User reviews

Naval men watch their ship sink as they cling to a raft and remember the lives they left in "In Which We Serve," a 1942 film starring Noel Coward, John Mills, Celia Johnson, and Bernard Miles. The story takes place in World War II and shows how the war affected the British soldiers and their loved ones. Noel Coward also wrote and co-directed this film with David Lean. Like Coward's Brief Encounter, there are no glamorous movie star types. This is the story of the common man bound together by war and by their ship. Coward is Captain Kinross, who has a wife (Celia Johnson) and two children. John Mills is "Shorty," a seaman who falls in love while on leave, gets married and has a short honeymoon. Bernard Miles is Walter Hardy, a happily married man whose wife hates having him go away. Each man reflects on his story in flashback.

The impact of "In Which We Serve" must have been very powerful when it was first released. The announcement of war by the Prime Minister which comes over the radio is met with a chilling silence that the audience feels along with the men. The devastation of a blackout, the impact of the bombs at sea are very real.

"In Which We Serve" is the story of a ship, the HMS Torrin, but we learn quickly that a ship is about its people, united in one cause and who share a special camaraderie. The captain's final speech to his men is highly emotional, all the more so because it is so restrained.

All of the acting is top-notch. Someone commented that Coward seemed stiff. I think his role called for a certain formality. Hard to believe John Mills was ever that young. Celia Johnson, in her first film role, is wonderful. Coward obviously had no problems attracting the best actors to the film, as every person fits his or her role perfectly.

Like many classics, despite changes in film technique, the core story remains compelling, especially today with so many soldiers in Iraq. In one scene, the camera falls on some of the seamen as they go to their stations to do battle. Each man was carefully chosen to show his extreme youth. It was a terrible time for the world, but somehow the film is strangely uplifting. A no-miss.

The story of British Navy Destroyer HMS Torrin, told in flashback by the surviving crew members as they await rescue in the Mediterranean, the ship having been sunk during a battle.

This film was something of a tour-de-force for Noel Coward, as he produced, wrote and co-directed it (with a young David Lean). Considering its age, the film stands up quite well today. It obviously seems dated in some respects - the dialogue is quite clipped and stilted at times - but is saved by professional work all round and a clutch of strong performances, namely by Noel Coward himself, John Mills and Bernard Miles. Its also notable for the screen debut of Richard Attenborough (it was screened over the holiday weekend as part of a celebration of his upcoming 80th Birthday).

While some may find it presenting an overly romanticised view of the Royal Navy at war, it should be remembered that at the time it was made, in 1942, victory over Germany was still far from certain. With that in mind, it surely must have achieved its aim of boosting the morale of those who saw it. Over 60 years on it remains good solid entertainment and an intriguing glimpse into the mindset of the day.

"In Which We Serve" is more than a story told for propaganda effect about naval heroism and based on Mountbatten's wartime experiences. As the English film critic Barry Norman has put it: "Aboard Coward's fictional HMS Torrin there existed forties British society in microcosm. Here everybody knew his place... The one thing they all had in common was the knowledge that each of them, high or low, was expected to show unswerving loyalty and devotion to duty". The relationships between the men on HMS Torrin and the lives they lead at sea and at home (told through flashbacks) portray a wartime society ordered by class and intentionally defined by the traditional British virtues of duty and sacrifice. It is a society in which understatement and the stiff upper lip reign supreme. Emotions go largely unspoken. They simmer under the surface of the screen in the silences and in the flickering effort of concealment on the faces of the major characters. Personal suffering is borne with quiet forbearance, in the knowledge that it is borne in the service of a higher cause and that to bear it stoically is to set the right example to others. When the ship's chief petty officer is told of the death of his wife and mother in law in the blitz he first congratulates the sailor who brings him the news for becoming a father before going up on deck to bear his grief alone. The clipped style of speech of Captain Kinross played by Coward himself and the slightly shrill upper class accent of his wife played by Celia Johnson heighten the sense of feelings being stripped away from the words. Their conversation is a caricature of communication - the protagonists performing their dialogue in a choreographed ritual. Real communication is only hinted at - the underlying pain understood but never expressed. In "In Which We Serve" the captain and his wife are the models to which other men and women must aspire - in monologues they define the notions of duty and sacrifice to which each sex is bound. Both put duty before the pursuit of personal happiness (a theme David Lean and Coward return to in Brief Encounter). When the Captain talks of the need for a happy ship he is not referring to the right of individuals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Here happiness is a collective duty in the interests of efficiency.

