STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 May 1944, Page 6

STATE THEATRE

“WEEKEND IN HAVANA.” “Weekend in Havana” will be finally shown tonight. “IN WHICH WE SERVE.” In the naval epic of “In Which We Serve,” which will be shown tomorrow night, the fortunes of the ship H.M.S. Torrin are followed from its launching until its destruction by dive bombing at the Battle of Crete. As survivors cling to a Carley float in an oil infested area, machine-gunned and wounded, their thoughts wander back to the memories of action at sea and home life ashore. There is a rich, warm human vein throughout the film, and moments of grief and pathos. Noel Coward, who wrote the story, produced the film, co-directed it with David Lean, wrote the brilliant music, and also plays the part of the captain of the destroyer. John Mills merits high praise for his superb performance as Ordinary Seaman “Shorty” Elake and Bernard Miles has a magnificent part as Chief Petty Officer Walter Hardy, Celia Johnson, as the captain's wife, Kay Walsh as “Shorty” Blake’s wife and Joyce Carey as Mrs. Hardy are all three fine characterisations. In fact, everyone in the whole cast of this film, which includes 300 bluejackets, is superbly fitted to the roles they play. Here is a British film about the British Navy, a film which everyone will be both proud and thrilled to have seen.