I thought this movie was so incredibly good. It touched my heart and I found myself crying through much of it. But I also couldn't pull away from it, I never took my eyes off the screen the entire time the movie was played. It is indescribable. I loved it. Angelina's role was wonderfully played and a better actress couldn't have been chosen. But, Be prepared to have your emotions running in this movie. I believe this film should be a message to all people that this is something they need to be well aware of. Do not see this movie if you are not prepared fully to cry a little bit. It is almost unavoidable because it is so true. I am almost positive it is something you will enjoy watching.


This movie is amazing. My roommates and I watch it at least once a week. Everyone should have to watch it. Apart from the lovely storyline of the main characters, there are so many great things to learn about the outside world around us. Facts of life that millions of people must live with everyday. This movie gives us a view into a world of NGO's and victims that few would ever know of and the more that know the more likely this world will begin to disappear. Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen turn in beautiful performances. The direction of the piece and the direction of photography was breathtaking. The absolute rawness makes it real, not movie-esquire which cheats so many movies of being taken seriously. This movie is a must see.


All the things that come to my mind, when I think to David Lean, are reunited in this movie:

Bigger than life locations (here: Africa, Cambodia, Tchetchenia) Bigger than life love story (here, Lara's song has been changed into a piano theme) Bigger than life actors (Angelina shows another time all her talent) Bigger than life scenes (here, it's not a bridge which explodes)

So, if you like Doctor Jivago, Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge upon Kwai River, you will like this movie....

... Except we are in XXI century.... and (American) Movies in XXI century mean digital effects...

So, the desert looks like Mars, snow becomes a black and white illusion, and starving babies are real babies "edited" by computers. The director recognizes the production pulled the moral line, and debating more over wouldn't be reviewing this movie anymore.

In conclusion, a great movie which succeeds to give its message, all the more crucial actually after the tragedy in Asia....


The idea for this movie was inspired. As a Democrat, I am a engaged in global humanitarian issues. While I can relate to the movie's premise, the implementation fell WELL short of anything close to being a good movie.

The plot included every lame cinematic device to hook the emotions of the audience. In doing so, it was pandering and insulting. It tried at points to be a Dr. Zhivago epic, but only showed to expose the failure of the director and the actors to achieve anything close to an epic story.

My heart is with the intent of the movie, but it falls so incredibly short that the result is merely a B-movie propaganda piece.


This movie is so bad it's almost funny. The characters and plot were never fully developed, which left me wondering what, exactly, the movie was supposed to be about. If it truly was supposed to be a love story, it has to go down as one of the worst love stories ever written. Angelina Jolie's acting was so bad it was almost hilarious at times. Try to keep your composure after about the 10th shot of her staring at him with that sad, pouty face and lips that look like they're about to explode collagen everywhere. You can only fault her to a certain degree, however. Whoever wrote this thing gave her very little to work with. The dialogue was trite, cliche, just downright awful. The dialogue and story line was so predictable that my wife and I started saying the lines even before the characters said them. That's how bad this movie is. I do think the positive side of this movie is that it can be held up in any decent film school as an example of "How to NOT Make a Movie."


The Sopranos is arguably the greatest show in Dramatic Television history.

Its hard to think of another series that boasts so much intelligence, sublime writing or first rate performances.

Across its epic scope it produces fresh and iconic characters and a constant level of high quality. Centering around the life of one Tony Soprano, a man who lives in two families. One is the conventional wife and two kids nuclear family the other a huge New Jersey Mafia group, of which he is the boss of both. Played by James Gandolfini, of True Romance and The Mexican fame, Tony is a fascinating, scary but also likable guy. Full praise must be given to Gandolfini for making a womanising and horrifically aggressive brute a genuinely identifiable and perfect leading man. Contemporay American drama has never had such an arresting and iconic figure as Tony.

The cast of hundreds never boasts a flat performance and such stand out characters like Paulie Walnuts and Ralph Cifaretto will stick in your memory for ever.

The true genius of this tale however, is the creator and writers bravery and revolutionary take on a conventional drama series. Twenty minute long dream sequences, powerful and original use of symbolism and metaphorical imagery and truly shocking scenes of violence. Yet all this style is met by truly touching themes of love, honour and respect for family. The series never becomes cold hearted or gratuitous.

With TV now competitive and often poor The Sopranos stands tall above the rest as America's most original and compelling drama. Forget Family Redifined. This is Television Redifined.


What can you possibly say about a show of this magnitude? "The Sopranos" has literally redefined television as we know it. It has broken all rules, and set new standards for television excellence. Everything is flawless, the writing, directing, and for me, most of all, the acting. Watching this show you'll find yourself realizing that these characters are NOT real. The acting tricks you into thinking there is a real Tony Soprano, or any character. This show is also very versatile. Some people don't watch the show because it's violent, it's not all about the violence, it's about business, family, and many deeper things that all depend on what you, as a fan see. For me, I don't like when people refer to the show, a show about the Mafia. For me, it's a show about family. A family who, through generations, happen to be apart of the mob. Overall this is a masterpiece of a show. This is what television should be. Right here. Complex characters from stunning acting, magnificent story lines from brilliant writing, and what do you get when you mix these ingredients together? A show that defines excellence, and dares to be different.


THE SOPRANOS (1999-2007)

Number 1 - Television Show of all Time

Everyone thought this would be a stupid thing that wouldn't go past a pilot episode. The Sopranos has become a cultural phenomenon and universally agreed as one of the greatest television shows of all time.

James Gandolfini plays the enigmatic New Jersey crime boss, Tony Soprano, accompanied by a stellar cast. Edie Falco is superb as the worrying, loving upper-middle class mother; Tony Sirico is tremendous as a superstitious, greying consiglieri who is often very funny.

While the show has often been criticised for the negative stereotype of Italian-Americans as mafiosi, and to an extent this is undeniable, I can see so many positives from the show. The portrayal of strong family values, friendships, love and compassion; could this be present in a coarse television show about gangsters? Yes. Furthermore, other burning issues are discussed such as terrorism, social inequality and injustice, homosexuality, drugs etc. This is no shallow, dull show about tough guys and violence. It has so much more. Many of the issues we see on the show are very real.

The writing which has been pretty much great has infused so successfully current issues and managed to imbred them within the characters' lives, which makes the whole thing more interesting.

Credit must go to David Chase who has created an excellent television treasure and to James Gandolfini, for envisioning, television's most complex and enigmatic character.

Simply exceptional.

10/10


Greetings from this Portuguese guy :)

I believe The Sopranos are one of the best production ever, it has reality and fiction mixed in such a way, that it's hard to see the difference. It has the same quality as GodFather! James Gandolfini fits at the paper as a glove! I would love The Sopranos would never finish at all. It's perfect! It should be a subject in school :) I saw Sopranos when I was a kid, but I was too young to stay waked until the episode ends, so now I bought the all Episodes in DVD format and I am watching all episodes at home before and after dinner and I am getting addicted, like I did with Prison Break. In my opinion Prison Break and The Sopranos are the best-ever series made for television. The argument of both are splendid and the actors are perfect. Congratulations for such a work.

Sorry about my English. Thanks for reading.


When we started watching this series on cable, I had no idea how addictive it would be. Even when you hate a character, you hold back because they are so beautifully developed, you can almost understand why they react to frustration, fear, greed or temptation the way they do. It's almost as if the viewer is experiencing one of Christopher's learning curves.

I can't understand why Adriana would put up with Christopher's abuse of her, verbally, physically and emotionally, but I just have to read the newspaper to see how many women can and do tolerate such behavior. Carmella has a dream house, endless supply of expensive things, but I'm sure she would give it up for a loving and faithful husband - or maybe not. That's why I watch.

It doesn't matter how many times you watch an episode, you can find something you missed the first five times. We even watch episodes out of sequence (watch season 1 on late night with commercials but all the language, A&E with language censored, reruns on the Movie Network) - whenever they're on, we're there. We've been totally spoiled now.

I also love the Malaprop's. "An albacore around my neck" is my favorite of Johnny Boy. When these jewels have entered our family vocabulary, it is a sign that I should get a life. I will when the series ends, and I have collected all the DVD's, and put the collection in my will.


As a guy who has seen all the seasons, I can say that JG constantly surprises me. I mean, after you saw him shifting from laughter to paranoia instantly throughout the seasons and after every little gesture of his made u believe he is a gangster, u thought to yourself: OK he is a good actor and he can get into a gangster's skin. But after seeing him opening his eyes and struggling for his life, I mean I could almost feel the pain he "made" us believe he was going through. I was so touched by his performance that I immediately thought at Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. These guys were definitely the best of their generations and even more. But nowadays they are either old or dead (Brando) and it's OK that they make less movies and their performances are "lighter" than they used to be. I can't wait to see Gandolfini in other movies where he delivers a totally different role. Can u recommend me some of his older movies where he gives a memorable performance?


Wow. I LOVED the whole series, and am shocked at comments by people who thought it ended badly. Perhaps it waffled a bit in seasons 4 & 5, while remaining better than anything else on television. But 6 and particularly 6b were beautiful permutations on the themes developed in the more muscular first three seasons.

6B started with such a sombre mood and Janice's always keen insight into the family angst - that doom-filled line about knowing Tony's penchant for sitting and staring. Anyone who missed the implications of that for the rest of the series does not know Tony. Melfi's discomfort over the psychiatric study and its references to the sociopath's self-deluding sentimentality for pets and animals goes back to the first episodes of the series, say, with Tony's panic attack over the ducks leaving his pool and resonates with Phil's "wave bye-bye" line to his grandchildren before the coup de grace of the final episode (not to get into Chase's dark humour).

