somehow it manages to rise above this and just become fabulously entertaining. Some people can be turned off by Noel Coward and Celia Johnson's "fraightfully posh" performances as Captain Kinross (Captain "D" as he's known to his crew) and his wife, but if you look beyond that you find a terrifically good film with some powerful and moving scenes that stick in the mind long, long after the film is over: The tragedy of Bernard Miles Petty Officer's homecoming; Young Richard Attenborough as a youthful seaman running scared from his post and having to come to terms with the consequences of it; Sir John Mills as "Shorty" Blake tending to the injured and his homecoming after being missing presumed dead; Captain D's emotional farewell to his crew that makes many a stiff upper lip tremble - and many more tiny moments that just make this a true classic of it's kind. The fact that it was co-directed by its star and David Lean means that some of the photography is superb, especially when you consider what was happening in the real world during production.
This Carlton edition also includes a short documentary about the making of the film (in which, amongst other things, you learn why a certain Mr William Hartnell does not appear in it!) and other minor extras like biographies and a trailer.
This Carlton edition also includes a short documentary about the making of the film (in which, amongst other things, you learn why a certain Mr William Hartnell does not appear in it!) and other minor extras like biographies and a trailer.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Another wartime classic although fictional
Although most British war films of the 40s and 50s, and some through to the 60s, were fact-based this was pure fiction. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Claptonian
Brilliant
As an ex Royal Navy man , I found the film very life like as regards the "Navy".
It is well scripted, well acted,funny & sad. Read more
It is well scripted, well acted,funny & sad. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Geoff Palmer
There'll Always Be An England
This film has a special place in my WW 11 memory bank because my uncle served in the Royal Navy during the war and was sunk by a German U boat in 1940. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Peter Bragg
Classic film?
Yes, it probably is a classic film, but only just, and 'The Cruel Sea' is a far better film in all respects. Read more
Published on 23 May 2010 by A customer
classic
aahh ,what can i say noel cowerd playing mountbaten john mills a tight little story very good moral booster and i liked it.
Published on 17 Nov 2009 by E. R. Kirby
"Funny to think this is such a little island, isn't it?"
Opportunities to see Noel Coward recite Noel Coward were necessarily inhibited by his death, but he has left among his filmed artifacts this stunning little achievement, perhaps... Read more
Published on 21 May 2009 by rhinocerosfive
We few, we happy few
*Actually meant to give this four stars!*
David Lean and Noel Coward conceived and created this classic wartime propaganda movie, based on a real incident involving war... Read more
David Lean and Noel Coward conceived and created this classic wartime propaganda movie, based on a real incident involving war... Read more
Published on 6 May 2009 by Captain Pugwash
Badly Served
I bought this a gift for my brother as I could not find a PAL version. What a mistake. This disc has been created from a dreadful old print with scratches. flicker and 'tramlines'. Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2009 by J. McDonald
A bit too much like a play
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... Read more
In Which We Serve is worth viewing, it is a propaganda movie from WW2 for a... Read more
Published on 18 May 2008 by Gisli Jokull Gislason
Turns a Statistic into a Human Story
This film was made and released in 1942, at the height of World War 2, a crucial year in the battle of the Atlantic. Read more
Published on 15 Jun 2007 by David R. Bishop
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