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:

Industrialist | Fur Coat | Steward | Sterilization | Submarine

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:

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

Screenwriter John Steinbeck, a noted liberal, was outraged by what he regarded as director Alfred Hitchcock's racism as manifested in his condescension towards the George 'Joe' Spencer character played by Canada Lee.

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: As of now I'm skipper, and anybody who don't like it can get out and swim to Bermuda. What about that?
Gus Smith: I'll buy it.
Stanley 'Sparks' Garrett: Suits me. What about you, Miss?
Alice MacKenzie: I'm for it.
George 'Joe' Spencer: Yes, sir!
Charles D. 'Ritt' Rittenhouse: Well, if the rest agree.
Connie Porter: All right, Commissar, what's the course?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Last Voyage (1960)

Quite Interesting

One of the things that made Hitchcock great was his willingness to experiment, rather than just sticking with a proven formula all of the time. While not all of his experimental movies measure up to his greatest achievements, they're always worth watching, and "Lifeboat" is much more than just watchable. It's a tense drama that combines psychology and action in an efficient and memorable style.

This is quite an interesting movie in several respects, and not least for the ways that Hitchcock squeezes so much out of one single setting. Into the simple "Lifeboat" setting, he puts lots of details that are both interesting and appropriate. The characters are interesting and believable, and most of all, the story is full of both suspense and substance. As an extra bonus, there is one of Hitchcock's most creative cameo appearances.

Aside from the technical features, it is also noteworthy to see the ways that the characters are portrayed, with the contrasts among them perhaps a bit stylized at times, but done so as to make some important points. The cast does a good job in making each of the characters come to life, and all of them get a chance to have some good moments. It all fits together to make an unusual movie that is well worth watching.