I could go on and on, but I'll just add that I thought the final show - starting with the opening strains of Vanilla Fudge to supply the ironic foreshadow ("You Keep Me Hangin' On") to the terminal moments where Tony fades back into complacency with his family in tow or blasts apart like AJ's SUV or Phil's head were, utterly, utterly PERFECT. The best TV ever.

Pretty good in a dying medium pathologically supplying the "jack-off fantasies" AJ derides (and then into which he promptly subsides). A tip of the pork pie to Mr. Chase.


There are so many reasons as to why I rate the sopranos so highly, one of its biggest triumphs being the cast and character building. Each character unfolds more and more each series. Also each series has an array of different 'small time characters' as well as the main. A good example of a character (who was only in three episodes) who you can feel for is David the compulsive gambler played brilliantly by Robert Patrick. Every little detail builds the perfect TV series. The show revolves round mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) who attempts to balance his life of crime with his role as father of two. The show is not afraid to be bold and powerful with its dialogue and imagery and this is what makes it so believable. Whilst Tony runs things with capos Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Silvio (Steve Van Zant) his nephew Christopher (Michael imperioli) looks for a promotion. Every episode also features Tony's other family in some way which includes his children and wife carmela soprano (Edie Falco). On top of these problems is his uncle Junior soprano (Dominic Chianese) is trying to get what he can out of Tony's businesses despite being under house arrest. All the acting is powerful and characters complex, but the two who stand out the most are; James Gandolfini who 'is' Tony Soprano. Also Michael Imperioli who plays Christopher, representing the younger (20-30) generation in crime. If David Chase had not created this masterpiece modern TV dramas of such caliber may not have existed, such as The Wire and Dexter. So the Sopranos is definitely the Godfather, Goodfellas and Pulp fiction of TV


The "gangster" genre is now a worn subject one that is too often subjected to parody. In retrospect the series is a culmination of previous clichés that have been utilized in it's genre, thankfully the writers have advanced upon this flaw by creating a realism which has been applied to it. The Sopranos is an epic crime saga that illustrates it's content with psychological depth that is characterized with subtle nuance, humor and unvarnished violence. The key protagonist Tony Soprano is perceived as a perilous general bereft of fear and moral values by his crew ,however, Tony is of two persona's one which is bestial while the other is conflicted with guilt and resent. With out any inhibitions or contradictions I still adamantly believe that The Sopranos has the finest ensemble cast of recent memory. All things considered I could make an elaborate statement on the series, but I won't. If ever there is a visual dictionary in global consumerism search for these definitions vital, ambiguous, unrelenting, epic, uncompromising and the sopranos shattered visage will be smiling right back at you.


Not only do the storylines in "The Sopranos" engage audiences from all over, but I think (for me at least) what brings the viewers back is the acting. (Not even you, Gary, can dispute that claim) James Gandolfini, who plays the lead-man, Tony Soprano, has become (in this viewer's opinion) one of the "Hollywood Elites" as far as acting in a television series goes. I wouldn't go ahead and compare him with Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino, or at least, not just yet. He, however, does do a hell of a job playing the part of Tony Soprano. In the years since 1999, Gandolfini has risen so much so as an actor (mainly thanks to his role in The Sopranos) that today he is considered to be among the best in the business. And it's not just him. "The Sopranos" fields a great supporting cast including that of Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, and the late Nancy Marchand who played Tony's dreadful mother. At this point in the show's existence, it's being considered a cult-classic and rightfully so. The first two seasons were extraordinary. Violent and quite gruesome in a pretty frequent manner, but without a doubt, extraordinarily done. The third season was great, but didn't quite live up to the hype of seasons 1 and 2. Season 4, which wrapped up right before new-years, was the weakest season yet (or at least, in my opinion it was). Despite a dry-spell, I still found it (season 4 of "The Sopranos") to be more entertaining than most of its competition and that's saying a lot because lately I've been noticing a trend in good new television shows. Examples of this: Six Feet Under, The Shield, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and OZ (which is not technically a new show but ended with an unforgettable final season this year). To get back to my point though, to consider a show better than all the competition during a particularly bad year, no less, is quite an accomplishment on the part of the writers. "The Sopranos" ranks above and beyond all other television shows in its era and its writers deserve a lot of credit. To close, I'd like to say, "The Sopranos" is the real deal folks. For the average mature viewer (17 and above) who enjoys drama and doesn't mind a mixing of a little violence and profanity, you might want to check out "The Sopranos" if you get the chance. Trust me in that it will be well worth the time.


"The Godfather", "Citizen Kane", "Star Wars", "Goodfellas" None of the above compare to the complex brilliance of "The Sopranos". Each and every character has layers upon layers of absolute verity, completely and utterly three dimensional. We care about Tony Soprano wholeheartedly, despite the fact that in the simplest model of good vs. evil, he is evil. Soprano is the most provocative, intricate, and fascinating protagonist ever created to this point in history. If you're in the mood to be overtly challenged as a viewer, and to be forever altered on your feelings toward entertainment, watch "The Sopranos". I defy anybody to sit down and watch the very first episode of Season 1, and not want to continue with the series. Each season is completely brilliant in its own way. DVDs are essential to anybody's collection **** of out 4


I believe that The Sopranos is an awesome show because of all the supporting characters in it. i have bought every video so far and am waiting for the rest to be released. In all 42 episodes so far, the best one is definitely episode #3, Denial, Anger, Acceptance. This episode deals with my most favorite character of all time in The Sopranos. His name was Brendan Filone. He was killed for hijacking the wrong truck and accidentally killing a truck driver. Brendan was awesome because he was actually one of the few characters who actually stood against Tony and his gang. In the end, he ended up getting shot through the eye while taking a bath, and that's my most favorite scene ever in the history of The Sopranos. Brendan Filone is # 1 for me. And my # 2 most favorite character ever was Matthew Bevilaqua, who was killed after attempting to murder Christopher Moltisanti. Tony and Pussy shoot him in Hucklebarney park after they catch and torture him. My # 3 most favorite character is Sean Gismonte, who was killed right after shooting Christopher. And finally, my # 4 most favorite character is Chucky Signore, one of Uncle Junior's henchmen. He was killed on a boat by Tony. All the awesome characters are dead. That's the only bad thing about the Sopranos. All the cool guys always get killed. You know what would be great to change about the Sopranos? They should have a whole episode where they show all the dead supporting characters in hell and they are all trying to torture Chris, Tony, Uncle Junior, Silvio, and Paulie, because they need to get their revenge. Brendan Filone shall strike back!!!!!!!!!1


It probably isn't fair that I have got to see the majority of all the interesting reviews on the Sopranos and then get to add what people have forgotten, but oh well.......

From a standpoint of acting, how could any actor fail with these characters? Each one mesmerizing and intense in their pursuits of life. Tony Soprano-while a mob "Capo" and suffering from mental illness, still sees his life in front of him and knows what has to be done to survive. Each of his men, you see their lives virtually from the inside like the truest form of voyerism. It definitely brings out a sort "nosey" side in each and every viewer, and I include myself in this!

While some above don't care for Bracco, I have to say this is the freshest role she has had in years since Good Fellas. She is the side of Tony that makes him listen to reason, that makes him decent, that offers him respite when dealing with his human emotions that he has failed to feel for so long, if ever. She is simply put, his savior. (Not speaking in religious tones)

But the knockout performance here is without doubt, Edie Falco. To see her prison guard role in the other acclaimed HBO series, "Oz" and then see her as Livia is the ultimate compliment for any actor or actress. She has transcended the boundries of a recognizable actress, something only actresses like Merle Streep can get away with. A sort of chameleon quality to transcend roles. But as I have mentioned before, with a characters a strong as these, how can any actor fail?

Livia's strength is in her daily affirmation of faith in herself. She is a survivor, as she hopes her husband and family will be survivors. She is prepared for the worst because she knows the hazards of her husband's business, yet knows the lifestyle she has is more then most women from Jersey. She is wise if not wiser and more street savvy then Tony himself.

All in all, the biggest crime from the Soprano Family is that we the viewer have to wait until January 2000 to see the next season. This in my opinion is the worst thing about the HBO series. It was what brought The Larry Sanders Show, Sex and the City, Dream On, and others back down to earth in popularity and eventually killed them. Too much space in between seasons and very sporadic. Until then, I will watch the reruns with the hope that this gap in programming is filled.


I've only watched the first series on DVD, but would summarise The Sopranos as a Shakespearean plot with a Tarantino-like script. The series is as good as Goodfellas and Casino, and almost as good as The Godfather (hence not a "10"), and far better than any of Guy Ritchie's efforts. Although there's plenty of action, some of it pretty bloody, the story is character driven. Even some of the minor characters contribute to great story lines; e.g. the priest's relationship (or lack of) with Carmilla and the restaurateur's wife, and Christopher and his dimwit friend (who didn't last very long (a Darwin Award nominee?))

Apart from the plot, the script and the acting, the other reasons I liked it;

1. It made me want to visit New Jersey and eat pasta with a tomatoey sauce. 2. The music. 3. It shows that literally anyone can suffer from mental health problems.


