Lifeboat (1944)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

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

Release Date:

28 January 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | War

Tagline:

Who goes Primitive first...A man...Or a woman...adrift in an open boat ?

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

German | U Boat | Survivor | Nurse | Lifeboat

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Yetter Jr.	...	Young German Sailor (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
John Steinbeck		(by)
Jo Swerling		(screenplay)
Ben Hecht		uncredited
Alfred Hitchcock		story idea (uncredited)

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer
Kenneth Macgowan	....	producer
William Goetz	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Hugo Friedhofer		(as Hugo W. Friedhofer)

Cinematography by
Glen MacWilliams		(director of photography)
Arthur C. Miller		(director of photography) (uncredited)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
James Basevi
Maurice Ransford

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
René Hubert		(costumes) (as Rene Hubert)

Makeup Department
Guy Pearce	....	makeup artist

Production Management
R.L. Hough	....	production manager (uncredited)
Ben Silvey	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Saul Wurtzel	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Frank E. Hughes	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects
Edwin Hammeras	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
James Curtis Havens	....	background (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Harry Jackson	....	location camera (uncredited)
Paul Lockwood	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Lyman Hallowell	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Emil Newman	....	musical direction

Other crew
Thomas Fitzsimmons	....	technical advisor: National Maritime Unioin
Queenie Leonard	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Eugen Sharin	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Emerald (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1989) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (certificate #9598) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:Atp (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | USA:Unrated | Argentina:16 (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Peru:18

Filming Locations:

Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Alfred Hitchcock] [bathroom]John Kovac's "BM" tattoo.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The fish that is seen underwater going after Connie's gem bait is obviously being pulled to it by a line attached to its mouth, and never opens its mouth to take the object when it makes its "strike".

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour: The Celebrity Next Door (#1.2)" (1957)

Soundtrack:

Du, Du, Liegst Mir im Herzen

A lesser-known Hitchcock masterclass!

Hitchcock made a lot of great films, many of which have been met with the acclaim that they rightly deserve. Lifeboat deserves a lot of acclaim, yet its lesser-known status doesn't allow justice in that respect. This film represents one of Hitchcock's major successes in scene setting and drawing the audience into the story. The way that Hitchcock uses his camera aboard the lifeboat is amazing, as by keeping the action on the claustrophobic craft, the great director ensures that his audience is always plugged into the plight of his characters; which helps the film no end when it comes to the story, as we know their situation at all times. In fact, it's amazing just how well Hitchcock does do this; while they were starving, I was too! The plot is simple, yet a great base for a wartime thriller. We follow the surviving members of a crew from a ship that was bombed by a German U-Boat. They're crammed onto a small lifeboat, but there's one survivor that isn't quite welcome. His name is Willy, and he's a survivor of the U-Boat that sank the ill-fated ship.

Given the time when this was made (towards the end of World War 2), it's hardly surprising that it's filled with propaganda. Usually, this annoys me; but here it's done really well, and the propaganda is actually worked into the story instead of just being there to rally the allied population at the time. Hitchcock turns this into a twist, and the way that he parodies the war on the whole on just a small lifeboat in the middle of the big ocean is great. The entire film takes place on just one single set. The action never leaves the lifeboat (aside from to pan around the surrounding area), but Hitchcock uses this to his advantage. The lack of locations really enforces the crew's isolation. The acting is melodramatic in typical forties fashion; but all of the cast members do well in their roles. Tallulah Bankhead takes the lead role and really is the linchpin of the movie. She is joined by the likes of William Bendix, Walter Slezak and John Hodiak, who give great turns despite not being A-class actors. Overall, this is a Hitchcock film that I would say is just as important to see as the likes of Rear Window and Strangers on a Train. This is Hitchcock at his best, and the film is a great ninety-five minutes to boot. Don't miss this one!