Alfred Hitchcock's 'Lifeboat': Plot summary

This is a plot summary of director Alfred Hitchcock's film 'Rope'. 

Lifeboat is a 1944 survival drama directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the book of the same name by John Steinbeck. When an American Merchant Marine ship bound for London and a German U-boat destroy each other, the survivors must find a way to survive in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean.

Materialism, racism, elitism, and distrust are among the themes in this film. Like his 1948 film ‘Rope,’ Hitchcock’s Lifeboat uses a minimal number of elements—a boat, the ocean, and the sky. The lifeboat and its relative size against and between the ocean and the sky is a microcosm of planet Earth and the universe.

Summary:

In the Pacific ocean during World War II, an American merchant ship and a German U-boat torpedo each other and sink to the bottom of the ocean. Photographer Constance Porter (Tallulah Bankhead) is the 1st survivor in the lifeboat. She looks elegant and civilized in her fur coat applying lipstick. She takes out her camera to shoot footage of the debris around the boat. She films Kovac (John Hodiak), an engine mechanic on the ship, then helps him into the boat. Kovac, inadvertently knocks Connie’s camera out of her hands and into the ocean. 

One by one, they pull survivors out of the ocean: 

• Sparks, the ship’s radio operator (Hume Cronyn)
• Army nurse Alice Mackenzie (Mary Anderson)
• Industrialist C.J. Rittenhouse (Henry Hull)
• German U-boat Captain, Wili (Walter Slezak)

Joe (Canada Lee) swims to the boat with a young woman and her baby. When the ship sank, Mrs. Higley (Heather Angel) tried to drown her baby but Joe stopped her. Joe is black and Connie addresses him as Charcoal. Gus Smith, (William Bendix) who is German American, has a badly injured leg.

The survivors of the ship argue as to whether or not to throw the German overboard. Kovac is a Czechoslovakian and wants to kill the German but C.J. Ritt believes that they should treat the German as a POW and they keep him in the boat.

Mrs. Higley’s baby is dead and when she falls asleep they put the child into the ocean. Upon waking to find her child gone, Mrs. Higley goes overboard the following night while everyone’s asleep. 

Their compass is broken and no one knows how to get to Bermuda. Kovac takes command of the boat. Wili has a compass but doesn’t tell them. Kovac accidentally knocks Connie’s Scandinavian typewriter overboard.

Gangrene has set in Gus’s right leg. Wili advises them to amputate the leg but Gus is fearful of losing Rosie, his girlfriend back home who likes to dance. Rosie’s a slut. Kovac knows this because he introduced her to Gus. Gus defends her and becomes angry with Kovac. The German is also a surgeon and Gus consents to the amputation. A storm blows in and when it leaves Gus’ right leg is gone. 

Earlier, Wili told them how to get to Bermuda but Sparks suspects foul play.  When Wili falls asleep, Joe frisks Wili and finds a working pocket watch despite the fact that Wili asked Connie for the time earlier. They wake Wili up but a strong storm takes control of the boat. Wili yells out commands in english! Water rushes into the boat. Connie loses her suitcase. The boat loses its sail. 

By the time the storm passes, Wili has taken over the lifeboat and is at the oars rowing and singing. Everyone is laying around limp and exhausted. Mr. Ritt is blowing the flute. Sparks and Ms. Mackenzie are lying side-by-side smiling at each other; Connie and Kovac are doing the same. 

All of their food and water are gone. And all of the elegance and dignity are gone now for Connie. Her hair is down and all of her makeup is washed off. Kovac's exposed torso is covered with tattoos and now, equalized by the storm, they both look like they’re from the lower end of Chicago.

They need water and it rains, but not enough. Gus is delirious with thirst and worries out loud about his Rosie and whether she will accept him with only 1 leg. When no one is looking, Wili pulls a flask of water from his coat and steals a sip. Gus sees Wili drinking the water and Wili pushes him out of the boat. Later, Willi admits to pushing Gus out of the boat to put him out of his misery. Joe pulls the container of water from Wili’s coat. They gang up on Willi and throw him overboard. Now, they have no ‘motor’ as Wili was the only person strong enough to row the boat. Worst of all, they have no compass! 

They need food and water. Connie takes off her diamond bracelet and gives it to Kovac to use as bait to catch a fish. Joe spots a ship and cries out. Everyone forgets the line, the fish, and Connie’s diamond bracelet.

The ship turns out to be an enemy ship. However, an American ship destroys the enemy ship and they’re saved! A German soldier survives the attack and they pull him into the lifeboat. No one trusts the German but Connie sees his injuries and wants to help him despite Ritt’s warning not to do so. As they argue back and forth, the German draws a pistol but Joe knocks the gun loose. The German asks them if they are going to kill him. The end.