Anyone got a compass?

Rating: 8/10 (5 March 2011)

At the beginning we see a sinking ship and debris floating in the water before the camera settles on the lifeboat where the immaculate Connie (Tallulah Bankhead) is alone. The lifeboat soon fills up with characters, including Willy (Walter Slezak) the German captain of the submarine responsible for the sinking of the ship. The film follows the quest to safety in Bermuda. However, only Willy knows the way.....
The story provides suspense as we watch Willy gradually take over control of the lifeboat. He is assured and possesses all the necessary skills that are called upon including surgery, seamanship, strength and a peculiar navigational awareness.... Do we, the audience, trust him just as the other members in the lifeboat have to? He seems nice enough.
The cast are good with Tallulah Bankhead and Walter Slezak winning the acting honours. Hume Cronym as "Sparks" has a peculiar voice and John Hodiak as "Kovac" has an unfortunate array of teeth in his mouth - he reminded me of 'Bingo' from the "Banana Splits" whenever he smiled. It's quite off-putting.
It's an entertaining film, if a little long, but it's worth seeing again. I won't go into the finer details of German Expressionism versus Soviet Expressive Realism which Hitchcock manages to combine, but I will say that he makes his usual appearance.