For years, I’ve been keeping up with the newest films for reasons that are as much work-related as for the thrill of discovery. However, if I choose a film to see and savor just for pleasure, my choice likely would be one that is older than I am. Often, it will be much older... and this brings me to Alfred Hitchcock.
When one thinks of Alfred Hitchcock, one likely will conjure up tales of terror and suspense. Many have one-word titles and, in them, the title certainly tells all. You have NOTORIOUS and FRENZY, SPELLBOUND and SABOTAGE and SABOTEUR, VERTIGO and ROPE. And of course, you have PSYCHO. However, one single-word Hitchcock title offers an altogether different inference. It is LIFEBOAT, and it is based on a story by John Steinbeck. A spanking new Blue-ray of LIFEBOAT recently was released to home entertainment, courtesy of Kino Lorber.
When you consider a film titled LIFEBOAT, you might assume that it is the tale of a bunch of individuals who have abandoned a sinking ship and are struggling for survival on the high seas. And your assumption would be correct. Yet this LIFEBOAT was made in 1944, which of course was the depth of World War II, and so the sinking ship is a freighter that has been destroyed by a Nazi U-boat.
Those in the lifeboat are a cross-section of humanity but, given their plight, they all are equals. Their backgrounds have nothing to do with their chances for survival. Plus, complications surely arise when a man emerges from the sea and joins them. He is a German; he just may be the U-boat commander; and, back in 1944, his portrayal resulted in quite a bit of controversy given that he is no one-note Nazi swine.
LIFEBOAT is a powerful, heartbreaking film, as well as a reflection of its era in its depiction of the various characters and its attitude towards them. It also features a stellar cast, starting with Tallulah Bankhead, giving her best-ever screen performance, as well as Walter Slezak, William Bendix, and Hume Cronyn, among others.
But one actor is well-worth citing. He is Canada Lee, a black-American performer, and he plays Joe, a ship steward who at one point offers a spontaneous, poignant recitation of the 23rd Psalm. Canada Lee may be long-forgotten today, but his life and career are well-worth remembering. For one thing, he only appeared in a handful of films because he refused to play racial stereotypes: the parts for black Americans that then prevailed in Hollywood. Canada Lee was a proud man who exuded class and integrity but, sadly, he was blacklisted and he died way-too-young. He was just 45 years old when he was felled by a heart attack in 1952.
As for LIFEBOAT, the film may not be as fondly recalled as Hitchcock’s PSYCHO or VERTIGO or THE BIRDS. To label it as underrated certainly would be accurate. But it is well-worth seeing and pondering.
Rob Edelman has authored or edited several dozen books on film, television, and baseball. He has taught film history courses at several universities and his writing has appeared in many newspapers, magazines, and journals. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.
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