Take a pinch of GOODFELLAS, mix it with THE GODFATHER, add some Roman mythology and plenty of lowbrow comedy, and you have THE SOPRANOS, about a mob clan operating out of northern New Jersey. It's almost as entertaining as pro wrestling. I am not the biggest fan of this show, but I do admire James Gandolfini's very complicated Tony Soprano, a psychopath with an occasional glimmer of conscience. I also have come to admire te contributions of folks like gravel-voiced Dom Chianese as the bewildered but murderous Uncle Junior, silver-haired Tony Sirico as the perpetually perplexed Paulie and the very beautiful Edie Falco as the duplicitous, tough-as-nails Carmela Soprano. The violence is sudden and graphic, the body count steadily climbs each season, but it is often the small moments that matter most here. Watch Paulie and Tony's nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli late of LAW & ORDER) as they get lost in the Pine Barrens and sit out a bitter cold night in an abandoned trruck, both convinced they've had it.


The Sopranos is perhaps the most mind-opening series you could possibly ever want to watch. It's smart, it's quirky, it's funny - and it carries the mafia genre so well that most people can't resist watching. The best aspect of this show is the overwhelming realism of the characters, set in the subterranean world of the New York crime families. For most of the time, you really don't know whether the wise guys will stab someone in the back, or buy them lunch.

Further adding to the realistic approach of the characters in this show is the depth of their personalities - These are dangerous men, most of them murderers, but by God if you don't love them too. I've laughed at their wisecracks, been torn when they've made err in judgement, and felt scared at the sheer ruthlessness of a serious criminal.

The suburban setting of New Jersey is absolutely perfect for this show's subtext - people aren't always as they seem, and the stark contrast between humdrum and the actions taken by these seemingly petty criminals weigh up to even the odds.

If you haven't already, you most definitely should.


I can't add an awful lot to the positive reviews already on here - great acting, balanced writing, multi-faceted characters, a great anti-hero in Tony, great commentary on millennial American life. The integral use of psychiatry coupled with Tony's mother issues are especially fresh and humorous. Several other characters add a lot of depth - Hesh's interesting history as an outsider muscling in, Ralphie's total irredeemable viciousness, Chris' dual desires in life, and so on.

I have to dig into some of the criticisms however, especially the 'it glorifies violence/belittles Italian-Americans' one.Most of the writers and actors are Italian-American, would they attack themselves? There are several positive Italian-American characters - Artie Bucco the chef, Dr. Melfi and her family and the Cusamanos next door to the Sopranos. Indeed, Dr Melfi's ex-husband notes in season 1 that only a tiny minority of Italian-Americans have ever had Mob connections (certainly smaller than the proportion of African-Americans involved in crime, dare I say it. In both cases poverty and lack of opportunity are the biggest causes).

Most of the characters don't really choose the life they have; family background or circumstances largely corner them into it. Outsiders (even of Italian stock) who attempt to integrate into it usually meet distressing ends - Matthew and his friend in season 2, for example. If you criticise this show, I assume Frasier made you want to be a psychiatrist, or Will & Grace made you want to go homosexual? Presumably you won't listen to rap music that discusses gangs, or r'n'b which discusses promiscuity, or rock music which discusses drugs (or any other combination)? People aren't as stupid as some of you make out....

Not everything is perfect however. A lot of characters have only appeared once, when by all logic they should have been seen or at least mentioned in previous episodes - Tracee the dancer, Meadow's friend Ally, Uncle Junior's ladyfriend (supposedly for 20 years until they split in season 1).


The Sopranos stands out as an airtight, dynamic exploration of American life, and how the American experience is shaped and defined by money. By setting the story in the milieu of the underworld, David Chase eliminates all barriers to a grunt, low to the ground and outright mean deconstruction of the post-modern era.

Every character represents a facet of American industry. Tony Soprano exemplifies the beleaguered working stiff, torn between familial duty and a need to keep his "business" on an even keel. The convergence of these two things is the imperative that keeps the story moving forward. The characters of Christopher, Paulie, and Bobby reflect the loyal - but self-serving underlings present in every enterprise, who are trusted out of necessity rather than merit. With the character of Ralph, Joe Pantoliano essays a brilliant interpretation of the charismatic psychopath, a twisted businessman who's flourishes of violence are tragically outweighed by his stunning earning power. And Dominic Chianese is the ultimate symbol of the antiquated old-guard, which maintains power through established relationships and the need of the up- and-comers to deflect blame.

Though abrasive and occasionally disturbing, The Sopranos has earned its place as the ultimate TV drama.

PS A good companion piece to Chase's series would be The Shield, another violent drama that manages to make the ugliest of characters interesting.


Well... easily my favourite TV series ever. Call me a walking mail cliché but include violence, mafia, sex, gambling, drugs etc. on a show and you're already winning points on in my book. Combine all that with acting that superceeds anything you've ever seen on the small screen, add directing that fits cinema of the vintage type and most of all writing that blows the mind (and a few brains a long the way) and you got yourself a show thats gonna be pretty tough to compete with.

Above all stand two actors, James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, and Edie Falco as His wife Carmela... as for Gandolfini, he fits his roll in a way that words cannot express, if you haven't seen him as tony yet see it now!

I can go on and on and on about every character in the show, the psychological brilliance, the gripping scenes etc. but you wouldn't be able to stop me so all I can say is that this is about the only show along with Seinfeld, that I am able to watch over and over again from start to finish and end up enjoying it even more.


The Sopranos (now preparing to end) is the very peak of adult television and drama. When The Sopranos hits the mark, it really hits the mark. Using great writing and great actors (most of them being extras from Goodfellas) the series is aloud to progress in a satisfyingly unpredictable and exceptional way. Heading up the cast is James Gandolfini, who for all intensive purposes is Tony Soprano, and Edie Falco, who certainly holds her own. The series also boasts a great collection of regulars to push the plot along by any means necessary (usually violence and foul language). Tony Sirico, Michael Imperioli and Steve Van Zandt are great secondary characters that make every episode more interesting. Seasonal extras are also worth note including names like Steve Buscemi (great!), Joe Pantoliano (great!), David Proval (good), Robert Patrick, Robert Loggia and Frank Vincent.

The Sopranos is a great family drama and a realistic interpretation of modern day mafia societies that despite the rare bad story lines manages to be unique TV. Symbolism and simple story lines, dreams and shoot-outs and many other things create intertwining stories and relationships that at the end of each season are resolved to create yet another perfect HBO package. Watch it...


David Chase's "The Sopranos" is perhaps the most over-praised television show in recent memory. Not only is the series devoid of intellect and passion, it's devoid of a soul. As anyone reading likely knows already, James Gandolfini *IS* Tony Soprano, a big, fat a**hole of a mob boss with a spoiled b*tch of a wife, and two bratty, sh*t-brained kids living in - you guessed it - the armpit of America (that's New Jersey, by the way). Not only is Tony a womanizing adulterer, he's also an unrepentant murdering scumbag, with a crew of "Saturday Night Live" skit-worthy caricatures for subordinates. It's not the fact that Tony is a piece of sh*t mobster that offends me (and apparently only me). Allowing characters to be who and what they are, without judgment, is something American TV hardly allows. But Chase - and his entourage of money-gorged, Emmy-gored writers - have not simply allowed us to observe Tony and his crew as they behave, nor have they even attempted to provide any insight into the action / reaction reality of (even obviously fictionalized) organized crime (a la "The Godfather"). Instead, Chase glorifies and endorses his characters' greedy, violent, and corrupt lifestyle in the same way that Tony, his wife, and even his hair-brained psychologist do week after week (or should I say month after month. Or is it year after year? It seems like the show's paltry 13-episode seasons come out with the same regularity as a lunar eclipse). Much has been made of the series' refusal to adhere to "network" structure, with plot lines that go nowhere, and characters that pop-up and disappear like backyard vermin. But if the show is so brilliant in its lack of structure, why does it always feel like I'm watching a soap-opera? Tired mob clichés, bored housewives, self-serving, irredeemable characters AND plots that go nowhere. More than ever, I can see why so many Americans of Italian heritage are p*ssed at this show. It's enough to make you want to curl up with a good book (Danté's "Inferno" springs to mind).

People on IMDb love to claim that there's nothing good on television, and therefore "The Sopranos" is a breath of fresh air. Are these same people too busy paying their cable bills to watch "The Shield"? (It's included in Basic, ya know). How about the (still good) "The West Wing"? Or the brilliantly acted (if erratically written) "Boston Legal"? What about possibly the best comedy of the last few decades, "Arrested Development"? And lest we forget that we live in an age of DVDs - nobody *has* to watch *anything* new. I'd much rather shell out $40 for an over-priced boxed set of, well, pretty much *anything*, than give HBO $10 a month (or $80 a DVD set!) to continue to prove how much of a hack-factory it can be.

You want good television? Watch "Homicide: Life on the Street." Or "Murder One". Or "Picket Fences". Or even Chase's prior show, "Northern Exposure." If you're already among "The Sopranos"'s legion of brain-washed fans and critics, it's too late for you. But if not, leave Tony and his worthless kin where they all belong - rotting with the fishes. ("Sleeping" would be way too kind)


The Sopranos is probably the most widely acclaimed TV series ever, so naturally my expectations were through the roof, and yet the show surpassed them. I love the mafia and crime genre in film and I enjoy following the compelling stories set in these worlds, but this is so much more. 86+ hours of material gives the story a chance to not only be one of the most thrilling and unpredictable mafia/action stories, but also to be a great family drama, a shocking character study, a laugh-out-loud comedy, a brilliant psychological examination dealing with the nature of good and evil, and an intellectual arty collaboration of representative dreams and hallucinations all in one. David Chase's epic series manages to accomplish all of this and more, and cements HBO as the closest TV can get to cinematic perfection, paving the road for a number of other series to continue blowing audiences away.