For the men and women in Coward's vision HMS Torrin is much more than a ship - it is personified as the object of their devotion and jealousy. Above all it is a powerful symbol of the qualities and traditions that unite and must protect their vulnerable island at war. Outdated though this vision may be - part of a world left far behind through post-war socio-economic development and emancipation - it is nevertheless a compelling and entirely consistent vision which ensures the film retains a certain appeal to audiences even today and is a major reason why it can still be so highly rated as a piece of British cinema history.

When "In Which We Serve" was made in 1942, England was in the midst of its finest hour. We see a film of honor, devotion, and loyalty to the realm.

It is basically the story of a boat being torpedoed and the flashbacks of 3 sailors aboard the doomed wreckage.

Noel Coward, a brilliant talent, did not perform well here. His scenes with his children appear awkward and he is unusually cold towards them. While a war is going on, that strong sentiment of a loving friendly tie is missing.

Kudos go to Celia Johnson, as Alix, his wife in the film. She states in a memorable way that in the navy, devotion to the ship comes first. John Mills is also effective as a navy man. In a heart-wrenching scene, he must tell a fellow shipman that his wife and mother-in-law have been killed in the blitz.

The ending is poignantly done. A tear will come to the eye as Coward says goodbye to those who survived the torpedoed ship.

A film of valor and of the human spirit. England was certainly at its finest hour.

Superb and brooding movie , though stiff-upper-lipping at times ; dealing with the brave men on a British fighting ship told through flashback . This "story of a warship", the British destroyer H. M. S. Torrin that is sunk during the battle of Crete , being told in flashbacks by survivors as they cling to a life raft . The greatest picture you've ever seen ! . Noel Coward's Academy Award Winner! . The Greatest Motion Picture Of Our Time! It stands alone - The Greatest Of All Motion Pictures! You'll Never Forget...In Which We Serve . Chosen by the critics as the year's best film ! Dedicated to every woman with a man in service! The year's greatest picture is dedicated to love.. The throbbing emotion of a million wartime romances ! You'll add your name to this list of people who say ¨This is the finest human drama of our time¨.

Inspiring and expertly-scripted jingoist-war drama capturing faithfully the spirit of the British Navy during WWII . A splendid picture with an emphasis on realism that was unusual in other patriotic , flagwaver films . At the time considered to be the greatest human drama of war filmed in which Noel Coward directed and Lean watched and assisted the finished movie together . Unlike several WW2 this unforgettable picture doesn't date one bit , and remaining , nowadays , its deep sentiment and agreeable message . The first Brit movie to depict a naval war in all its grim reality , it proved the country's top moneymaker in the year its premiere . Noel Coward himself gives his best screen acting in the lead , likewise it revived the career of the young John Mills by casting him as a sympathetic and sensitive sailor . Adding other great English actors , such as : Michael Wilding , Kay Walsh , Bernard Miles, James Donald , Philip Friend, Walter Fitzgerald and as narrator : Leslie Howard . As well as film debuts of Richard Attenborough , Celia Johnson , Daniel Massey and John Mills' daughter : infant Juliet Mills .

This masterpiece motion picture was compellingly written , co-directed and scored by co-star Noel Coward who was given a special Academy Award for his outstanding production achievement and being Lean's first directing credit . Of course , In Which We Serve (1942) got a big hit in the year its release in England and all around the world . With the onset of World War II Noel Coward and David Lean redefined the spirit of the country in films such as "This Happy Breed" (1944), "In Which We Serve" (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945) and, perhaps most memorably, "Brief encounter" (1945). Rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Essential and indispensable seeing for British classic films enthusiasts.

