Synopsis: Lives and loves of 3 Royal Navy sailors during WWII
Director: Noel Coward, David Lean
Actors: Noel Coward, Bernard Miles, John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Celia Johnson, Joyce Carey, Kay Walsh
Date: 1942
How viewed: Rented from Lovefilm
Rating: 3/5
David Meyer says:
Never a voice is raised, never a plot point is overemphasised, never anything so gaudy as an overdone action sequence is permitted to ruffle the calm, smooth tone.
A terribly, terribly British propaganda film about the courage of all the ranks (and their wives at home) serving on a Royal Navy destroyer in WWII. Noel Coward produces, directs, stars and probably makes the tea (well, probably not). The film follows the history of the ship, from being built and commissioned just as war breaks out, through various scraps, until it is sunk, with only about a third of the crew surviving (rather a bold move for a wartime propaganda film!). The stories of 3 men (upper, middle and lower class - hints of those sketches in 'That Was The Week That Was' with Corbett, Barker and Cleese!) are told in flash-back as they cling to a life raft awaiting rescue (the message being that everyone needs to pull together in the war effort). Some of the action stuff is great, and Bernard Miles, John Mills, and the wives (Celia Johnson, Joyce Carey, Kay Walsh) are all believable characters, but, for me, Noel Coward in his role as Captain of the HMS Torrin, is the only jarring aspect of the film, with his clipped tones, and stiff upper lip - it just doesn't ring true. Lots of propaganda ('There'll always be an England', and the like) obviously age the film, but nevertheless some of the bravery, fear, grimness, and dignity of what it must have been like, come through, especially moving are the arrival of telegrams at home with the families not knowing whether it will be wonderful or terrible news. Apparently the film is based on Lord Mountbatten's experiences and his speeches to the crew are taken word for word. The ending though is somewhat weird, with the surviving crew being re-allocated to other ships, the Captain shakes hands with them all to say goodbye - it seems to go for ages, and at the end Noel wanders off, leaving 4 officers, who sort of stand there embarrassedly, and then also wander off!
I say:
A terribly, terribly British propaganda film about the courage of all the ranks (and their wives at home) serving on a Royal Navy destroyer in WWII. Noel Coward produces, directs, stars and probably makes the tea (well, probably not). The film follows the history of the ship, from being built and commissioned just as war breaks out, through various scraps, until it is sunk, with only about a third of the crew surviving (rather a bold move for a wartime propaganda film!). The stories of 3 men (upper, middle and lower class - hints of those sketches in 'That Was The Week That Was' with Corbett, Barker and Cleese!) are told in flash-back as they cling to a life raft awaiting rescue (the message being that everyone needs to pull together in the war effort). Some of the action stuff is great, and Bernard Miles, John Mills, and the wives (Celia Johnson, Joyce Carey, Kay Walsh) are all believable characters, but, for me, Noel Coward in his role as Captain of the HMS Torrin, is the only jarring aspect of the film, with his clipped tones, and stiff upper lip - it just doesn't ring true. Lots of propaganda ('There'll always be an England', and the like) obviously age the film, but nevertheless some of the bravery, fear, grimness, and dignity of what it must have been like, come through, especially moving are the arrival of telegrams at home with the families not knowing whether it will be wonderful or terrible news. Apparently the film is based on Lord Mountbatten's experiences and his speeches to the crew are taken word for word. The ending though is somewhat weird, with the surviving crew being re-allocated to other ships, the Captain shakes hands with them all to say goodbye - it seems to go for ages, and at the end Noel wanders off, leaving 4 officers, who sort of stand there embarrassedly, and then also wander off! 
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