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:

u boat | lifeboat | world war two | amputation | bare chested male | 

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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

Canada Lee was allowed to write his own lines.

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Goofs

When Gus is chugging brandy, the amount in the bottle remains the same and does not go down.

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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

Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree
(1942) (uncredited)
Music by Sam H. Stept
Lyrics by Charles Tobias and Lew Brown
Played on flute by Canada Lee and sung by William Bendix

User Reviews

Claustrophobic but still suspenseful tale on the open seas...

There are times during LIFEBOAT where the claustrophobia can't be avoided, since Hitchcock chose to film it on one set--a lifeboat in the open seas. But thanks to his craftsmanship, it never ceases to absorb the viewer as it becomes a tightly-knit character study of the survivors and their interaction.

Most prominent among the players is TALLULAH BANKHEAD, losing her possessions but gaining some humanity. She's described rather accurately by another poster as "the Maureen Dowd of the '40s", the shallow but sophisticated columnist with a condescending attitude toward everyone but herself.

But it's the WALTER SLEZAK character, a German among the survivors, who holds the most attention and proves that nothing can be seen in terms of black and white when it comes to human character. On the good side, he operates on WILLIAM BENDIX to successfully amputate his leg--but later resorts to murder when Bendix outlives his usefulness.

The other characters are more or less stock types--but are well played by JOHN HODIAK, CANADA LEE, HEATHER ANGEL, HENRY HULL and HUME CRONYN.

Summing up: Absorbing entertainment, stark tale of survival with the Hitchcock touch.