Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Tallulah Bankhead in a rare leading-lady film role, Lifeboat follows a group of survivors stranded in the titular lifeboat after their ship is sunk by a German U-boat during World War II. Forced to cooperate despite their differences in class, nationality, and politics, the survivors struggle over leadership roles after they rescue a German sailor from the wreckage. For Bankhead, who found filmmaking dull and preferred the theater, Lifeboat was the biggest showcase of her charismatic screen presence. Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Director.