Sorry, this movie sucks

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Blistering performances.

Everyone remembers this as a Hitchcock film, and all of the reviews focus on how the great director shaped the material and gave every scene and frame his distinctive style. I saw this movie at the age of 12 and I loved it, but more than forty years later I'm really struck by the literary themes and the presence of great novelist John Steinbeck.There's a reason why they call this "John Steinbeck's Lifeboat."First I want to point out that this is a study of a group. Just the way THE GRAPES OF WRATH is about the Joads, and the Okies in flight, much more than about individuals like Tom or Casy, so in this story the lifeboat survivors are only meant to matter to the extent that they work together for common goals and uphold common values. In fact the one way the villain sticks out is that he's self- sufficient, able to keep his own counsel and do everything on his own. Steinbeck is always suspicious of individualism and even of individual strengths. The collective is everything to him, the survival of the group and not the triumph of the individual. At the same time, when you look at the terrible murder in the middle of the movie, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the end of OF MICE AND MEN. Willi the U-Boat Captain and Gus the doomed cripple have a very personal scene in which they sound a lot like George and Lennie! Of course the viewer can decide if Willi really felt any compassion at all for Lennie or if he's an evil Nazi through and through. But the arguments he makes for getting rid of Gus are those George makes about Lennie in similar circumstances. This movie reflects the great strengths of John Steinbeck's humanity and concern for the survival of the human community. It also reflects some of his weaknesses, particularly where the female characters are concerned. Tallulah Bankhead does wonders as Connie, the tough, hard-edged journalist, but it's fair to say that Steinbeck had a tendency to see women as either hard, vicious, and predatory, or weak, soft, and helpless. The young mother with the dead baby is presented as a pitiable victim but at the same time there's a sense of Steinbeck's vague distaste for the maternal instinct, since it reduces women to an animal-like state or to a state of total hysteria. It's no accident that the mother gets killed off early and that the hard, aggressive woman is not allowed much in the way of affection or friendship. Of course there is a romance between the British sailor and the nurse, but they are probably more Hitchcock's invention than Steinbeck's. Both are good comrades who keep a stiff upper lip, more English than American. To sum up, this movie is a Hitchcock classic, but it's also a fascinating look at the world view of a Nobel prize winning author who was then at the height of his powers.

Though many of Alfred Hitchcock's films are extraordinary at developing characters, that development often plays second-fiddle to suspense, drama, & even subtle comedy. In "Lifeboat", however, the characters are on center stage throughout the entire experience, with Hitchcock masterful crafting them one by one...until the ending, of course.For a basic plot summary, "Lifeboat" tells the story of a group of Americans trapped on a lifeboat after the Nazi bombing of a freighter. When a German U-boat captain is pulled aboard and portends to know the direction they should be sailing, the characters must decide whether or not to trust the enemy captain. Along the way, all the personality types and individual prejudices are the survivors are explored.In terms of a character treatise, this is an excellent film...one of Hitch's very best. I am a big fan of "bunch of people trapped in a situation" movies, so I was instantly drawn to this type of movie and was not let down. Though Hitch usually deals with personal/political topics in a very off- hand, tongue-in-cheek sort of way, he really seems to delve into them with much more gusto in "Lifeboat". Upon reaching the end, you'll feel as if you truly care about the characters and their motives/personalities.The acting is also top-notch, with a case of seasoned veterans like Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, John Hodiak, and Henry Hull, among others. In films of this nature (think: 12 Angry Men, for instance) the acting must be spot-in in order to generate emotion, as very few outside factors can be utilized.Minor Spoiler: Sadly, the glaring weakness of this movie (and what keeps it from being a true classic) is its horrible ending. Hitchcock has a long history of sub-par endings, but this one might be the "cream of the crop" in terms of ridiculousness. For a film screaming for character resolution, this one gives you NOTHING. It literally just ends. Perhaps that was acceptable back in the 1940s, but today it is unforgivable.Overall, though, "Lifeboat" is a very interesting character study that is easily worthy of four- stars. Had it offered a bit of resolution, this could have rocketed to the top of Hitchcock's filmography. As it is, it's just a solid effort that fails in one key area.

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.

Dear Neeraj Pandey, there was a better propaganda filmmaker than you back in the 40s. His name was Alfred Hitchcock. Lifeboat is a pretty gripping and desolate propaganda film. A group of people from various strata of American society are trapped in a boat after their ship is attacked by a German boat. One of the survivors from the German boat also enters the boat of survivors. The Americans disagree on what to do with the German. Soon, the good guys win and they decide to use the German who is a navigator to take their boat to Bermuda.For a while, the focus shifts to the bickering between the working class and upper class Americans. Before the German becomes the focus again. Because while everyone is thirsty and weak, the abnormally strong German goes on rowing the boat to who knows where. The German character gets the best close up in the whole film.It is a really interesting setting with people having to get along with each other because there is nowhere to go. Apparently the whole film was shot inside a tank with a boat in it.Talluah Bankhead has some great one liners. She really stole the show. The whole cast was very impressive. Hitchcock always chooses great actors in supporting roles.There is a pretty terrible scene of mob violence in the film.But please do not remake this with Akshay Kumar in it.Best Regards, Pimpin.(7/10)