"To survive one must have a plan."

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2006)

Confined to a single set, the master Alfred Hitchcock directs a compelling psychological drama that uniquely challenges the viewer to reflect on his own reactions to the events presented on screen. In the early going, would you have thrown the German overboard, or acted as a humanitarian? What about later, after Willy (Walter Slezak) is exposed as a scheming Nazi captain deftly maneuvering the boat to his own country's supply ship? Would you have the stomach to assist in cutting off a man's leg? The movie doesn't allow much time to think about it, but that's how life works sometimes.
The film opened to immediate critical acclaim during it's first week of release, however when a negative reviewer opted to focus on the treatment of Willy's character, it called into question whether the story was sympathizing with the Nazi cause. Fearing even further backlash, Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck withdrew the film from general release. To my mind, the issue was dealt with rather expertly in the story. Even though Willy was a cunning schemer who took control of the boat during a storm, he sealed his own fate by going too far to keep Gus (William Bendix) quiet.
Hitchcock accepted a rather difficult task in taking on this assignment. Restricted to just one set, he employed what was until then the most extensive story boarding ever utilized for a movie. The entire movie was drawn out ahead of time, with a myriad of camera angles and weather related elements to convey something different in practically each scene. It works exceptionally well, as one is never left bored with static images or a fixation on any single character or situation.
As for characters, the one cast member with any name recognition at the time was Tallulah Bankhead, who portrayed the journalist Constance Porter. Bankhead was extremely difficult for the other players to work with, and she lorded her celebrity status over all of them. Staffers on the film were intimidated by her name dropping, yet in Hitchcock, she found a kindred spirit, someone she could talk with endlessly on the set.
For those who scour Hitch's films for his cameo appearances, "Lifeboat" presented a dilemma, but that was overcome with a little gimmickry. During this time, Hitchcock was trying to lose weight, succeeding in going from three hundred pounds down to two hundred. In the movie, Kovac (John Hodiak) is shown reading a newspaper, and the camera lingers on an ad for 'Reduco', a weight loss product and 'Obesity Slayer'. The director's full frame profile is used for the before and after comparison, prompting numerous viewers of the time to inquire where they could buy the product, but of course it was all made up.
If ever there was a film that employs symbolism, this one is a treasure trove. It was interesting to me that the first time one gets a view of the entire open sea is right after it's revealed that Mrs. Higley's (Heather Angel) baby is dead. That effectively places the boat's survivors in touch with their own mortality in what might be a hopeless situation. What does it mean when the lone black Joe (Canada Lee) doesn't participate in the gang up on Willy? Gus changes his name from Schmidt to Smith. The prospect of life giving fresh rain is replaced by sunshine instead of a storm, but which is better? There is something meaningful and fascinating to be taken away from this film in virtually every instance.
If all that weren't enough, it was an unusual coincidence of timing that had me see this film when I did. The Cardinals captured the 2006 baseball World Series just a couple of days ago by defeating the Detroit Tigers, four games to one. In the story, William Bendix' character Gus ruminates on the state of baseball at that time with - "St. Louie's the team to watch this year"!