Realism is present when it is needed, but Chase's decisions to depart from it for effect on occasion for "dream episodes" and the like only adds more layers to the series. Chase--along with a strong writing staff including Matthew Weiner and Terrence Winter, future creators of Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire respectively--turns New Jersey into an intricate universe full of the greatest cast of characters I've seen on TV.

James Gandolfini domineers the show as Tony, one of the most groundbreaking characters on TV ever. Tony adheres to half of the mobster stereotypes from pop culture, but he defies the other half entirely, and through his family interactions and his therapy sessions with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco, with whom he has a considerable chemistry that ensures that the therapy scenes always have a completely different feel to the rest of the show), we see nearly every side to Tony Soprano and learn that he is more of an everyman than one would expect.

Edie Falco matches the power of Gandolfini's performance as Tony's wife Carmela. From her mixed feelings about Tony's lifestyle, to her suspicions about murders, to her torment over Tony's cheating, to her own thoughts about infidelity, Carmela runs the gamut of emotions throughout 6 seasons and Falco makes her the prime vehicle for the non- mafia viewers to have eyes into such a corrupt world. Scenes between Tony and Carmela provide some of the most heartwrenching and painfully realistic drama ever seen on television.

The supporting cast is almost as phenomenal, and a wide array of characters populate the cast over all six seasons, somehow without any redundancies. Nancy Marchand steals the show as Tony's overbearing mother Livia, an insight into Tony's personality problems and panic attacks. The familiarity of Marchand's incessant complaints is almost gruesome since she takes the character so believably far. Michael Imperioli is Christopher, Tony's protégé, whose various poor choices lead him down a road that is painful to watch but brilliantly executed. Drea De Matteo plays Christopher's girlfriend Adriana, and is so well- meaning and loving that the dark arc her character takes as she gets too involved with Christopher's career. Tony Sirico is Paulie, introduced as the ultimate mafia stereotype and a source of comic, but eventually he becomes one of the most sympathetic and complex characters on the show, and nobody plays true anger better than he. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Familiar faces such as Peter Bogdanovich, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley, Lauren Bacall, Will Arnett, Nancy Sinatra, David Strathairn, Robert Patrick, Hal Holbrook, Burt Young, and Eric Mangini make appearances over the course of the show, while names as notable as Joe Pantoliano, Steve Buscemi, and Steven Van Zandt have regular roles as main characters in the series. There are 50+ great characters with powerful arcs, and the excitement and tension never let up in any of the various subplots throughout the show.

Comedic elements and entire episodes filled with brilliant hilarity dilute the powerhouse dramatic intensity of the series, which is so multipurpose that for one reason or enough, the credits of nearly any episode left me somewhat bewildered. The Sopranos is the most powerful and addicting series I have seen overall, and its highs are so mindblowing that I would have to call it my favourite show in spite of arguable lows (most of which I disagree with).

Whether you love or hate the ending, or what you make of it is irrelevant: the discussion it has created is an achievement in itself. The iconic nature of the entire series makes it an essential part of television history. There are multiple elements for anyone to love and marvel at in this show, so if you're thinking of watching something else instead, do yourself a favour and fuhgeddaboutit.


Though "The Sopranos" is yet another gift from the megahit "The Godfather" and sequels, which dramatized and to a certain extent glamorized the mafia, "The Sopranos" takes another tack. No suited up, classy mobsters here with homes in Lake Tahoe and stakes in Vegas casinos - these guys are goombahs, with a front of waste management, who deal with things that fall off the back of trucks, topless bars, protection money - in short, what the neighborhood mobs were all about.

Colorful characters dominate this series, which doesn't hold back on the sex and graphic violence. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is a mob head with a wife and two children, living in New Jersey, who suffers from panic attacks as he tries to balance his biological family with his mafia one. To get to the bottom of his attacks, he sees a psychiatrist, Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), who is afraid of him and yet attracted to him at the same time. Tony's henchman - Paulie, his nephew Christopher, his Uncle Junior (the titular head of the mob), his good friend Pussy - are all fully fleshed-out characters.

As we learn going through the series, there are enemies not only from without, but from within, and one of those enemies includes Tony's sickly but horrible mother (Nancy Marchand), who convinces Junior that Tony is a danger to him. Tony's sister Janice, meanwhile, is searching for money in her mother's house with a stethoscope and a Geiger counter. Tony has mistress problems, and a wife (Edie Falco) who puts up with a lot because she loves him, all the while keeping ties to her Catholic religion. "The church frowns on divorce," she tells one woman contemplating a split. "Let the Pope live with him," is the response. As far as Tony's mistress problems, his psychiatrist points out that Tony is attracted to demanding women for whom nothing is ever enough, and asks him if it sounds familiar. Yeah, it sounds like his mother.

I'm of Italian descent, and yes, I'm sick of Italians being shown in a negative light and everyone assuming all Italians are mobsters. Yet you can't help liking this show, which is a constant reminder of our culture. (Thanksgiving, it's pointed out, isn't turkey and sweet potato pie - it's the antipasto, the manicotti, the meatballs and escarole, and then the bird!) Not to mention, the right-on pronunciation of words like melenzana (mullinyan), escarole (scarole), manicotti (manigot) etc. The only un-Italian thing about Tony is that he doesn't have a finished basement, something unheard of in the rest of my family (except my parents never had one either).

The standouts in this show are Gandolfini, as a ruthless gangster on antidepressants, Falco, who is brilliant as his wife, and Bracco as the tortured Jennifer. But everyone is excellent. If you can take the violence and the language, this is a great show, an unrelenting portrait of New Jersey mob life.


As the Godfather saga was the view of the mafia from the executive suite, this series is a complex tale of the mafia from the working man's point of view. If you've never watched this show, you're in for an extended treat. Yes, there is violence and nudity, but it is never gratuitous and is needed to contrast Tony Soprano, the thinking man's gangster, with the reality of the life he has been born to and, quite frankly, would not ever have left even knowing how so many of his associates have ended up. Tony Soprano can discuss Sun Tzu with his therapist, then beat a man to death with a frying pan in a fit of rage, and while dismembering and disposing of the body with his nephew, take a break, sit down and watch TV while eating peanut butter out of the jar, and give that nephew advice on his upcoming marriage like they had just finished a Sunday afternoon of viewing NFL football. Even Carmella, his wife, when given a chance for a way out, finds that she really prefers life with Tony and the perks that go with it and looking the other way at his indiscretions versus life on her own. If you followed the whole thing, you know how it ends. If you didn't, trust me you've never seen a TV show end like this.


"The Godfather" of television, but aside from it's acclaim and mobster characters, the two are nothing alike. Tony Soprano is forced to go to a psychiatrist after a series of panic attacks. His psychiatrist learns that Tony is actually part of two families -- in one family he is a loving father yet not-so-perfect-husband, and in the other family he is a ruthless wiseguy. After analysis, Dr. Melfi concludes that Tony's problems actually derive from his mother Livia, who's suspected to have borderline-personality disorder. Gandolfini is rightfully praised as the main character; yet Bracco and Marchand aren't nearly as recognized for their equally and talented performances as the psychiatrist and mother, respectively. Falco, Imperioli and DeMatteo are acclaimed for their brilliant supporting roles. Van Zandt (from the E-Street Band) plays his first and only role as Tony's best friend, and is quite convincing and latching. Chianese, the only recurring actor to have actually appeared in a Godfather film, plays Tony's uncle and on-and-off nemesis. Many fans also enjoyed characters played by Pastore, Ventimiglia, Curatola, Proval, Pantoliano, Lip, Sciorra and Buscemi. Tony's children are "okay" but not notable (with the exception of Iler's stunning performance in the third-to-last episode, "The Second Coming"); Sirico and Schirripa are unconvincing and over-the-top, but the show is too strong for them to hold it back. Even as the show continues for over six season, it ceases to have a dull or predictable moment.

**** (out of four)


Now i have read some negative reviews for this show on this website and quite frankly I'm appalled. For anyone to even think that the Sopranos is not Television then i'm afraid i don't know what the world has come to. Let me tell u something. I started watching many T.V shows like Lost, Prison Break, Dexter, Deadwood and even Invasion. But all of those shows lost their touch after the first season, especially Lost and Prison Break which i refuse to watch because the companies took 2 genius ideas and butchered them by making more than one season. Then we have The Sopranos. I can honestly say that this is the only television series that i have ever watched where i have been enthralled in all of its season, and more importantly all of its episodes. There is no department that this show doesn't excel in. Acting- Nothing short of superb. James Gandolfini is one of my favourite actors and i feel that his acting is absolutely stunning in every episode, after i heard that HBO wanted Ray Liotta to play Tony i felt that it would've been the better choice, however after watching the first few episodes, i knew that HBO had done a great job in casting James as Tony. The raw emotion he displays is superb. Then we have everyone else, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Lorraine Bracco, Dominic Chianese (whom i remembered as Johnny Ola in the Godfather Part 2) and my personal two favourite characters Tony Sirico and Steve Van Zandt Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri and Silvio Dante. All of these actors perform to the best quality, and all giving an excellent performance in each episode. Then we have the story, never have i been so sucked into a T.V show before. The story is nothing short of excellent. Each episode is directed superbly and the Score of this show is just fantastic. I feel that The Sopranos is one show that i can watch again and again and never get bored of. Its got everything from hilarious humour to brutal violence, but nonetheless it is and will always be the best thing to ever grace the Television, and I challenge anyone to find a real flaw in the show. Not just say its too violent, or they feel that the character of Tony is immoral, i mean it is a mafia show at the end of the day, i don't think that the characters are going to be very honest or loyal to God. I implore everyone to watch this show because believe me, you'll be hooked from the very first episode, i was and i have even gotten a few friends who had firstly refused to watch the show, hooked on it. Trust me when i say that this show is a Godsend compared to the crap that comes on T.V. After you've watched the first season, you'll inevitably agree with me when i once again say that this show dominates Television, and no T.V show current or future will ever upstage the marvel that is The Sopranos.


