Tense

Rating: 8/10 (17 August 2014)

A ship is sunk by a German torpedo but before sinking, they fire on the submarine and sinks it. Famous journalist Constance Porter (Tallulah Bankhead) is sitting in the lifeboat by herself. Then others are pulled in. John Kovac worked in the engine room. Sparks Garett (Hume Cronyn) operated the radio. Alice MacKenzie (Mary Anderson) is an Army nurse. C.J. Rittenhouse (Henry Hull) is the wealthy industrialist. Willi (Walter Slezak) is a German who insists that he's just a crewman in the U-boat. Joe Spencer (Canada Lee) is a negro steward rescuing Mrs. Higgins (Heather Angel) and her baby but the baby doesn't survive. Gus Smith (William Bendix) was Schmit but changed his name because of the war.
Director Alfred Hitchcock is putting a bunch of people in a small space under pressure. It was probably controversial for portraying a German as a real human being during wartime. It didn't help that he was so smart. His character is so mesmerizing and memorable. It is very tense and doesn't let up. The tight space restricts movement and forces the people to be on top of each other. The constant rolling in the sea can cause a bit of nausea. That's really the only problem I have. This is quite a ride.