"In Which We Serve" is not only a wonderful pastiche of British society during the second world war, but a complex, yet correct statement of a very simple theme -namely the duty of a country's citizens to defend the system it believes in. The simplicity of the story is one of the movie's key strengths, but the most appealing aspect of the film is, for me at least, the way in which each scene reflects the preceding and suggests the subsequent one. The motivation behind this may have been to demonstrate the unifying elements of the various different characters and their individual stories, but the skill with which this is done makes for a wonderfully satisfying experience. The film is excellently crafted, moving from a semi-documentary style that would have been instantly recognizable to cinema audiences of the forties, with the then common weekly news reviews; and then moving into everything from light-comedy to exciting action and pure drama. It is a film that for many will seem old-fashioned, but only in some of its sentiments, never its techniques or its wisdom. And the "old-fashionedness" of some of it -such as the love scene between John Mills and his girlfriend on the bench by the water- has a poignancy that is nevertheless almost painful in its innocence. Above all the film expresses one immensely important concern: dignity. It is reflected in the words and actions of all the characters, and shines through the film with the immense pride the film-makers (Noel Coward especially) put into making this film. It is an important film not least because it is not afraid of expressing loss -for many the thought of a film about a sinking British ship was a shocking risk to take in a time of war. And it is an entertaining film as well, in the best tradition of British cinema. Like the other main Coward/Lean masterpiece "Brief Encounter" this film can be enjoyed on so many levels that it demands multiple viewings. And like "Brief Encounter" you will discover new subtleties each time...

It's ironic indeed that in Noel Coward's greatest screen role he played a part so atypical of what we expect from that most witty and erudite of artists. There's a lot good in In Which We Serve, but if you are expecting Coward bon mots, skip this film.

Whatever else Coward was, he was one patriotic British citizen who loved his country and wanted to do his bit in World War II. The incident in which In Which We Serve is based on what actually happened to the the destroyer HMS Kelly in 1941 off Crete which was sunk after taking a few of the enemy with her. The ship was commanded by one Louis Mountbatten of the royal family and a good friend of Coward's.

Coward's character while not a member of the royal family is still of the upper crust of British society. Mountbatten when war broke out used his considerable royal connections to get into a combat assignment when war broke out. The sequences in which Coward's ship is sunk and the actions of Coward and the crew hews pretty close to what happened to Mountbatten and the men of the Kelly.

While we Coward and his survivors clinging to life rafts and bits of wreckage, the audience gets a series of flashbacks revolving around three men, Coward, CPO Bernard Miles, and Seaman John Mills. We see them at peace and at war with the women they are involved with who are Celia Johnson, Joyce Carey, and Kay Walsh.

This was total war for Great Britain, something until 9/11 I don't think Americans could fully appreciate. While the men are at sea, the women live under threat and fact of bombardment by air. Their scenes are every bit as important as the battle scenes at sea, showing a people totally mobilized.

In small roles you can find such people as James Donald, Michael Wilding, and Richard Attenborough all part of the crew. Attenborough in particular makes a vivid impression in his part.

The Earl of Mountbatten made a series of televised memoirs in the early seventies that didn't reach American television until after his assassination in 1979. It was about 10 episodes and they dealt with all facets of his career. Before he retired in fact he became the First Sea Lord of the British Navy. But one episode dealt with the sinking of the HMS Kelly and the men of the Kelly who survived year after year got together for a remembrance. Some footage was shown of one of the gatherings. I wonder if they still do that and how many men are left from the ship survivors.

In fact it's altogether fitting and proper that this review be dedicated to Lord Louis Mountbatten who not without controversy served his country well and faithfully throughout a long a productive life. And of course this review is also dedicated to the brave men of the HMS Kelly, those that have passed on and those who might still survive. They and the other members of the Royal Navy kept their country from invasion for almost a thousand years and in the case of World War II kept the world from a totalitarian nightmare.

And they couldn't have a better film than In Which We Serve to perpetuate the memory of their deeds.

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.

