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Lifeboat (1944) More at IMDbPro »

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80 comments in total

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47 out of 57 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Hitchcock's best that rarely gets a mention. Don't overlook this one!, 26 March 2003
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

'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.

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31 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
The film's propaganda message was widely misunderstood at the time…, 29 April 2005

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

More than one director has realized that the perfect plausible way of confining your characters to provide suspense is to put them in a boat – a mini-world of people, unable to get away from each other and isolated in the vast impersonal ocean with perils of its own...

The film is set in World War II… An Allied ship was sunk by a German U-boat and a mixed bunch of survivors got away in the lifeboat… The enemy submarine was also sunk by the explosion and its Nazi commander joined the survivors in their lifeboat…

At first they were prepared to throw him overboard – but it was his skill which saved their little craft and gradually, while the allies were torn by dissension, selfishness, divided aims and views, his single-minded strength of purpose and his disciplined abilities took command… Unknown to the others, he was stealing their rations to keep up his strength, and directing them towards a rendez-vous with a German supply ship…

Tallulah Bankhead, incidentally, dominated the acting of the whole fine cast except possibly Walter Slezak, as the Nazi… As the woman journalist, keeping close to her material possessions, and only emotionally more friendly, she gave a performance with the power and the pain of a thirty feet salt wave…

It is ironic that the film's propaganda message, which I believe weakened and over-simplified it, was widely misunderstood at the time… Hitchcock intended to show at that stage of the war that the democracies should settle their differences and unite forces against the common enemy, who was disciplined, strong, and knew just where he was going… Instead, a lot of people attacked the film for showing the strongest character as the Nazi!

"Lifeboat" is an interesting thriller from the mounting tensions of the interplay of conflicting characters, trapped and isolated in the planks of their little boat…

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37 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
Single-set thriller of the kind that only Hitchcock could make., 9 May 2005

Author: Jonathon Dabell (barnaby.rudge@hotmail.co.uk) from Wakefield, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Lifeboat was Alfred Hitchcock's only film for 20th Century Fox. It is not widely remembered nowadays - certainly not in the way that Psycho, North By Northwest and Rebecca are remembered - but it still ranks very highly in the director's canon. In the film Hitchcock demonstrates a fascination with restricting the action to a single set. He would return later in his career to the concept of single set stories, for movies such as Rope, Dial M For Murder and Rear Window. It is an approach that would bring most directors to their knees, but Hitch rises to the challenge admirably, finding ingenious ways to maintain audience interest and providing a ceaseless undercurrent of excitement.

A passenger ship torpedoed by a German U-Boat sinks in the Atlantic Ocean. Well-groomed society lady Constance Porter (Tallulah Bankhead, in an absolutely outstanding performance) successfully mans one of the sunken ship's lifeboats and steers it around the debris in search of survivors. She picks up various types from the sea, including injured sailor Gus Smith (William Bendix), crewman John Kovac (John Hodiak) and the German U-Boat captain (Walter Slezak) whose own submarine was critically damaged in the attack. The dynamic of the group is severely strained by the German's presence, as the other survivors contemplate and argue over whether to toss him to the sharks, or put their trust in him to steer their lifeboat to safety.

Slezak is very good as the tricky German, deviously keeping a stash of water to himself while the others struggle against chronic thirst, and at one point murdering a fellow survivor to keep his water supply a secret. Hitchcock and his script-writer Jo Swerling wisely let us in on the German's true nature, while the characters surrounding him are unaware of his treachery. This keeps tension on a knife-edge throughout the film, and holds the viewer in suspense for the whole story. Similarly, Bankhead's casting is so unorthodox, her character so intentionally ill-fitting to the oceanic setting, that her role in the proceedings casts a strange fascination. The film has a lot of political and propagandist subtext, and many people have viewed it as an allegory of the Nazi rise in Europe (Slezak is the metaphor for Nazi Germany; the others metaphors for surrounding nations duped into believing that the Nazi neighbour in their midst is helpful and trustworthy). Whatever else Lifeboat can and can't be interpreted as, one thing is certain - it's a mighty fine movie!

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38 out of 48 people found the following comment useful :-
See It for Tallulah, 23 June 2000

Author: ronnie from United States

Ms. Bankhead's performance is amazing in this compelling film. In the first scene we are shown astounding destruction at sea from a capsized ship until the camera pans over to a lifeboat where the lone, well-coiffured, mink-draped, all made-up Tallulah is sitting, cross-legged, smoking a cigarette. Then we are shown a close-up of her leg. There's a run in her stocking! She looks more annoyed at that than all the carnage surrounding her! Later on, with more survivors on board and in danger of starving, she worries about how she looks and applies more lipstick! Oh Darling! This is classic cinema and one of the few films of this great lady (she was mostly on stage). John Hodiak (very handsome) is her enemy (at first), while Walter Slezak, Hume Cronin, William Bendix and the others ably support. An astonishing Alfred Hitchcock film.

