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 (screen play)

Stars:

Tallulah Bankhead, John Hodiak, Walter Slezak

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tallulah Bankhead	...	Connie Porter
William Bendix	...	Gus Smith
Walter Slezak	...	Willi
Mary Anderson	...	Alice MacKenzie
John Hodiak	...	John Kovac
Henry Hull	...	Charles J. Rittenhouse
Heather Angel	...	Mrs. Higley
Hume Cronyn	...	Stanley Garrett
Canada Lee	...	Joe Spencer

Storyline

In the Atlantic during World War II, 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:

sea | nazi | u boat | lifeboat | world war two | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

28 January 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's Production of Lifeboat

Filming Locations:

Sersen Lake on the backlot of 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,590,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Asked why he had decided not to have any musical score during the narrative of this movie, Sir Alfred Hitchcock reasoned that the audience wouldn't know where the music was coming from in the middle of an ocean. Composer David Raskin replied "Ask Mr. Hitchcock to explain where the camera came from and I'll tell him where the music comes from."

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Goofs

The fish bait is a large Cartier multi-link diamond bracelet. It is used unfastened, so hangs straight down when hooked to the fishing line. However, when underwater it is shown as a small, plain, ring.

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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.