FILM

“I’m not very keen on Hollywood. I’d rather have a nice cup of cocoa, really.” - Noël Coward

Noël Coward was not only a celebrated playwright, performer and composer, but also built an enduring career in film. Thriving as a playwright and stage actor during the Great Depression, Coward saw a selection of his plays like Private Lives (1931), Cavalcade (1932), and Design for Living (1933) adapted to film.

In the forties he took more direct control of his films. Although initially reticent towards screenwriting, he changed his mind in 1941 when he was convinced to make a film to help the war effort. This precipitated his first foray into screenwriting, In Which We Serve (1942), a British patriotic war film produced by Two Cities Films that Coward also starred in, wrote the score for and co-directed with David Lean. He would go on to collaborate again with David Lean, Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan on the classic films This Happy Breed (1944), Brief Encounter (1945) and Blithe Spirit (1945).

As a film actor, his career spanned 50 years, from an uncredited walk-on in D.W. Griffith's Hearts of the World (1917) to his celebrated final role in the Michael Caine thriller, The Italian Job (1969). His other notable big screen appearances are in The Scoundrel (1935) Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Our Man in Havana (1959) and later in Paris When It Sizzles (1964) and Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965). 

Explore Noël’s filmography further here or to find the full works of Noël Coward, click here.

MUSIC

“I can only assume the compulsion to make rhymes was born in me.” - Noël Coward

Noël Coward’s verbal wit flourished in his song writing, and his comic timing excelled in his vocal delivery. His music and lyrics are not incidental or peripheral to his art but central to his work. As well as writing musicals and musical revue, he wrote songs for popular consumption. Coward’s music has been covered many times over by Dinah Washington, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John, Robbie Williams, Pet Shop Boys, The Divine Comedy, Vic Reeves, Ian Bostridge, Damon Albarn, Michael Nyman, and others.

Noël's lyrics are loved for their witty and effective use of complex rhyming schemes, where internal rhymes and rhythms are used to create incisive, mental pictures of the absurdity of the human condition in both likely and unlikely scenarios. While some songs are jocular, Noël also used his song lyrics to express emotions he otherwise could not share publicly. Tim Rice said of Coward's songs: "The wit and wisdom of Noël Coward's lyrics will be as lively and contemporary in 100 years' time as they are today." 

Some of his most recognisable songs include I’ll See You Again (1929), Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1931), Mad About the Boy (1932) and London Pride (1941). Browse the new Noël Coward Apple Music Songbook now for a selection of originals and covers of Coward’s greatest work, or explore his essential tracks in this Spotify playlist.