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27 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
U Boat, 10 March 2005

Author: jotix100 from New York

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

John Steinbeck's story was cleverly adapted by Jo Swerling, although it appears Ben Hecht was also a collaborator in the screen play. Without a doubt, Alfred Hitchcock scored another hit with "Lifeboat". For being done in one set, the boat, the movie never feels claustrophobic. The camera work is extremely effective because it conveys the hard voyage these survivors undertook after their Trans Atlantic ship was attacked by a German U boat.

The mood in the boat is driven by a sense of survival. The motley crew that gets on board after the shipwreck presents an assortment of people so different, but joined together by their predicament. It would have been highly impossible if these lives ever met, had it not been for the accident.

The characters are well defined. We see a glamorous reporter who manages to be in the boat by herself right after the wreck. The earthy Constance finds more from this experience than with her own work. Kovac, is the rough sailor who takes command. Gus, the injured sailor can't do much more but rely on happy moments in order to keep sane after his terrible predicament. Willy, the devious German, who the group rescues, has an agenda, but the others are too involved in their own problems to see right through this man. Sparks and Alice finally find peace and love with one another. The rich man, Rittenhouse realizes his money is not worth anything if they are not rescued soon.

Hitchcock's direction is what made "Lifeboat" the fine movie, and the classic it became. In a way, the ending is completely anti-climatic as the survivors realize Willy, the captain has steered them into a trap, but at the same time, after they watch the other German ship destroyed by an Allied vessel, they rescue a sailor, who threatens them, but is easily overpowered. We never see them saved, but we know they will be taken care by the approaching ship.

Tallulah Bankhead is excellent as Constance. In fact, her performance is perhaps exaggerated in order to convey the sophistication of the character. Little by little she is reduced to nothing as she loses all her material possessions, so dear to her and accepts the reality of the situation. John Hodiak, as Kovac, offers a mysterious side, as well as commanding power. William Bendix as Gus, offers a man who keeps thinking about happier times with his girlfriend.

Walter Slezak's performance is also equally satisfying. We know from the beginning he is hiding things from the people in the boat, but at the same time, he offers their only salvation. Hume Cronyn, an actor that worked with Hitchcock in a few movies, is good as Sparks. Mary Anderson is the sweet Alice who acts as a balancing agent. Henry Hull and Canada Lee, round out the magnificent cast of the film.

This is a Hitchcock film that deserves to be seen more often, for it offers tremendous rewards to its viewers.

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25 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb Hitchcock and superb Bankhead, 8 July 2005

Author: (aandersen@landmark.edu) from Putney, VT

How difficult is it to make a 96 minute film with one set and keep it consistently interesting and fascinating? Answer: Extremely - but Hitchcock and his cinematographer pulled it off brilliantly.

Bankhead is brilliant and deserved an Oscar nom for Best Actress - likewise William Bendix is superb and deserved a Best Supporting Actor nom -neither made the Academy's final list. A shame! (I found Bendix in WAKE ISLAND, for which he was nominated, rather forgettable).

This one did get noms for direction, cinematography and original story- all deserved. The ensemble playing from everyone is exceptional - it's dark and harrowing, but a masterpiece nonetheless. Don't miss it!

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22 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Quite Interesting, 12 August 2002
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio

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.

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24 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
I'd like to be lost at sea with this great cast anyday, 16 April 1999

Author: Michael Bragg (mbragg@menlocollege.menlo.edu) from Redwood Shores, CA

In one of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films, six people with different personalities and backgrounds are stranded together in a lifeboat after the passenger-carrying freighter they are on is sunk by a German u-boat in the Mid-Atlantic. The cast includes the fabulous Tallulah Bankhead as a bitchy photo-journalist, Hume Cronyn as kind-hearted man who finds love on the lifeboat, Canada Lee as a kind steward, Walter Slezak as a mysterious German, and John Hodiak who has to dodge Tallulah's nonstop advances. Hitchcock did this film on one set - the single lifeboat. What's amazing is that he could keep things interesting for two hours, but he managed to somehow. Bankhead is this movie's greatest asset. Reportedly, she didn't wear underwear on the set and constantly kept the crew at attention! This is a great, novel film.

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24 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
another great experiment...., 23 May 2002

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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20 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
As gut-wrenching as any Hitchcock, 9 February 1999

Author: adonal foyle (Sprewell) from cali

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.

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