WWII has given us some memorable movies over the decades, Dunkirk, The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, In Which We Serve was unusual in being made while the war was still happening. The film appears to have been shot using a real WWII destroyer which adds a lot to the realism of the picture. Shot in black and white it does have a somewhat gritty and lived in atmosphere, especially in one scene where the main characters are covered in oil. The film is well edited though I did find the structure did become repetitive. The film starts at the end and then employs a series of flashbacks to tell the story of the ship, it's crew and how they arrived at their present point in time. This involves getting into the family lives of each member. This style of story telling is very popular now but must have been a little usual at the time I think, though I seem to recall Goodbye Mr Chips doing something similar. We see the crew readying for war, the brighter ones of course know war is coming, some aspects of it really highlight the 1940s setting, the toast to the king and the prayers remind us this was a different time now to our own. After a while though you do sort of wish the story would progress. One of the most difficult aspects to watch is the way enemy planes continue to sweep down and pick off the helpless men clinging to their life raft, all the men can do is wait for the planes to run out of fuel. We also see the key events of WWII up to 1942 recalled in this film, Chamberlin's 1939 broadcast, the evacuation of Dunkirk, the fall of Paris, the blitz and it's consequences on the families of those onboard the destroyer. For a war film there's also quite a bit of focus on the lives of the wives of sailors and the hardness of separation. The film has some pacing problems in the middle and not all the scenes link up well together but things do pick up at the end and you realise your really have become emotionally invested in the story.

In Which We Serve, is a blistering film, that never fails to hit the mark. The story revolves around the Life and Sinking of a Royal Naval Destroyer HMS Torin, and the gallant men that served on her.

Loosly based on the story of HMS Kelly a real Royal Navy Destroyer commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten, it takes us back to the days when Britannia really did rule the waves.

The ship is sunk during the battle of Crete, and the main characters of the movie are then clinging to the life raft awaiting rescue. The film is a combination of flashbacks showing the effect that War has on the sailors and their families back home.

Sir Noel Coward is brilliant as the upper class Captain that commands the ship and the respect of his crew. Sir Bernard Miles is equally as pleasing as the middle class Petty Officer, and Sir John Mills gives a movie-making performance representing the majority of the Royal Navy, as the ordinary every day working class able seaman.

I've noticed that a lot of reviews of this movie talk of the class divide between the three characters, but I disagree entirely. First of all it is a true depiction of what the class structure was like in those days coupled with the fact that it was a message to say that in War time EVERYBODY is in the same stink, regardless of Class. A prime example of this is when the ship sinks. At home these men may lead different lifestyles. but after having a ship blown from beneath them. they are all the same.

Cowards film is a masterpiece, and his score is haunting and beautiful. Sir David Lean's directorial debut, (under the watchful eye of Coward), is something to be proud of, and it's no surprise they were to team again.

One the best moments of this movie is when the crew of the Torin rescue Coldstream Guardsmen from the bloody beaches of Dunkirk. On the dockside back in Blighty the Guardsmen disembark. Tired, wounded, and emotional. One word from an officer, and these broken men SNAP to attention regardless of how they feel, and in perfect unison are marched away. leaving John Mills to say "If I weren't so tired I'd give 'em a cheer......and that's no error" Incredible.

This is a triumph for War time movie making and remains a milestone in British Cinema which also includes Lord Attenborough's movie debut.

This Movie never fails to bring a lump to my throat. and the younger generation should be MADE to watch this movie. Who knows? it may help to restore this countries flagging patriotism.

The downed crew of a British destroyer have plenty of time to dwell on fond memories of their past as they cling to a raft on the open sea during the early days of WWII. Noel Coward's IN WHICH WE SERVE is a superior treatment of war--at sea and at home--as seen from the viewpoint of various crew members.

NOEL COWARD plays the Captain of the ill-fated destroyer; JOHN MILLS is a young sailor recalling his romance with a nice British gal, KAY WALSH; CELIA JOHNSON is Coward's Navy wife who knows the ship is the foremost thing in her husband's life, but she bravely salutes it at a Christmas party; and the large male supporting cast includes MICHAEL WILDING, a very young RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH as a troubled sailor and BERNARD MILES.

The homefront scenes are reminiscent of a veddy, veddy British version of SINCE YOU WENT AWAY (especially the romance between Kay Walsh and John Mills). It's all very stiff upper lip and that sort of thing, as expected from the British.

