Details
Movie Description
Based on a story by John Steinbeck, LIFEBOAT tells of the desperate struggle for survival of a group of people whose boat was torpedoed by a German U-boat during the Second World War. In this gripping character study about eight diverse survivors, tensions mount after a Nazi is brought aboard. LIFEBOAT is an unusual yet thrilling film from Alfred Hitchcock.
Synopsis
LIFEBOAT is an intense thriller crafted around the psychological drama produced when eight unlikely companions are thrown together by drastic circumstance. The exceptional performances of its ensemble cast make it a classic, one credited with reviving Tallulah Bankhead's career. After a German U-boat torpedoes their ship, several survivors find themselves together in a lifeboat. Each is of a distinctly different background: Tallulah Bankhead's character, the radiant Constance Porter, is a famed fashion writer; others include tycoon Charles Rittenhouse (Henry Hull), marxist seaman John Kovac (John Hodiak), Stanley Garret (Hume Cronyn), a radio operator, a wounded furnace stoker, a nurse, a grieving mother, and a porter. The group is joined by the commander of the German U-boat (Walter Slezak), which was itself sunk in the exchange. Choosing to take him aboard as a gesture of humanity, and for the sake of his seafaring skills, proves to be a fateful decision. Production was done almost entirely in studio, using a range of specialized water sets and props to allow Hitchcock to achieve the camera angles he wanted while employing rear-projected seascapes shot off the coast of Florida.
Industry Reviews
"...Hitchcock broke the champagne bottle on the [liferaft] subgenre....Carries a vigilante chill..." -- Rating: B+
Burr
4 stars out of 4 -- "LIFEBOAT convinces us completely of its sincerity and urgency."
Premiere - Joseph Failla (11/01/2005)
"Based on a Steinbeck novella, the film is both an allegory about the need for unity to combat Nazism and a technological marvel..." -- Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly - Edward Karam (10/21/2005)
5 stars out of 5 -- "[P]ure cinema, with every shot finding a different angle."
Uncut - Brian Case (04/01/2006)
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