Lifeboat (1944)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

John Steinbeck (story)
Jo Swerling (screenplay)
(more)

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:

German | U Boat | Survivor | Nurse | 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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Yetter Jr.	...	German Sailor (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
John Steinbeck		(story)
Jo Swerling		(screenplay)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Kenneth Macgowan	....	producer

Original Music by
Hugo Friedhofer		(as Hugo W. Friedhofer)

Cinematography by
Glen MacWilliams		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Art Direction by
James Basevi
Maurice Ransford

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
René Hubert		(as Rene Hubert)

Makeup Department
Guy Pearce	....	makeup artist

Art Department
Frank E. Hughes	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects
Edwin Hammeras	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Emil Newman	....	musical director

Other crew
Thomas Fitzsimmons	....	technical advisor: National Maritime Unioin
Eugen Sharin	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1989) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (certificate #9598) | Brazil:12 | 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:

During the beginning of filming Mary Anderson asked Hitchcock what he thought "is my best side." Hitchcock dryly responded, "You're sitting on it, my dear."

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:

Connie Porter: Dying together's even more personal than living together.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour: The Celebrity Next Door (#1.2)" (1957)

One of Hitchcock's best that rarely gets a mention. Don't overlook this one!

'Lifeboat' must be extremely high on the list of THE most underrated Alfred Hitchcock movies! I very rarely hear anyone talk about this little gem, which is a damn shame as it is as good as many of Hitch's better known films. The plot is simple but the film makes the most of it with inventive direction, a strong script, and an interesting ensemble cast, most of whom are very good. I believe that Tallulah Bankhead irritates many people but I thought she was effective enough and well cast. I must say I was much more interested in Walter Slezak who played the Nazi and John Hodiak the tattooed tough guy. Both were excellent performances that really added to my enjoyment of the movie. Anybody who likes Hitchcock who hasn't seen 'Lifeboat' is in for a treat. Don't overlook this one. It's dated in some ways sure, but still much more entertaining than 90% of today's so-called thrillers. I strongly recommend it.