Lifeboat (1944)

“Dying together’s even more personal than living together.” – Connie Porter

Number of Times Seen –  at least 5 times (video in 1991, cable, DVD and16 Sep 2013)

Brief Synopsis – A group of survivors in a lifeboat from a freighter sunk by a U-boat attack must find a way to survive in the open sea during WWII, especially when they can’t trust one another.

My Take on it – I saw this movie for the first time when my Creative Writing teacher in 11th grade gave me an assignment to watch and write a paper about this and a few other Hitchcock films.  He wanted me to write about topics that I would enjoy and care about, so each week he gave me a different movie to watch (as homework) with a topic to write about.  (Suffice it to say, I loved that class).

This is definitely my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie because it really gives you a sense as to what the characters are going through.  John Steinbeck wrote the screenplay and chose his characters very well. Each of the survivors has there own distinct voice and personality and we get to see how those voices change (or don’t) during this whole ordeal.

This movie is a perfect character study on the psychological and physical effects on people in small groups during a crisis.

Bottom Line – Excellent psychological thriller that shows how physical and mental tolls affect people when they are in a crisis. Highly Recommended!!

Rating – Oscar Worthy