The sopranos was probably the last best show to air in the 90's. its sad that its over, its was the best show on HBO if not on TV, not everything was spelled out for you throughout you had to think, it was brilliant. the cast was excellent. Tony (James Gandolphini) is a great actor and played his character excellent, as well as the others. Each character had flaws thats what made them so real and allowed the viewers to connect with them and thats one reason it lasted so long. The last episode was good, I'm not sure how to take it many different things can be construed by the ending id like to think that tony didn't die but meadow walked in and sat down with them and that the blackout was just for suspense. Tony will have to go to trial and deal with that hopefully is not dead thats how i feel... Long live the Sopranos and Tony Soprano.......


This is my favorite show. I think it is utterly brilliant. Thanks to David Chase for bringing this into my life.

Season 1

1. The Sopranos: 5/5

2. 46 Long: 4.5/5

3. Denial, Anger, Acceptance: 5/5

4. Meadowlands: 4/5

5. College:

6. Pax Soprana: 5/5

7. Down Neck: 4.5/5

8. The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti: 5/5

9. Boca: 4.5/5

10. A Hit Is a Hit: 3.5/5

11. Nobody Knows Anything: 5/5

12. Isabella: 5/5

13. I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano: 5/5


Chase has created a true phenomenon with The Sopranos. Unfaltering performances, rock-solid writing, and some great music make up what has become quite possibly the best show ever.

All of the cast are strong, but Falco and Gandolfini earned every inch of those Emmy's. Anyone who doubts this need only sample a few episodes; particularly from the first few seasons. James Gandolfini is absolutely fierce, absolutely terrifying, and you still find yourself loving him - mesmerized by him.

Many people that I've spoken to about The Sopranos (who haven't seen it yet) will say "I'm just not a fan of mafia movies/shows". Whatever. Run - don't walk - and get it. Those same people usually love "E.R.", but I bet they don't much care for hospitals... It's not about the context.


Brendan Filone is the absolute best character in The Sopranos. he died by getting shot in the eye. This was the best and well orchestrated scene ever in the Sopranos. Brendan Filone is too good. Brendan Filone shall haunt Uncle Junior in his dreams until Uncle Junior can't take it anymore. Brendan Filone is the best character. Brendan Filone was killed in episode # 3, Denial, anger, acceptance. But his legacy will live on forever. Brendan Filone is the best character on Sopranos! Brendan Filone is the best character ever. I recommend this show to anyone who likes Drama and wants to see good death scenes and great directing and producing, because it doesn't get any better than this series. Brendan Filone is the best.


What? I think not. I thought this show was pretty damn good. And it had more than three episodes. The actual number was closer to thirteen. While the Matrix connection was an unfortunate coincidence, the setting was very intriguing and I loved both D.B. Sweeney and Terry O'Quinn. It's the show that could'a, would'a, should'a been great. Even now'a'days for some reason I still imitate Sweeney's little mutter of "Santiago!" You gotta hate that Santiago guy. It's been a long time since I saw the show, but I'm just a sucker for the kind of universe the Harsh Realm was. It was like Lord of the Flies, but instead of children everybody was Special Forces! How cool is that?

The world of Harsh Realm would make a sweet massively multi-player online game, anybody else agree?


Hello fellow Harsh Realm fans. Have you heard the good news ? The short lived T.V. series from the creative mind of Chris Carter ( X-Files fame ) is finally out officially on DVD ! For those those of you out there reading this not familiar with the short lived Fox network television program let me fill you in. The government is running a covert computer program known as "Harsh Realm" People's minds are "transported" into this computer program without there knowledge. Here everything seems real but in this reality America is a post nuclear wasteland. Here it is survival is a daily struggle. It is in this computer program where a former highly decorated soldier known as "Santiago" rules with an iron fist. A soldier is sent in to "win" the game by killing Santiago. The soldier is not told by the government that in the computer program if you die there, you die in the real world. The Fox network recently released this short lived but innovative T.V. show on DVD. Only nine episodes are on it but it is well worth it. You can find used sets of this TV show for sale on E-bay for a reasonable price. You can also purchase it new from National store chain Best Buy for about $30.00 I hope my description helped you in deciding if you wanted to purchase or view this show. I gave it 8 out of a possible 10 stars only because they show did not have enough time to develop the characters and plot of the show. The show is well worth the money.


I was dismayed and confused by the fact that Fox canceled the series after the 3rd (yes, THIRD) episode.... But, I've told my wife several times that the only show I ever liked that ran more than three seasons was X-files. Unbelievable that people will watch an "Animal Psychic" and keep her on the air for two years (and still counting), but a great show like Harsh Realm dies such a premature death. Even the repeats on FX were in a dead time slot, and the so-called "Series finale" didn't wrap up anything... It just ended. It was pretty obvious to me that Fox pulled the plug VERY rapidly on this show. I'm also surprised that no other network picked it up and continued it...


This Pilot episode sucks you right into the show very quickly. The episode starts with a battle sequence in which Hobbes saves his best friend Waters' life. As the episode continues we learn that Hobbes has returned home and is engaged to be married. Because of this he plans to leave the service and settle down in California. He is however called on one last mission to which he remains extremely suspicious even after he is told that he is going to enter a virtual reality world created by the pentagon with the purpose of simulating war games. He is told his mission is to enter the game and find a man named Santiago and kill him. As he is watching the orientation video, the video suddenly cuts off and Hobbes wanders out to find out what is up. He quickly realizes that he has entered the game and is immediately running for his life. The rest of the episode is full of action and mystery as he is healed mysteriously by a woman who does not talk, finds that his fiancée's virtual counterpart is married to his best friend, Waters, who is one of Santiago's right-hand men. Hobbes also gains an unlikely companion in Michael Pinnocchio who robs him of his wedding ring minutes after entering Harsh Realm and continuously threatens to eat Hobbes' dog, Dexter. The episode also features two well known cameos for fans of Carter's other more popular shows The X-Files and Millennium. Lance Henricksen (Frank Black) plays the general and the voice doing the orientation video is none other than Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully). Very entertaining episode which sets the show up very well for a wide variety of opportunities. This being the first (and only really) attempt by Chris Carter of a solely SciFi non Horror show, I thought he did a great job and I was excited to see more.


While pre Matrix, this show only failed due to being a little too military, and too SF for mainstream audiences. It showed great potential, and some of the final episodes really showed off how this series could have progressed. But like Freakylinks and The Others, series can sometimes be too smart for their own good. Could have been great, but was never given the chance to shine, it's certainly worth a watch on DVD.

There was some great acting in there, especially by D B Sweeney, and the ever cool Terry O'Quinn, it showed great potential for a good conspiracy SF thriller with parallel worlds. It could be that the timing was just wrong for it, being screened too close to the Matrix to be taken as anything but a clone.


Pilot feels huge in every respect, from the big stars pulled in for small cameos to the massive sets that look like CGI, but are 100% real. Daniel Sackheim's direction is so beautiful and convincing that you could be forgiven for thinking it's Rob Bowman behind the camera and Chris Carter produces a script so tight and pacey that there isn't a single word, gesture or glance wasted. Scott Bairstow and D.B. Sweeney are electric together and Terry O'Quinn radiates the kind of raw power that no drama school can teach, it's there or it isn't. Sarah-Jane Redmond has so much charisma she threatens to reduce your television to ash every time the camera picks her up and Samantha Mathis gives a remarkable girl-next-door performance as Sophie Green. A powerful and romantic start to a powerful and romantic series.


Great idea, even if it is Matrix-derivative.

But, guys, if you're going to place a "carefully screened and selected soldier", who is supposedly representative of the "best" the Army has to offer, into a VR game, please don't turn him into a big p****y right away. I thought he was going to scream and run away when guns started firing. He certainly never got out of basic training, as he has no idea of how to conduct himself, how to survive in a hostile environment, tactics, weaponry, or anything else even remotely military. The military would have been better off just pulling a wino off the streets and putting him in the game. At least the wino would have been smart enough to find a cardboard box and get out of the weather.

Very, very poorly executed. No evidence whatsoever of any effort in writing. Strictly a concept show.

Not worth your time to rent on DVD...really.


It's a pity this sort of show gets canned so often! It doesn't matter if the Aussies like it cos it will get a bad time slot and probably already be canceled before it gets over here. What some people in Aus want to watch is not always the same as others! This show started screening in Aus from about 11 pm at night. i just happened to see the occasional episode of it. It was great! very much like the matrix but different enough to make it interesting.

