Lifeboat

After exploring recent Hollywood blockbusters, now seemed like a good time to go and try a golden oldie but all be it one not as well known to the public, Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat from 1944. Like many, I've enjoyed the iconic director's big films during both his time working in the UK and America that included The 39 Steps, North by Northwest and Vertigo but now I wanted to delve deeper into the less 'starry' films Hitchcock is known for and Lifeboat seemed like a good place to start.

By 1944 Hitchcock was already in America and expanding his filmography with the likes of Shadow of a Doubt and Rebecca while war raged on in the background. Whereas Shadow of a Doubt deliberately looked away from the foreboding conflict that America would soon be engulfed with, Lifeboat drops us straight in the ocean as we witness a ship sink following a battle between the US and Germany, revealing a small group of survivors but they soon stumble across a Nazi making their doomed situation even worse.

Made tricky by the language barrier, the crew cautiously band together in the hope of finding land and Hitchcock is fantastic once again with what could be described as 12 Angry Men but on a sinking boat. Prior to Rear Window, this was one of the first Hitchcock films to trap his characters and hold them in one location which can make or break a film. 1944 is also quite a while ago and age can hurt a film but, despite this being shot all in a studio, it looks great and still holds up today with a strong screenplay. The cast are also very impressive, particularly Walter Slezak as the German they save along the way.

Lifeboat is a great example of a simple story told very well. I wouldn't rank it among the director's best but it is still film one that any fan should checkout and there's plenty to capture the attention of newcomers.