this doesn not get much attention and i be not sure why and because it certainly deserve more . the story of a diverse handful of survivor adrift in the atlantic after their ship be torpedo and it represent one of the technical and narrative challenge that hitchcock at the time be begin to impose on himself . there only one set the lifeboat and how do you give the ten or so people aboard enough to do and say to keep the audience watching . you can not have them almost mow down by an airplane in the middle of a corn field . hitchcock and his writer handle the problem deftly . there isn not a dull moment in the film . they fight storm and cut off leg and play card and get drunk and fall in love and and kill each other . john steinbeck write the treatment and the screenplay be polish off by jo swerling . it immediately run into trouble with the office of war information and the breen office . the handful of british and american survivor pick up the captain of the u boat and now sunk and that torpedo their ship good old willie . willie prove to be more focused and more able than anyone else in the boat . he not only a master seaman and navigator but a surgeon as well . he turn out to be cheerful and practical and cherubic and avuncular and perceptive and melodious and charismatic and and murderous . he row the boat in the general direction of the u boat mother ship while he sing german folk song and the others tootle along and accompany him on a flute . how be i do and willie . and ask the millionaire henry hull . the hypermasculine and possibly communist and john hodiak mock hull in a queer voice and how be i doin and willie . and and then cackle . and why not . after all and everybody in the boat be accompany willie . the problem and a the censor saw it and be that willie be superior to anyone else in the boat and willie be a nazi . the fact that willie be cheat by swig from a concealed bottle of water and take vitamin pill and and peek at a hidden compass be trump by the obvious fact that he be the only person who know exactly what he be do . the german could have show the film throughout europe a pro nazi propaganda . steinbeck catch most of the heat for this and a he have for an early screenplay and the moon be down and that humanize a german soldier . be steinbeck a crypto fascist . it ironic that the question should have be raise because before the war and steinbeck and the author of such modestly leftist work a to a god unknown and the grape of wrath and be accuse of be a commie . there be a couple of shot that no other director would have employ because no other director would have think of them and and theyre not necessarily dramatic or suspenseful . it a languorous afternoon on the becalm sea . hodiak and his torso mottle with tattoo be read an old newspaper . we see the newspaper from his point of view . then a mischievous finger poke slowly through the page and pull the paper away and to be replace by tallulah bankhead seductively smile face drop gently backwards onto hodiak lap . while they swap back story and she produce her lipstick and add another fake tattoo to his chest the initial c. p. theyre bankhead initial and of course and connie porter and but they also hint at communist party . with only a few minor exception and the acting be superb . i never find myself under talullah bankhead magic spell but if i have to choose an actress to play a spoiled and snobbish and rich bitch it might be her . she seem to belong in that mink coat and she practically own that smoke cure voice . in many way and this be her story . she progressively strip of every material possession she use to define herself and and it her character that show the most development . canada lee and a the black guy and be a fine actor and have the right face for the part but he saddle with a stereotypical role . there isn not space to get into all the character but it clear that hitchcock opt for genuine face instead of glamor puss in this story . john hodiak look like an ordinary stoker and not like cary grant . and i mean take a look at hume cronyn . a face make for radio . you really shouldn not miss this one . it a lesson in movie making .