Review of Lifeboat (1944) by Adam P — 13 Mar 2009
In Dial M for Murder, Hitchcock shoots an entire film on one set. In Rope, he not only just uses one set, he also experiments with long takes?using only 5 or 6 takes to complete a full-length feature. Where did he get these ideas from?? Well, in 1944, four years before Rope and ten years before Dial M For Murder, there was Lifeboat.
Based on a John Steinbeck story, this film takes place IN A BOAT at sea. A ship has gone done (it happens before the movie even begins) and we see Tallulah Bankhead in a small-ish dingy, adrift. As the film progresses, more and more people find their way to the lifeboat, including a German, who might or might not be captain of the ship that bombed the American ship, sinking it.
For an hour and a half, this film deals with the way these people all get together and relate with each other and the impending doom they face if not rescued. A well done, thought provoking film?that is more drama than thriller, but tense enough to be something from The Master of Suspense.
This review of Lifeboat (1944) was written by Adam P on 13 Mar 2009.
Lifeboat has generally received very positive reviews.
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