If they happened to put this show on with star gate it probably would have the an audience to support it because thats the sort of show it was. But i guess fox didn't want it so didn't even bother advertising it!


For someone who is not familiar with the history of gay and lesbian cinema, this was an outstanding introduction to the subject.

I was fascinated with the early "gay" films and the fact that they were basically pictures of muscle men. I can imagine the Governator in some of these films.

What was significant and more important than the lack of films was the fact that gay and lesbian youth did not have any role-models to tell them that they were OK in how they felt. How many suicides resulted in a lack of gay films and gay actors on television? Taking us through the early days to today and thinking about the future of gay and lesbian films, it was an eyeopening experience and a must see for anyone interested in cinema history.


July is Queer Month for IFC and they kicked it off with this informative special documentary on the history of gay cinema. I am straight myself, but I was surprised that there had been so many gay films so early on. The story goes in a chronological order, told to us by gay critics and filmmakers. They trace gay cinema's roots back to Kenneth Anger's Fireworks. I believe Anger was 17 when Fireworks was made. They described it to be a sort of Muscle Beach experience followed by surreal imagery. After Kenneth Anger they came to 60's undergroud cinema like Jack Smith's Flaming Creatures and Andy Warhol's Blow Job. John Waters and others talked about how everyone in the theater showing Flaming Creatures was arrested. After discussion about the 60's there is talk about gay characters in 70's films and finally actual movies aimed at gays in the 80's and the gay film festivals in the 90's. After watching this documentary they mentioned many directors that I had no idea were gay, like Gus Van Sant and Luchino Visconti. Van Sant's Mala Noche had this documentary feel to it, but that film is virtually extinct today. This is more of a look at the history of gay film characters and gay filmmakers. The film seems to be too focused on just promoting a sexuality in cinema. But it makes sense because subconsciously almost every decision we make is based on sexuality.


Documentary purporting to show clips from landmark gay films and how they developed over the years. I'm giving it a 9 but I can't say I liked it. The movie focuses mostly on lesbian, independent and transgender films. There's nothing wrong with that--but totally ignoring gay male films is not right. Where's "Boys in the Band" or "Jeffrey" or "Love! Valour! Compassion"? Those were landmarks and the gay male films they do cover ("Making Love", "Brokeback Mountain") aren't shown in any depth at all. It should be titled "Fabulous! The Story of Independent Queer Cinema". That aside this is fascinating. It shows gay directors and actors talking about the films, how they were made and released. Some truly fascinating remarks are here. Well worth seeing but totally ignoring gay male films bothers me. I give it a 9.


More than one director has realized that the perfect plausible way of confining your characters to provide suspense is to put them in a boat  a mini-world of people, unable to get away from each other and isolated in the vast impersonal ocean with perils of its own...

The film is set in World War II An Allied ship was sunk by a German U-boat and a mixed bunch of survivors got away in the lifeboat The enemy submarine was also sunk by the explosion and its Nazi commander joined the survivors in their lifeboat

At first they were prepared to throw him overboard  but it was his skill which saved their little craft and gradually, while the allies were torn by dissension, selfishness, divided aims and views, his single-minded strength of purpose and his disciplined abilities took command Unknown to the others, he was stealing their rations to keep up his strength, and directing them towards a rendez-vous with a German supply ship

Tallulah Bankhead, incidentally, dominated the acting of the whole fine cast except possibly Walter Slezak, as the Nazi As the woman journalist, keeping close to her material possessions, and only emotionally more friendly, she gave a performance with the power and the pain of a thirty feet salt wave

It is ironic that the film's propaganda message, which I believe weakened and over-simplified it, was widely misunderstood at the time Hitchcock intended to show at that stage of the war that the democracies should settle their differences and unite forces against the common enemy, who was disciplined, strong, and knew just where he was going Instead, a lot of people attacked the film for showing the strongest character as the Nazi!

"Lifeboat" is an interesting thriller from the mounting tensions of the interplay of conflicting characters, trapped and isolated in the planks of their little boat


Ms. Bankhead's performance is amazing in this compelling film. In the first scene we are shown astounding destruction at sea from a capsized ship until the camera pans over to a lifeboat where the lone, well-coiffured, mink-draped, all made-up Tallulah is sitting, cross-legged, smoking a cigarette. Then we are shown a close-up of her leg. There's a run in her stocking! She looks more annoyed at that than all the carnage surrounding her! Later on, with more survivors on board and in danger of starving, she worries about how she looks and applies more lipstick! Oh Darling! This is classic cinema and one of the few films of this great lady (she was mostly on stage). John Hodiak (very handsome) is her enemy (at first), while Walter Slezak, Hume Cronin, William Bendix and the others ably support. An astonishing Alfred Hitchcock film.


Lifeboat was Alfred Hitchcock's only film for 20th Century Fox. It is not widely remembered nowadays - certainly not in the way that Psycho, North By Northwest and Rebecca are remembered - but it still ranks very highly in the director's canon. In the film Hitchcock demonstrates a fascination with restricting the action to a single set. He would return later in his career to the concept of single set stories, for movies such as Rope, Dial M For Murder and Rear Window. It is an approach that would bring most directors to their knees, but Hitch rises to the challenge admirably, finding ingenious ways to maintain audience interest and providing a ceaseless undercurrent of excitement.

A passenger ship torpedoed by a German U-Boat sinks in the Atlantic Ocean. Well-groomed society lady Constance Porter (Tallulah Bankhead, in an absolutely outstanding performance) successfully mans one of the sunken ship's lifeboats and steers it around the debris in search of survivors. She picks up various types from the sea, including injured sailor Gus Smith (William Bendix), crewman John Kovac (John Hodiak) and the German U-Boat captain (Walter Slezak) whose own submarine was critically damaged in the attack. The dynamic of the group is severely strained by the German's presence, as the other survivors contemplate and argue over whether to toss him to the sharks, or put their trust in him to steer their lifeboat to safety.

Slezak is very good as the tricky German, deviously keeping a stash of water to himself while the others struggle against chronic thirst, and at one point murdering a fellow survivor to keep his water supply a secret. Hitchcock and his script-writer Jo Swerling wisely let us in on the German's true nature, while the characters surrounding him are unaware of his treachery. This keeps tension on a knife-edge throughout the film, and holds the viewer in suspense for the whole story. Similarly, Bankhead's casting is so unorthodox, her character so intentionally ill-fitting to the oceanic setting, that her role in the proceedings casts a strange fascination. The film has a lot of political and propagandist subtext, and many people have viewed it as an allegory of the Nazi rise in Europe (Slezak is the metaphor for Nazi Germany; the others metaphors for surrounding nations duped into believing that the Nazi neighbour in their midst is helpful and trustworthy). Whatever else Lifeboat can and can't be interpreted as, one thing is certain - it's a mighty fine movie!


John Steinbeck's story was cleverly adapted by Jo Swerling, although it appears Ben Hecht was also a collaborator in the screen play. Without a doubt, Alfred Hitchcock scored another hit with "Lifeboat". For being done in one set, the boat, the movie never feels claustrophobic. The camera work is extremely effective because it conveys the hard voyage these survivors undertook after their Trans Atlantic ship was attacked by a German U boat.

The mood in the boat is driven by a sense of survival. The motley crew that gets on board after the shipwreck presents an assortment of people so different, but joined together by their predicament. It would have been highly impossible if these lives ever met, had it not been for the accident.

The characters are well defined. We see a glamorous reporter who manages to be in the boat by herself right after the wreck. The earthy Constance finds more from this experience than with her own work. Kovac, is the rough sailor who takes command. Gus, the injured sailor can't do much more but rely on happy moments in order to keep sane after his terrible predicament. Willy, the devious German, who the group rescues, has an agenda, but the others are too involved in their own problems to see right through this man. Sparks and Alice finally find peace and love with one another. The rich man, Rittenhouse realizes his money is not worth anything if they are not rescued soon.

Hitchcock's direction is what made "Lifeboat" the fine movie, and the classic it became. In a way, the ending is completely anti-climatic as the survivors realize Willy, the captain has steered them into a trap, but at the same time, after they watch the other German ship destroyed by an Allied vessel, they rescue a sailor, who threatens them, but is easily overpowered. We never see them saved, but we know they will be taken care by the approaching ship.

Tallulah Bankhead is excellent as Constance. In fact, her performance is perhaps exaggerated in order to convey the sophistication of the character. Little by little she is reduced to nothing as she loses all her material possessions, so dear to her and accepts the reality of the situation. John Hodiak, as Kovac, offers a mysterious side, as well as commanding power. William Bendix as Gus, offers a man who keeps thinking about happier times with his girlfriend.

Walter Slezak's performance is also equally satisfying. We know from the beginning he is hiding things from the people in the boat, but at the same time, he offers their only salvation. Hume Cronyn, an actor that worked with Hitchcock in a few movies, is good as Sparks. Mary Anderson is the sweet Alice who acts as a balancing agent. Henry Hull and Canada Lee, round out the magnificent cast of the film.

This is a Hitchcock film that deserves to be seen more often, for it offers tremendous rewards to its viewers.


How difficult is it to make a 96 minute film with one set and keep it consistently interesting and fascinating? Answer: Extremely - but Hitchcock and his cinematographer pulled it off brilliantly.

