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 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:

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

Darryl F. Zanuck's major concern about the film was length. Before production began and during its earliest days, he badgered Alfred Hitchcock to cut the film, insisting that he had had the script timed and felt that without cuts it would come in at almost three hours. Hitchcock insisted that, whoever was timing the script was wrong and possibly sabotaging the production. He claimed the film would come in at about 90 minutes (it actually ran 97). Since Hitchcock was shooting in sequence, it was fairly easy to cut the film as they went along. As soon as Zanuck saw the first complete reel, he was satisfied and trusted Hitchcock.

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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

Referenced in You Bet Your Life: Episode #6.18 (1956)

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Soundtracks

Du, Du, Liegst Mir im Herzen
(uncredited)
Traditional German folk song
Played on flute by Canada Lee
Reprised by Lee 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.