Lifeboat (1944)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Steinbeck (story)
Jo Swerling (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 January 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | War

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Several survivors of a torpedoed ship find themselves in the same boat with one of the men who sunk it.

Plot Keywords:

Anti Capitalism | Fur Coat | Film Camera | Dead Baby | Radio Operator

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

Tallulah Bankhead	...	Constance 'Connie' Porter
William Bendix	...	Gus Smith
Walter Slezak	...	Willy
Mary Anderson	...	Alice MacKenzie
John Hodiak	...	John Kovac
Henry Hull	...	Charles D. 'Ritt' Rittenhouse
Heather Angel	...	Mrs.Higley
Hume Cronyn	...	Stanley 'Sparks' Garrett
Canada Lee	...	George 'Joe' Spencer

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Brazil:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #9598) | Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1989) | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Peru:18

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Alfred Hitchcock]in "before" and "after" pictures in a newspaper advertisement for Reduco Obesity Slayer. The pictures were genuine, as he had just been on a crash diet (although not with the fictional Reduco) from 300 to 200 lbs. However, the so-called "Reduco Obesity Slayer" diet pill or potion ad seemed so real that audience called the studio and wrote letters to Alfred Hitchcock asking where could they get this product.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Talulah offers to use her diamond bracelet as a fishing lure, the fish that swallows it is a carp, a fresh water fish, which would be unlikely to strike at a flashy lure anyway since it is a toothless herbivore.

Quotes:

John Kovac: [after the young German sailor pulls a gun] The baby has a toy!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Bloodlust! (#7.7)" (1994)

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.