Bankhead is brilliant and deserved an Oscar nom for Best Actress - likewise William Bendix is superb and deserved a Best Supporting Actor nom -neither made the Academy's final list. A shame! (I found Bendix in WAKE ISLAND, for which he was nominated, rather forgettable).

This one did get noms for direction, cinematography and original story- all deserved. The ensemble playing from everyone is exceptional - it's dark and harrowing, but a masterpiece nonetheless. Don't miss it!


In one of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films, six people with different personalities and backgrounds are stranded together in a lifeboat after the passenger-carrying freighter they are on is sunk by a German u-boat in the Mid-Atlantic. The cast includes the fabulous Tallulah Bankhead as a bitchy photo-journalist, Hume Cronyn as kind-hearted man who finds love on the lifeboat, Canada Lee as a kind steward, Walter Slezak as a mysterious German, and John Hodiak who has to dodge Tallulah's nonstop advances. Hitchcock did this film on one set - the single lifeboat. What's amazing is that he could keep things interesting for two hours, but he managed to somehow. Bankhead is this movie's greatest asset. Reportedly, she didn't wear underwear on the set and constantly kept the crew at attention! This is a great, novel film.


"Lifeboat" is an excellent film. It is a great achievement by Alfred Hitchcock that he could create a film set on only a lifeboat interesting for its duration. Hitchcock had a knack for experimental films, such as "Rope", which seems to be one continuous shot, and "Rear Window", which features one small apartment and a man in a wheel chair. With so little, he is always able to do so much.

In "Lifeboat", we start out with the sinking of a ship and people gathering on the lifeboat. It's really that simple. This is a character driven film. There are no lush chase sequences, there are no gunfights, there is no mystery. Nope, its all about how this collection of characters interact with each other. Its a study of how difference of opinion can creat tensions, and how people can deal with those tensions. Its really fascinating to watch, and when its all said and done, you get the impression that it wasn't just an experiment, but that it had something to say, and it did.

The only slight flaw in the film is that we don't really get a sense of how long(exactly)they've been at sea. I "Cast Away" we saw Tom Hanks lost a considerable amount of weight and grow a considerable amount of hair. Well, that is the one thing you don't see with this movie. Its really a minor quibble anyway because it doesn't diminish the entertainment value at all.

Hitchcock was the master of suspense, but he was never afraid to try other things, from screwball comedy(Mr. and Mrs.Smith) to psychological thrillers(Vertigo). This film is definitely one of his best and most interesting experiments. 9 out of 10.


For some reason, "Lifeboat" has remained a relatively obscure and overlooked Hitchcock film. True, the pace is nothing like a North By Northwest or Rear Window, but the level of drama provided is as high as any of Hitchcock's films, early or late. The scene where the mother wakes up in Tallulah's fur coat and asks where her little Johnny is was one of the most gut wrenching scenes I've ever seen in a movie, and I've seen plenty of movies. The movie, while wonderfully developing its own nine characters, also raises questions aimed at the viewer, pointedly questioning how each one of us would react in those certain situations. Personally, I thought the movie was another Hitchcock masterpiece, and I would definitely give it four out of four stars.


When David O. Selznick got some loan out money from Darryl Zanuck for Alfred Hitchcock's services for two films (the second was never made), I'm sure Zanuck must have just loved Hitchcock when he told him that he wanted to make a film with just one set. Talk about cost cutting, anyway after a few failed scripts, Zanuck got American premier novelist John Steinbeck to write an original screenplay and since it was timely patriotic, Hitchcock did it.

So for Hitchcock asking for a one set film, the movie going public got Lifeboat. A disparate group of passengers and crew are torpedoed in the mid-Atlantic and wind up together in a lifeboat. After their ship went down however, another ship in the convoy rammed in the U-Boat that sank them. The last one picked up on board is a German.

The crew members include John Hodiak, William Bendix, Hume Cronyn and Canada Lee. Passengers are Mary Anderson, Heather Angel and a dead baby she clings to, and millionaire Henry Hull. And of course playing a Dorothy Thompson like correspondent is the great Tallulah Bankhead.

Lifeboat is a wonderful film not just for the fact that Alfred Hitchcock succeeded in making a one set film that you are never conscious of while watching. But it's the only opportunity to see Tallulah at the height of her fame. She made a bunch of Hollywood features at the beginning of the sound era, but they flopped for the most part. So she went back to Broadway which loved her best and her season box seat at the Polo Grounds where she was the New York Giants most devoted fan. Lifeboat should have rejuvenated a movie career, but she apparently didn't care. Lifeboat even on its own is her best work on film, let alone in comparison to other films.

The villain of Lifeboat is our German, Walter Slezak. He's a devious and cunning individual, he seems stronger and more fit than the other Lifeboat survivors and because of that and in spite of the fact he's hated, he gradually assumes charge. There's a reason for his actions and his fitness and when it's discovered, grave consequences erupt.

Canada Lee, distinguished black actor from the stage, gets a role here that's far from Willie Best or Step N' Fetchit. My favorite scene in Lifeboat is when Hodiak who represents the left on the boat is trying to rouse the rest to just toss Walter Slezak to the sharks when he first arrives, asks Lee for his opinion as he's a member of the party. Lee replies simply he didn't realize he had any vote or say in the matter, a very trenchant observation about how blacks were disenfranchised in a quarter of the USA, some twenty years before the Voting Rights Act.

The Lifeboat survivors are a cross section of the American people and this World War II allegory in microcosm is to show just why these Nazis are as evil as they are and why we have to resist. Even today more than sixty years after it was first made, Lifeboat is still a great cinematic achievement from Alfred Hitchcock.

And it was made so cheaply which Darryl Zanuck ecstatic.


Hitchcock made a lot of great films, many of which have been met with the acclaim that they rightly deserve. Lifeboat deserves a lot of acclaim, yet its lesser-known status doesn't allow justice in that respect. This film represents one of Hitchcock's major successes in scene setting and drawing the audience into the story. The way that Hitchcock uses his camera aboard the lifeboat is amazing, as by keeping the action on the claustrophobic craft, the great director ensures that his audience is always plugged into the plight of his characters; which helps the film no end when it comes to the story, as we know their situation at all times. In fact, it's amazing just how well Hitchcock does do this; while they were starving, I was too! The plot is simple, yet a great base for a wartime thriller. We follow the surviving members of a crew from a ship that was bombed by a German U-Boat. They're crammed onto a small lifeboat, but there's one survivor that isn't quite welcome. His name is Willy, and he's a survivor of the U-Boat that sank the ill-fated ship.

Given the time when this was made (towards the end of World War 2), it's hardly surprising that it's filled with propaganda. Usually, this annoys me; but here it's done really well, and the propaganda is actually worked into the story instead of just being there to rally the allied population at the time. Hitchcock turns this into a twist, and the way that he parodies the war on the whole on just a small lifeboat in the middle of the big ocean is great. The entire film takes place on just one single set. The action never leaves the lifeboat (aside from to pan around the surrounding area), but Hitchcock uses this to his advantage. The lack of locations really enforces the crew's isolation. The acting is melodramatic in typical forties fashion; but all of the cast members do well in their roles. Tallulah Bankhead takes the lead role and really is the linchpin of the movie. She is joined by the likes of William Bendix, Walter Slezak and John Hodiak, who give great turns despite not being A-class actors. Overall, this is a Hitchcock film that I would say is just as important to see as the likes of Rear Window and Strangers on a Train. This is Hitchcock at his best, and the film is a great ninety-five minutes to boot. Don't miss this one!


One of my favorite films, Hitchock does his usual great job, and to see at last stage great TALLULAH BANKHEAD in her first and only noteworthy role how can you miss !!! Tallu's lusting after sexy hot hunk, John Hodiak, well its almost X rated, note the way she caresses his pecs!!! William Bendix is great as is Walter Sleazak, as the nazi, one of Hitchcocks best, definitely Tallulah's


Did Hitchcock make any bad movies? I haven't seen any. This one was a little different, and lacks the visceral suspense of some his other films. However, it's still a great movie. Tallulah Bankhead was excellently cast, and was great. Everyone should see this film.


A better, richer film than when I first viewed it close to 20 years ago. One of Hitchcock's greatest accomplishments (with a terrific Macguffin -- the compass!). And the perfect showcase for Miss Tallulah Bankhead, bitch-goddess of Broadway, who never conquered Hollywood but is forever enshrined in this performance, where's she basically playing the image she herself created -- "Dahhlings" and all -- if not, in fact, playing Herself! An intense delight, Dahhling...


OK, YES, this IS one of the greatest chamber-pieces of all time, set on the open ocean no- less, but also... This is a great one for given it to you both as a straight-ahead melodrama, And as a kind-of symbolic deal for where the nation (and the world) was at the time. You know, where people are people, but they represent Kinds of people, or Groups of people. And their actions can be taken for this or that, literal or representative or whatnot. The people in the boat, like the people in the world watching the movie, Were At War.

It's the natural thought-train watching this action to wonder what we'd do in these peoples' positions. How would we treat the German? Each Other?

And if this was bein' made Today, not as a re-make, but as its original Patriotic allegory, who would be in the boat? And what would the characters all represent from today's world- stage? And what would be the message for the American (and world-wide) movie-going public? hmmm.

Great Flick. And Tallulah Bankhead was One Bad-Ass Lady, it looks like. They sure Don't make 'em like they used to.


