Seven Days from Now (1957)

Ship's officer finds himself in command of a lifeboat full of survivors of a sunken luxury liner.

Director:

Richard Sale

Writer:

Richard Sale

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tyrone Power	...	Alec Holmes
Mai Zetterling	...	Nurse Julie White
Lloyd Nolan	...	Frank Kelly
Stephen Boyd	...	Will McKinley
Moira Lister	...	Edith Middleton
James Hayter	...	'Cookie' Morrow
Marie Lohr	...	Dorothy Knudson
Finlay Currie	...	Mr. Wheaton
John Stratton	...	Jimmy 'Sparks' Clary
Victor Maddern	...	Willy Hawkins
Eddie Byrne	...	Michael Faroni
Noel Willman	...	Aubrey Clark
Moultrie Kelsall	...	Daniel Cane
Robert Harris	...	Arthur J. Middleton
Gordon Jackson	...	John Merritt

Storyline

After their luxury liner is sunk, a group of over twenty survivors take refuge in a life boat made for only nine. Included in the group are an old opera singer, a nuclear physicist, his wife and child, a General, a playwright and his dog, a college professor, a gambler and his mistress, the ship's nurse, and several members of the crew, including the Captain and executive officer. Soon, the captain dies from his injuries. The executive officer must take charge, and as a hurricane approaches, and their food and water run out, he must decide who to put over the side, and who stays and gets a chance at survival.

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Plot Keywords:

tragedy | alone | survivor | death | water | 

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Taglines:

14 of these survivors must be cast adrift! Which will the Captain choose?

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is loosely based on an incident at sea in 1841 when the Brown hit an iceberg and sank. The jolly boat was overloaded and leaking. The ranking crew member, First Mate Francis Rhodes, ordered the crew to jettison all male passengers, saving the women and children. Sixteen men were sacrificed. The survivors were rescued the next day and upon reaching port in Philadelphia brought charges of murder. First Mate Francis Rhodes was nowhere to be found so one of the crew, Alexander Holmes, was charged. He got six months in jail and a twenty dollar fine. No one else was tried.

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Goofs

When McKinley is making his way toward Alec, there is a shot of Edith Middleton looking back at him. In the next shot, she is looking out to sea.

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Quotes

Announcer: [closing lines] The story which you have just seen is a true one. In real life Captain Alexander Holmes was brought to trial on a charge of murder. He was convicted and given the minimum sentence of six months because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the incident. If you had been a member of the jury, how would you have voted: guilty or innocent?

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Connections

Remade as The Last Survivors (1975)

User Reviews

Very good

I liked this much in the way of Hitchcock's better known Lifeboat. Great character study of Tyrone Power in one of his last roles. Movie was shot in a large tank it seems as echos are heard. The only problem I have and I don't know if it's a goof or continuity problem is the fate of the first three characters and the dog on the floating wooden raft at the beginning of the movie. After Alec Holmes(Power)leaves them what happens to them? Otherwise a good flick. I like to point out that three Upstairs Downstairs alumni appear in this movie: Gordon Jackson, David Langton & Clive Morton. Power is great in a character twisting role as the first understanding acting captain and then as the more manaical Ahab like character who sacrifices peoples lives.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1957 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Seven Days from Now

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Copa Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min (Encore-Action Library Print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1