Review of Lifeboat (1944) by Jose Luis M — 10 Jan 2015

9 people became the only survivors of an unexplained event leading them to be stranded on a boat. Each one of them has a set of distinctive characteristics: A female writer who speaks German, a mother who lost her baby, an industrialist, an US Army nurse, a German American, hotheaded communist, a negro steward, a radio operator and a mysterious German sailor. With limited supply, dangerous environment and distrust of each other at hand, each one of them must attempt to work together to survive.

Lifeboat is one of the less known gem of Hitchcock's filmography. the premise was very interesting and the characters were all unique and distinct. Psychology played an important role in the film, the sense of trust could have been easily obtained yet dismissed quickly. The problem with group think is also explored. I found the depiction of what a group can do together shocking. I was quite surprised to see it was Steinbeck who wrote the screenplay, it did have a sense of naturalism but Hitchcocked has reduced the premise to minimalism.

The acting was fantastic, Bankhead had a wonderful performance.