IMDb > Lifeboat (1944)
Lifeboat
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Lifeboat (1944) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   8,772 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writers:
John Steinbeck (by)
Jo Swerling (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Lifeboat on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 January 1944 (USA) more
Genre:
Thriller | War more
Tagline:
Who goes Primitive first...A man...Or a woman...adrift in an open boat ? more
Plot:
Several survivors of a torpedoed ship find themselves in the same boat with one of the men who sunk it. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Oscars quiz: Can you spot the only best actress nominee?
 (From Gold Derby. 31 October 2009, 5:10 PM, PDT)
Ang Lee Confirms His Next Film is 'Life of Pi'
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 30 October 2009, 12:30 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
another great experiment.... more (80 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
Tallulah Bankhead ... Connie Porter
William Bendix ... Gus
Walter Slezak ... Willy
Mary Anderson ... Alice MacKenzie
John Hodiak ... Kovac
Henry Hull ... Rittenhouse
Heather Angel ... Mrs.Higley

Hume Cronyn ... Sparks
Canada Lee ... Joe
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Yetter Jr. ... German Sailor (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock 
 
Writing credits
John Steinbeck (by)

Jo Swerling (screenplay)

Ben Hecht  uncredited
Alfred Hitchcock  story idea (uncredited)

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock .... producer (as Alfred Hitchcock's production)
Kenneth Macgowan .... producer
William Goetz .... executive producer (uncredited)
Darryl F. Zanuck .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Hugo Friedhofer  (as Hugo W. Friedhofer)
 
Cinematography by
Glen MacWilliams (director of photography)
Arthur C. Miller (director of photography) (uncredited)
 
Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer 
 
Art Direction by
James Basevi 
Maurice Ransford 
 
Set Decoration by
Thomas Little 
 
Costume Design by
René Hubert (costumes) (as Rene Hubert)
 
Makeup Department
Guy Pearce .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
R.L. Hough .... production manager (uncredited)
Ben Silvey .... unit production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Saul Wurtzel .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
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)
James Curtis Havens .... background (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Harry Jackson .... location camera (uncredited)
Paul Lockwood .... camera operator (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson .... wardrobe (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Emil Newman .... musical direction
 
Other crew
Thomas Fitzsimmons .... technical advisor: National Maritime Unioin
Queenie Leonard .... dialogue coach (uncredited)
Eugen Sharin .... dialogue coach (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
97 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German | French
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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 more
Company:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Alfred Hitchcock called Ben Hecht in to read the final script and to rewrite the ending. more
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. more
Quotes:
Connie Porter: [speaking of the disaster] Reminds me of an air raid once that hit me in Chunking.
John Kovac: Reminds me of a slaughterhouse I once worked in in Chicago. Those Nazi buzzards - a tin fish ain't enough. They've got to shell us too!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Last Voyage (1960) more
Soundtrack:
Heidenroslein, Op.3, No.3, D 257 more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
24 out of 29 people found the following comment useful.
another great experiment...., 23 May 2002
9/10
Author: tripper0 from Canada

"Lifeboat" is an excellent film. It is a great achievement by Alfred Hitchcock that he could create a film set on only a lifeboat interesting for its duration. Hitchcock had a knack for experimental films, such as "Rope", which seems to be one continuous shot, and "Rear Window", which features one small apartment and a man in a wheel chair. With so little, he is always able to do so much.

In "Lifeboat", we start out with the sinking of a ship and people gathering on the lifeboat. It's really that simple. This is a character driven film. There are no lush chase sequences, there are no gunfights, there is no mystery. Nope, its all about how this collection of characters interact with each other. Its a study of how difference of opinion can creat tensions, and how people can deal with those tensions. Its really fascinating to watch, and when its all said and done, you get the impression that it wasn't just an experiment, but that it had something to say, and it did.

The only slight flaw in the film is that we don't really get a sense of how long(exactly)they've been at sea. I "Cast Away" we saw Tom Hanks lost a considerable amount of weight and grow a considerable amount of hair. Well, that is the one thing you don't see with this movie. Its really a minor quibble anyway because it doesn't diminish the entertainment value at all.

Hitchcock was the master of suspense, but he was never afraid to try other things, from screwball comedy(Mr. and Mrs.Smith) to psychological thrillers(Vertigo). This film is definitely one of his best and most interesting experiments. 9 out of 10.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lifeboat (1944)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Use of German Expressionism and Soviet Expressive Realism in Lifeboat alpinebixby
er, um... bathroom? antsinyourplants
Where's Alfred's cameo? missiveusa
why didnt Miss Bankhead get a nonimation? darlakarla
Did you see the kiss between Ms. Bankhead and Mr. Hodiak? christianrothsch
Did you trust the German? mrplow0056
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