Review: Lifeboat

Fictional, but then-topical story of the survivors of a passenger ship torpedoed by a German U-boat in WWII. Getting aboard a lifeboat, the characters are; Acerbic journalist Constance Porter (Tallulah Bankhead), class-conscious crew member Kovak (John Hodiak), wealthy industrialist Rittenhouse (Henry Hull), nurse Alice (Mary Anderson), shaken young mother Mrs. Higley (Heather Angel), ‘regular guy’ and injured crew member Gus (William Bendix), meek cockney radio operator ‘Sparks’ (Hume Cronyn), and steward Joe AKA ‘Charcoal’ (Canade Lee). Soon they are joined by a barrel-chested German named Willy (played by Walter Slezak). Being German (and at this time, therefore a Nazi) and having been displaced from a U-boat responsible for sinking their own ship, the other survivors are deeply suspicious of their new companion, with tough Kovak in particular extremely agitated by the German’s presence. However, he’s stronger, seemingly better prepared, and says he’s a navigator. It’s agreed (begrudgingly in Kovak’s case) that Willy is the most qualified to steer their lifeboat in the right direction. But is that what he’s actually doing? Or is he taking them to his own people?

 

Easily one of the better ‘experimental’ films from Alfred Hitchcock (whose best films are “Strangers on a Train”, “Vertigo”, “The 39 Steps”, “Shadow of a Doubt”, and “Psycho”), it’s a film that manages to be talky without seeming remotely stagey. This 1944 WWII film is also one of the few ‘propaganda’ pieces to really stand the test of time as a film (In fact, in its day it was seen by some to be sympathetic in its portrayal of the German. Surely no one watching it today can see it as anything other than an anti-Nazi film). I think the key to that is that the character of the German, played expertly by a sly Walter Slezak is so damn hard to read for almost the entirety of the film. He’s a Nazi, but he’s also trying to help these poor people. Or is he? Slezak really does take off with the whole thing, saying a lot before he even technically says a single word. Masterful casting, Slezak can seem jovial or cunning at any given moment.

 

Slezak’s not the only one who impresses, though, as the inimitable Tallulah Bankhead is an acerbic delight, William Bendix stands out as an average Joe, and although not a great actor, John Hodiak’s rugged, working class charisma is a nice match for Bankhead. I can’t deny that Heather Angel’s performance is slightly corny, but her character is really haunting in this. In fact, aside from Hume Cronyn’s cock-er-knee being only a bit better than Dick Van Dyke’s, the flaws in this film can really be summed up in one word: ‘Charcoal’. Canada Lee is perfectly fine in the part (and the character is well-liked by the others), it’s just that it’s the one dated element in the whole film for me.

 

Should these characters be showing more visible signs of starvation, weariness and poor health? Sure, but it’s a film from 1944, so I’m not going to count that as a flaw. Surely no one wanted to see a film that depressing back in ’44, so it’s understandable. What I did like was that it’s very much a streamlined film that gets on with the job right away. It starts with a memorable shipwreck opener, we see all kinds of objects floating in the water (and easily one of the top 3 Hitchcock cameos ever- look sharp!) and…we’re off and running from that point on. It’s 90 minutes long and gets going right away, which is important for a dialogue-oriented film like this.

 

A smaller, less spectacular Hitchcock film in a way, one that manages to be tense through character interplay rather than other kinds of thrills. Kind of simple without being simplistic, this is a really entertaining film and Austrian-born Walter Slezak deserved an Oscar nomination if you ask me. Full of really nice, subtle moments and interesting character dynamics, it might not be the most attention-seeking or elaborate film The Master has ever made, but it’s very good for what it’s trying for. The screenplay is by Jo Swerling (“Leave Her to Heaven”), and Ben Hecht (“Notorious”, “Spellbound”, “Strangers on a Train”) from an Oscar-nominated story by John Steinbeck (author of The Grapes of Wrath).

 

Rating: B