As it was VE Day (weekend).
Enormously impressive collaboration, with very familiar dialogue and stiff upper lippery, at times resembles Russian-made propaganda documentary. Coward is in fact like the best headmaster ever.
Uncle Jeff once told me this film was used in officer training in the Royal Navy. And when I was talking about the despicable Nazis machine-gunning a defenceless lifeboat he said "Well we did it too" - a sobering comment indeed.
I love the moment when they've rescued the Army and everyone below deck flinches at the bomb but Johnny Mills. Also the scene where he has to break bad news to Bernard Miles (it's one of Johnny's best films). And the dinner where Celia Johnson talks about her implacable enemy and there's no cut away from her.
Kay Walsh is also in the huge cast and Kathleen Harrison as Johnny's mum is familiar. Plus Joyce Carey and a load of unknowns playing 'Flags', 'Guns', 'Torps' etc (in this respect it's a bit like Gosford Park.)
The structure is also very modern, jumping around in time like it does, and His Cowardship also wrote the (good) music, the big show-off.
Thelma Myers (later Connell) debuts as editor (she was David's assistant on One of Our Aircraft...) and has a notable list.
Shot by Ronnie Neame. The joke about the Daily Express was Anthony Havelock-Allen's.
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