There's an artfulness in the manner in which the story veers back and forth between past and present, mixing scenes of battle with homefront memories. Superb craftsmanship in writing, acting and direction and truly one of '42's finest films. Coward, who co-directed with David Lean, received an award for "outstanding production achievement".

One of the rare British films that was distributed in America at time of release, long before Americans were accustomed to viewing British films.

David Lean's first feature film as a director after a decade as an film editor came about because Noel Coward wanted to direct his own film but wasn't sure enough of his own abilities directing a film. So, Lean was brought in with his reputation as the best editor in England, and Lean, apparently, largely took over directing after a few weeks of solid work. It's very much a wartime film done to help the war effort's emotional toll on the audience that included sailors and their families back home, but both Coward's script and Lean's direction create an array of believable characters performed admirably by the cast (including Coward) that anchors the film in an emotional reality for these people beyond just being a propaganda film. It turns out to be a film that still connects eighty years later.

The story of a ship from its construction in the opening to its sinking...minutes later, is told mostly through flashback as a group of survivors cling to a rubber raft after the destroyer the HMS Torrin was hit by a bomb. The main three that we focus on are Captain D. (Coward), Blake (John Mills), and Hardy (Bernard Miles). The transitions backwards in time are artificial but still rather elegant, focusing the camera on a particular character and then dreamily dissolving backwards in time to an event before. They're not driven by particular reminiscences from the character or conversations, just a more literal bridge from what we're seeing now to what we're transitioning to next. The mechanical aspect is strong, but the emotional aspect is weak, but it's still a strong move overall, possibly influenced by Lean's editing career.

Getting to know the three men as they cling to the raft with some others as they watch the remnants of the Torrin sink beneath the water, we see how Captain D. said goodbye to his wife and two children before whipping the new ship into shape with a firm but kind hand before its maiden voyage. We watch as Blake meets a girl on a train and their whirlwind little romance that leads to a quick marriage before he departs. We also see Hardy, who is actually Blake's new uncle-in-law after the marriage, and his tender relationship with his wife. It's a strong basis to build the rest of the story, fleshing out these characters so that they are more than just archetypes or thin excuses for military type shouting.

The action then moves to the Torrin's actions between its launch and the attack that sunk her, taking her from the start of the war with a strong scene as we watch out characters in different locations listen to Winston Churchill's speech declaring war on Germany. They go out to sea, finding a burning ship in the night and getting torpedoed in the ensuing action, barely limping home afterwards in a rather intelligent subversion of expectations as we imagine the battle to be where she sinks and then the tense ride back to be where she gets attacked by the bombers only to find out that it's still in the future.

We do eventually get to the action that led to the Torrin's sinking, and we finally move on from it as the remaining crew is rescued. The finale where Captain D. has to give a speech in commendation for his crews bravery as they split up to be placed on different ships is a strong final moment only matched by the long takes of him shaking his men's hands including both Blake and Hardy.

It's handsomely made and very much of its time being made mid-war and about the war effort itself. However, Coward's pen and Lean's directing makes it about the men themselves which turns the timely tale into a timeless one of men in war and the women they leave behind. It's a strong opening work and a good example of how working one's way up to the directing chair by learning other elements of the craft first can yield strong narrative and cinematic dividends. Lean did not direct this on his own, but he did start his directing career with a winner.

In Which We Serve (1942)

A curiously different and really moving film about World War II, directed by two top British talents, Noel Coward and David Lean. It's filmed in the thick of the actual naval war and so might be unofficially called a propaganda film. (Though not made by the government, there was a lot of influence and assistance.). It clearly has a sense of presenting the British war effort at its best. But it's also complicated, filled with sadness alongside heroism and, perhaps most of all, selflessness. Both by soldiers and by their women left behind. The war in 1942 was not looking great for the Brits.

Coward co-directs but also is the leading man, and he's an established actor from both film and stage at this point. Lean, whose huge career as a director is all ahead of him, is in charge of the action sequences and this is his first attempt at directing--for which he won awards. If there is a sentimental side to some of the Coward directed scenes it's partly because of when it was shot. Try to imagine the audience suffering from bombings and having their loved ones in battle. We see it now with very different eyes.

