Lifeboat (1944) 7.8
Several survivors of a torpedoed ship find themselves in the same boat with one of the men who sunk it. Director:Alfred Hitchcock |
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Lifeboat (1944) 7.8
Several survivors of a torpedoed ship find themselves in the same boat with one of the men who sunk it. Director:Alfred Hitchcock |
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Complete credited cast: | |||
Tallulah Bankhead | ... | ||
William Bendix | ... | ||
Walter Slezak | ... | ||
Mary Anderson | ... | ||
John Hodiak | ... | ||
Henry Hull | ... | ||
Heather Angel | ... | ||
Hume Cronyn | ... | ||
Canada Lee | ... |
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>
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!