Lifeboat (1944)

You won't be disappointed!

So much average

Fresh and Exciting

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This lesser known gem by Hitchcock is so simple but so brilliant! Most of the movie takes place, you guessed it - in a lifeboat so it is in a way similar to another classic from him "Rope"

Alfred Hitchcock received his second of five unrewarded Best Director Academy Award nominations for this creative war drama that was written by John Steinbeck, who earned his first (of three unrewarded) Best Writing Oscar nomination for his Original Story. Glen MacWilliams received his only Academy recognition when his B&W Cinematography was Oscar nominated. Jo Swerling (The Pride of the Yankees (1942)) wrote the film's screenplay.The director's mastery of his craft in on full display; he challenged himself by assembling a great cast of actors to play characters from various backgrounds with differing political points of view about World War II etc. and placed them in a very limiting environment, the titled boat.Their ship had been blown out of the water by the Nazi's, and international journalist Constance 'Connie' Porter (Tallulah Bankhead) is the first to find herself safely aboard the lifeboat; she's dressed in her best jewelry and clothing and has managed to garner her most prized possessions on-board, which she loses one by one during the course of the movie. She's soon joined by millionaire industrialist Charles 'Ritt' Rittenhouse (Henry Hull), working class crew member John Kovac (John Kodiak), sailor Gus Smith (William Bendix) whose leg later has to be amputated, a Black steward named George 'Joe' Spencer (Canada Lee), a radio operator named Stanley 'Sparks' Garrett (Hume Cronyn), who has eyes for nurse Alice MacKenzie (Mary Anderson), a mother who believes the bundle she holds contains her still alive baby (Heather Angel as Mrs. Higley), and even a German U-boat captain they call Willy (Walter Slezak), who doesn't seem to understand their English language but has the ability to manage the boat.Of course, the 'passengers' debate whether to kill their enemy or not, especially as they get hungry and thirsty as the food and water run out, yet Willy seems to be doing fine rowing (and navigating the direction of) the boat. An odd couple sort of attraction develops between the rich businesswoman, Connie, and the rugged 'commie', Kovac.

Released during WWII, Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" is a wonderful study of human nature. Seven survivors of a ship torpedoed by a German U-boat are joined by a German survivor. Without many resources, their ultimate goal is survival.This wonderful cast of eight portrays characters from every part of society--from the upper crust woman (Tallulah Bankhead as Connie Porter) adorned with fur and diamonds to a ship's laborer (Canada Lee as Joe Spencer), from a nurse to an industrialist. But the differences between appearance and reality are illuminated as the story presents hardship after hardship.Issues of class, race and politics are highlighted as Hitchcock strips away the veneer of society's rules and peels back the layers that make up the personality of each character. The film asks if you can truly know anyone. It suggests that people behave differently in times of emergency and extreme stress. But are we merely seeing the true nature of people in such moments?Given world circumstances, the German character (Walter Slezak as Willi) becomes the symbol for an entire nation and its political philosophy. Or is he merely a man who also suffers at the hands of his misguided military leaders?The boat becomes its own "country", where concepts of governance are tested. This is an important part of the story, for it shows that one's political preferences reveal one's true beliefs about the nature of man.With such a brilliant script (from a story by William Steinbeck), an excellent cast, and Hitchcock's shining stewardship, it is no wonder that "Lifeboat" is a film that will never lose its luster or its relevance.

Lifeboat is one of those films that takes place only in one spot. A handful of random survivors are thrown into a tough situation together and are stuck with each-other for a length of time. In this case, a freight ship has been sunk and the survivors gradually accumulate in a lifeboat. We meet them one by one and start to learn what's going on. We get first impressions of them but the characters gain more depth as the movie continues. And wouldn't you know it, one of the Germans from the U-Boat which also went down has to join the party as well.Some of the people are dominating whereas other are submissive, some are upper class while others are workers. It's a microcosm of society at large. They all have stories, personal things they reveal when they feel like it. They are not caricatures but have details to their personalities - subtle quirks and contradictions. They can be reasonable and civilised but also argumentative and confrontational. They face moral choices and it's the thoughts and feelings they go through that are more important than their final decisions. We are free to assess their choices and behaviour. We see a more intense, raw side of humanity in these kinds of situations.It's impressive that the film manages to be so engaging even within it's claustrophobic environment. It's not artificial entertainment either. We are naturally interested in the characters and whether they will survive or not. Shocks and twists occur at random intervals. New information comes up that creates more drama and tension. We don't know if we can trust the German. We don't know if the boat is headed in the right direction or not. We don't know if a storm might be just around the corner.One part calls for an emergency operation which really had me squirming in a way few horror movies can achieve. The movie doesn't shy away from the simple reality of what is happening. The movie isn't bogged down by clichés, it's confident in the value of real people behaving realistically. I feel like Hitchcock's direction is simple and transparent. He doesn't try to do too much.The actors are all believable and do a good job. Bankhead in particular stands out. She seems arrogant and superficial at first but emerges as mature and reasonable compared to the others. The German comes across as intelligent and calm. Canada Lee plays a dignified African-American in a time when I believe that was rare. It's a shame he's not given more to do in the film. In fact, when the others ask for his opinion on something, he's surprised and taken aback that he even gets to have a say.It's interesting that the movie has practically no music. But the splashing water and swaying boat fulfills that job. It's calming and creates a unique atmosphere. I'm sure a lot could be read into the symbolism of a lifeboat floating in a vast ocean. You could deeply analyse the interplay of different personality types as well. I'm sure there are numerous examples of various psychological phenomena.Lifeboat has many similarities to films like 12 Angry Men and Reservoir Dogs. We don't see the events that led up to the film. Just the aftermath. Characters judge and accuse each-other. Perhaps not everyone's versions of what happened are fully accurate. Someone might be deceiving the others or keeping quiet about something. But really these movies are just a chance to get into the human psyche a bit. To consider extreme circumstances and observe the spectrum of possible human responses. You might not like every character, but then you might like to ask what you would do in the same situation.