Lifeboat (1944)

Several survivors of a torpedoed ship find themselves in the same boat with one of the men who sunk it.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Steinbeck (by), Jo Swerling (screenplay),

Stars:

Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tallulah Bankhead	...	Constance 'Connie' Porter
William Bendix	...	Gus Smith
Walter Slezak	...	Willy
Mary Anderson	...	Alice MacKenzie
John Hodiak	...	John Kovac
Henry Hull	...	Charles S. Rittenhouse
Heather Angel	...	Mrs. Higgins
Hume Cronyn	...	Stanley 'Sparks' Garett
Canada Lee	...	George 'Joe' Spencer

Storyline

In the Atlantic during WWII, a ship and a German U-boat are involved in a battle and both are sunk. The survivors from the ship gather in one of the boats. They are from a variety of backgrounds: an international journalist, a rich businessman, the radio operator, a nurse, a steward, a sailor and an engineer with communist tendencies. Trouble starts when they pull a man out of the water who turns out to be from the U-boat.

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Plot Keywords:

german | u boat | survivor | radio operator | sea | 

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Taglines:

Six men and three women - against the sea and each other.

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Genres:

Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

28 January 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Náufragos

Filming Locations:

Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,590,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot entirely on a restricted set in which the boat was secured in a large studio tank. Alfred Hitchcock, always striving for realism, insisted that the boat never remain stationary and that there always be an added touch of ocean mist and fog compounded of oil forced through dry ice.

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Goofs

After Gus awakes from his amputation, the nurse has both arms near her at first. Then, she is leaning over Gus with her right arm outstretched in the next shot.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[indistinct shouting]
John Kovac: Ahoy there!
[climbs into boat]
John Kovac: Lady, you certainly don't look like somebody that's just been shipwrecked.
Connie Porter: Man, I certainly feel like it.

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Connections

Remade as Lifepod (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Treue Liebe"
(uncredited)
Traditional German folk song
Played on flute by Henry Hull and Sung in German by Walter Slezak

User Reviews

As gut-wrenching as any Hitchcock

For some reason, "Lifeboat" has remained a relatively obscure and overlooked Hitchcock film. True, the pace is nothing like a North By Northwest or Rear Window, but the level of drama provided is as high as any of Hitchcock's films, early or late. The scene where the mother wakes up in Tallulah's fur coat and asks where her little Johnny is was one of the most gut wrenching scenes I've ever seen in a movie, and I've seen plenty of movies. The movie, while wonderfully developing its own nine characters, also raises questions aimed at the viewer, pointedly questioning how each one of us would react in those certain situations. Personally, I thought the movie was another Hitchcock masterpiece, and I would definitely give it four out of four stars.