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Lifeboat (1944)

Approved  |   |  Thriller, War  |  28 January 1944 (USA)
7.8
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Ratings: 7.8/10 from 19,029 users  
Reviews: 118 user | 76 critic

Several survivors of a torpedoed ship find themselves in the same boat with one of the men who sunk it.

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(by), (screen play), 2 more credits »
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Title: Lifeboat (1944)

Lifeboat (1944) on IMDb 7.8/10

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Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
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Walter Slezak ...
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Canada Lee ...
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Storyline

In the Atlantic during WWII, a ship and a German U-boat are involved in a battle and both are sunk. The survivors from the ship gather in one of the boats. They are from a variety of backgrounds: an international journalist, a rich businessman, the radio operator, a nurse, a steward, a sailor and an engineer with communist tendencies. Trouble starts when they pull a man out of the water who turns out to be from the U-boat. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Six men and three women - against the sea and each other. See more »

Genres:

Thriller | War

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

28 January 1944 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Náufragos  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$1,590,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Production finished on November 17, 1943. The final budget was a little over $1.5 million. Alfred Hitchcock had spent so much time in story development and production that he never made the second film for which Darryl F. Zanuck had contracted him. Some biographers have suggested he deliberately dragged his feet working on Lifeboat since he made the same weekly salary whether he directed one film for them or two. See more »

Goofs

After the operation on Gus's leg, the group is playing cards. The sound is the same audio from the card game earlier in the film. Ritt stays. Kovac takes three cards. You can see when Kovac supposedly says, "Three cards," his lips don't move at all. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
[indistinct shouting]
John Kovac: Ahoy there!
[climbs into boat]
John Kovac: Lady, you certainly don't look like somebody that's just been shipwrecked.
Connie Porter: Man, I certainly feel like it.
See more »

Connections

Spoofed in Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Show No. 111 (1998) See more »

Soundtracks

Die Meistersinger: Preislied
(1867) (uncredited)
Written by Richard Wagner
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Superb Hitchcock and superb Bankhead
8 July 2005 | by (Putney, VT) – See all my reviews

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!


34 of 43 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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