In fact, it is hard to imagine how a wife or mother could watch this at all. The basic structure is that the ship goes out to sea with a bunch of men and then disaster strikes, and the rest of the movie is a series of flashbacks to the home lives of the men, and to the women who are dreading seeing their men go off to sea. It's actually about the very sadness of the people sitting in the audience.

The filming is rather different between the two directors. Coward understands a traditional kind of culture well, with conversation and interpersonal nuance. Lean captures a more direct emotional energy, and lots of vivid action. Normally two directors means problems, but here it's divided naturally.

Eventually the movie wears its formula, back and forth with flashbacks, pretty hard. But it's so well done you don't much mind. An emotional, finely seen movie, and surprisingly valid even now.

This is a really first-rate film, much more convincing than the fairly crude WWII propaganda films the US studios were turning out around the same time. The good guys and the bad guys are just as clearly delineated, but in some ways - perhaps the consistent understatement of emotions and the sometimes over-the-top stiff upper lips displayed by the characters - the stakes, and the dangers, seem clearer. There are no John Waynes or Errol Flynns on this ship.

The acting is extremely good, although Noel Coward seems a little stiff and uncomfortable in his leading role. John Mills and Bernard Miles are outstanding, and Celia Johnson (in her first film role) is simply extraordinary. The final scene, where Coward as the captain of the lost ship shakes hands with the survivors, is unexpectedly moving.

(56%) A very respectful wartime based drama featuring Noel Coward playing one of the most classy navy captains in cinema history. I've never really been a huge fan warship/submarine based films as they always seem to have such limited scope, but this is still a very well made film with a few famous up and coming young faces added into the mix, a fair share of action, and is still as watchable now as it was all those years ago. The plot is flash-back heavy as it cuts back and forth giving more insight into the men involved as well as their life before their service on board the almost worshipped destroyer Torrin. This is by all accounts is a propaganda piece, but as far as films of that nature go this is one of the very best.

The life and times of a British WW2 ship told in flashback. Loosely based on the war time experiences of Louis Mountbatten.

A powerhouse classic that drags you in and doesn't let go for a single second. Not only one of the best war films of all time, but the best told from a navy perspective. Hasn't dated one little bit since it was made in 1942.

Actor/Director (with help from David Lean) Coward made the filming as much like reality as possible and the scenes in the tank almost resulted in the drowning of several of the actors - including Coward himself!

If you haven't seen it you really should because it belongs in the highest rank of world cinema.

This is a very good, though a tad predictable wartime film. This is because although more than half of the crew members are killed, you can pretty much expect that ONLY those you don't recognize will be the ones to "buy the farm". Noel Coward, John Mills and Richard Attenborough are among the crew, and as I said, you KNOW they will survive because they are big-time actors (though at this point, Mills and Attenborough were at the beginning of their film careers). This reminded me of the original Star Trek series--you knew Kirk, Scotty, McCoy and Spock were going to live but you could pretty much guarantee that one of the "red shirts" would be killed! In addition, though the film is much better than average compared to other WWII war films, I don't agree that it is THAT much better than average as SOME of the portrayals are clearly too good to be true because this was intended as propaganda. However, I was intrigued that Attenborough's character reacted cowardly at one point in the movie and this DID elevate this movie above the average war film because of added realism.

It's all quite spit-spot and British in that typical Noel Coward way and without the danger in their voices "Here come the Nazi's!" "Oh no, I say, that's just not cricket!" That sort of thing.

There is also a scene with Noel's family where they speak so fast it's like their getting paid to get it finished as quickly as possible.

But I did like the plot line and the way it was made, although the chronology got a bit lost in places. I can absolutely see why the film was recognised by the BFI for the different treatment that other films may not have had before.

I can also see the appeal for those present during the war and at the time of the release of this film. It would certainly bear more relevance on their lives I'm sure.

It gets a bit harrowing towards the end as I tend to find films about war do for me. I always start to wonder, what if that was my grandad? I was very fortunate to have both of mine survive the war, but now they are gone, that connection that I may never have met them is saddening.

332.97/1000.