Thank God Hitchcock made this movie with Tallulah Bankhead, who never was successful in movies but had a great stage career. She is great in "Lifeboat" but everyone else is, too. The level of suspense and drama is high, and there is one very "Hitckcock" scene that is frightening and scary.


"Lifeboat" is one of Hitchcock's best films of WW2, and wonderful as a description hardly does the film justice. Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, John Hodiak, and Mary Anderson give the best performances in the film, and the woman with the dead baby near the beginning is a poignant touch.


This film got Hitchcock an Oscar nomination and it was well deserved. Tallulah Bankhead got an award from the New York Film Critics for her role in this John Steinbeck story about survivors on a lifeboat.

There was an eclectic mix of characters with a German Captain, an American who changed his German name, a multi-millionaire, a typical New York character, and two from the South side of Chicage, a girl and a guy who find love on the boat, and one black character. You can imagine the stories and conflict in that as they float on the sea.

Hitcock did a create job keeping things moving and the film never dragged as they awaited rescue. Cinematography was excellent. Great cast and an interesting look at how people react without food or water.


Great Great Movie..... If you can stand for a gut wrenching film. It makes you almost sick to watch it. It is THAT GOOD!!! No, i'm not talking blood and guts here. I'm not talking special effects with computers. I'm talking Drama at its BEST. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. You will never want to watch it again, but you just have to. If Hitchcock was alive today and they re-released this to the theaters. It would be a smash box office hit. But ONLY if they used the original, not some remake. I hope NEVER to be put in a position as this film portrays. I hope I haven't overstated this movie. But for me, wow. Life and death at it's worst.


This has been a difficult-to-see Hitchcock for many years, and I finally caught up with it on the new DVD issue. I was pleasantly surprised that the agenda is first to have compelling characters in interesting situations, and the whole "microcosm in a lifeboat" clichés are kept to an absolute minimum.

Yes, Hitchcock knows he doesn't need to preach - he can slip in the messages between the cracks. Supposedly he jettisoned Steinbeck's original treatment because it was too propagandistic. I really enjoyed the slow reveals of Willy the Nazi's skills and plans, and the interesting character turns the supposedly "socialist" Kovac shows (becoming enamored with Connie's bracelet, and then with the rich (and strange?) Connie herself).

Best of all is the emphasis on Connie's arc, and how the glamorous Tallulah Bankhead loses everything along the way, but gains confidence in her beliefs.

For being a "one-set" film, it was surprisingly open and visually interesting. It was never didactic, boring, or static. The ending, as well, which has drawn some criticism, neatly conveyed irony, patriotic and moral issues elegantly and ambiguously. No over-the-head propaganda here.

Very fun and tightly done film.


Before today, all I really knew of Hitchcock was his murder mysteries (I consider myself a huge fan of those). Now I see why he is more often described as a master of SUSPENSE. You would think: how much suspense can there be within the confines of a 12 or 15 foot long lifeboat?

There is plenty- from a shellshocked woman tied to a chair after her baby is buried at sea, to an amputation performed by a Nazi during a rising storm, to the experience of being in a leaky boat caught between two ships that are shelling each other- this movie was a much harsher ride than I expected, and makes me respect the genius of Hitchcock even more than I already did. I watched it alone on VHS in broad daylight, and I STILL felt rattled by the experience... I can only imagine what it must have felt like to see this on the silver screen in a darkened theater back in the day.

The brilliance of this movie is how it portrays good and evil in little glimpses instead of broad strokes. Every character is morally ambiguous to some point, acting nobly one moment, brutally the next. Despite the presence of a black man, an affluent woman, a (probably Nazi) German, a blue-collar sailor, and so on, there are no stereotypes aboard this lifeboat by the end. Each has surprised you, possibly disappointed you, and definitely made sure that you will REMEMBER them as a person, not as a "type," long after the movie is over.


I agree that this is an overlooked hitchcock. i don't really remember how I found it, I think AMC. But, it gripped me. I have seen it numerous times, and can not wait for it to be put on DVD, like Hitch's earlier works...from the 30s. Bankhead, and Gus and Hume do marvelous jobs, as do the other cast members.


Maybe "Lifeboat" wasn't Alfred Hitchcock's greatest movie, but it was still interesting. It tells of several people who survive a torpedoed ship and have to live together on a boat. On the boat, they've got more than a few surprises awaiting them, namely because of the men who torpedoed the ship is on board with them. The main character is vain heiress Connie Porter (Tallulah Bankhead), who can never seem to apply enough makeup. The other characters (William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Mary Anderson, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Heather Angel, Hume Cronyn, Canada Lee) also have their quirks - and secrets. All in all, this is a perplexing, and delicious, movie.


What a great challenge it must have been for Alfred Hitchcock to make this movie possible. Here we have a story that is stationary, no movement in terms of setting or action and yet with a fine cast and wonderful writing, Hitchcock was able to create a timeless and suspenseful drama dictating what great lengths people are willing to go to in order to survive as well as the goodness of mankind that can shine through.

As the story goes, a US ship has just been sunk and we see the remains floating along in the Atlantic and soon stumble across a lavishly dressed woman alone in a lifeboat, a reporter insisting on saving her material in order to project a good story. As more survivors resurface, we meet a whole group of them including a nurse, a radio operator, a crewman and a German who is immediately ostracized by the rest simply because he is from the boat that sunk the survivors' ship. What Hitchcock does in depicting these very different people and how they relate to one another and try to survive amidst the cold, seemingly endless Atlantic Ocean is truly fantastic. This is a set-up that would be exciting and seem original even by today's standards of unlimited special effects potential.

What Hitchcock does to maintain the narration moving forward and keep interest alive is not a stretch of realism nor is it far-fetched n its method. Here, simple and solid directing reigns and despite a somewhat anticlimactic ending, I found this to be one of Hitchcock's better movies; maybe one of his ten best. It is engaging, interesting and does a superb job of showing the true colors of people in such a situation. Here, in a boat stranded in the ocean, there are no Americans or Nazis, poor or rich. Everyone is equal and trying to strive to the same goal.


this was one of those films where the premise made me groan. I pictured a tedious slightly cheese-ball dated experience. Boy was I wrong. This movie was so well-done, so well-written and directed that I didn't want it to end. One setting is all that exists and Hitch certainly knew how to stage this and make it work. Hitch is truly the master at 1 set movies, from Rope to Rear Window to this. Intense! I consider it one of his greatest films alongside such classics as Shadow Of A DOubt and the afore-mentioned Rope and the dark comedy The Trouble With Harry.

Of proof of Hitch's genius, look for his cameo. Classic!

This is a must-see!


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"!


Lifeboat is another fine film from it's director Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcok received the second nomination in his career for Best Director at the Academy Awards for 1944. The film was also nominated for Best Cinematography from Glen Macwilliams and Original Motion Picture Story for John Steinbeck. It's a great character study and is basically a stage play set at sea with a fine cast including Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Hume Cronyn, John Hodiak and Canada Lee. I've always enjoyed this film and have seen it many times. It's a well acted script adapted from a good Steinbeck story by Jo Swerling and Ben Hecht. All Hitchcock films are good and offer something different in each one. This is a little stage restricted and has no performances to absolutely wow you but it's worth checking out if you've never seen it. I would give it an 8.5 out of 10 and recommend it.


This Hitchcock film, made soon after he burst into prominence in America with films like "Rebecca" and "Suspicion," is a lot of fun, but it's ultimately more of a technical experiment than it is a satisfying narrative film, much like "Rope" would be 4 years later. The suspense here comes more from wondering how Hitchcock is going to sustain interest in a film shot entirely within the confines of a small boat rather than through any dramatic tension. Still, any Hitchcock fan should see it, and Hitch works in his trademark cameo in a particularly clever way.

Tallulah Bankhead is sexy and vampy in the lead role. She has the glamour and acerbic wit of a Bette Davis, and it's a shame she didn't do more film.

Grade: B


This is quite an underrated Hitchcock movie. While its not one of his best movies, this is actually quite good. The plot is very World War 2-inspired so that may be part of why it is overlooked. This does have classic Hitchcock suspense moments though (although the best one comes towards the end). A lot of dialogue here too and Tallulah Bankhead does an excellent job. Worth checking out if you are a fan.


A merchant ship is torpedoed and sunk by the Germans, leaving only a handful of survivors in the process. Finding a lifeboat to share, the survivors are thrown into conflict when one of the survivors turns out to be the captain of the U-boat that sunk their ship.

Lifeboat is a truly fine Alfred Hitchcock picture, it's a little undervalued, and most probably under seen due to not getting a worthy DVD transfer until the new millennium. Adapted from a John Steinbeck story, Lifeboat finds Hitchcock experimenting with a single set picture that is awash with propaganda and containing a cast that are across the bows, both endearing and totally interesting. Really tho, it's with the moral posers and quandary heart that Lifeboat becomes a great picture, different classes and oddly assorted persona's are forced to survive as one unit, but invariably a fly in the ointment could turn out to be a catalyst of sorts, not only for this group's possible survival, but in mental fortitude's and their respective capabilities under duress.

Very interesting film from the maestro director, with Tallulah Bankhead, Willian Bendix, John Hodiak and Walter Slezak turning in very enjoyable performances. Lifeboat is unusual in the sense of Hitchcock's other well known pictures, but it definitely finds him very much on form and very much laying down a marker for the genius that was to come. 9/10