Lifeboat (1944)

Several survivors of a torpedoed merchant ship in World War II find themselves in the same lifeboat with one of the crew members of the U-boat that sank their ship.

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 WW II, a ship and a German U-boat are involved in battle, and both are sunk. The survivors - from a variety of backgrounds -gather in one of the life boats. Trouble begins when they pull a man out of the water who turns out to be from the U-boa

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

In "The Dark Side of Genius", Donald Spoto wrote that Tallulah Bankhead would climb a ladder every day to reach the tank where the filming took place. She never wore underwear and regularly received an ovation from the crew.

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Goofs

When people call from the boat to people in the water, their voices produce a noticeable echo, revealing that the scenes are shot in a tank in a studio, not out on the ocean.

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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

Featured in Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense (2013)

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Soundtracks

Die Meistersinger: Preislied
(1867) (uncredited)
Written by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

Bankhead was brilliant!

I can't imagine why anyone would consider Bankhead's performance "terrible" or "over-the-top." First of all, the role is obviously written as a very theatrical, flamboyant woman. She plays the part the way it's written, and the style of her performance in no way takes away from the other characters, who are also fairly stylized, such as Henry Hull's industrialist or William Bendix Brooklynese seaman. The character also goes through real changes as the movie progresses, losing all of her worldly possessions (typewriter, fur coat, diamond bracelet), losing her head to John Hodiak, and finally becoming just another one of the dirty, downtrodden survivors. Honestly, I don't know how she could have been better, and she probably should have won the Academy Award that year.

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