- Lifeboat (film)
Infobox_Film
name = Lifeboat
caption = original film poster
imdb_id = 0037017
director =Alfred Hitchcock
writer = Novella:John Steinbeck
Screenplay:Jo Swerling
Uncredited (screenplay):Ben Hecht
producer =Kenneth Macgowan
music =Hugo W. Friedhofer
cinematography = Glen MacWilliams
editing =Dorothy Spencer
starring =Tallulah Bankhead William Bendix Walter Slezak
Mary AndersonJohn Hodiak Henry Hull Heather Angel Hume Cronyn
distributor =20th Century Fox
released = flagicon|USAJanuary 11 ,1944
runtime = 96 min.
language = English
budget = $1,590,000
amg_id = A29278"Lifeboat" is a
1944 World War II war film , directed byAlfred Hitchcock from a story written byJohn Steinbeck . The film starsTallulah Bankhead ,William Bendix ,Walter Slezak , Mary Anderson,John Hodiak ,Henry Hull , Heather Angel,Hume Cronyn andCanada Lee , and is set entirely on a lifeboat. The film receivedAcademy Award nominations for Best Director, Best Original Motion Picture Story and Best Black and White Cinematography.The film holds the world record for smallest set ever used on a film. It has never been beaten. (The closest any other film has come was the 1948 novelty film "
Bill and Coo ", which featured an all-bird cast and was filmed on a miniature village built onto a 15' x 30' {4.57m X 9.14m} tabletop, which was located inside a larger studio.)fact|date=October 2007Plot summary
A group of American and British citizens are stuck in a lifeboat after their ship and a
U-boat sink each other in combat. Willi (Walter Slezak), a German survivor, is allowed aboard (after some debate), but is later revealed to be the U-boat captain.Kovac (John Hodiak) takes charge, rationing the little food and water they have, but as time goes on, Willi gradually takes control away from him. One morning, while the others are sleeping, the injured
German-American Gus Smith (William Bendix) catches Willi drinking from a hidden water supply. Too weak to wake anybody up, Gus is pushed overboard to drown. However, when they notice that the Nazi is sweating, the other passengers realize that he must have been hoarding water, so they beat him up and throw him out off the boat.Later, the survivors are spotted by the German supply ship Willi had been steering them to, but before it can pick them up, it is sunk by an American warship. A frightened young German seaman boards the lifeboat, brandishing a gun. After he is disarmed, one of the survivors asks, "What should we do with him?"
Critical reaction
According to Hitchcock's daughter, Patricia, in a
2005 DVD -released documentary, some critics, after initial rave reviews, gave the film poor reviews because of the so-called "positive" portrayal of the German character in the film. (Today, film reviewers think just the opposite. Critics call the film almost an Americanpropaganda film.) Other film critics caught on to the critical damnation and many writers began giving the film poor reviews.20th Century Fox executives, under pressure, decided to give the film a limited release instead of the wide release most of Hitchcock's films received. Advertising for the film was also reduced, causing the film to have a poor box office when released in1944 .Remake
In
1993 , the movie was remade as ascience fiction TV movie titled "Lifepod ". Moving the action from a lifeboat to a spaceship's escape capsule, the remake starredRon Silver ,Robert Loggia andCCH Pounder . Silver also directed.Cameo
Alfred Hitchcock was known to make cameos in his films. He once commented toFrançois Truffaut that this particular cameo was one of his most difficult to achieve, due to the lack of passers-by in the film. While having originally considered posing as a body floating past the Lifeboat, after his success in weight loss, Hitchcock decided to pose in Before & After photos for a weight loss drug, shown in a newspaper during the film (24 minutes into the film). Supposedly he later received hundreds of letters from people asking where they could buy the (fictitious) drug.References
External links
*imdb title|id=0037017|title=Lifeboat
* [http://www.eyegate.com/cine/Lifeboat/ "Lifeboat" Eyegate Gallery]
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