During the Second World War in the United States, cinema was extensively used as a propaganda vehicle. All the great filmmakers were involved: Capra, Ford, Huston, and Hollywood's new master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. After making several films advocating American entry into the war alongside the British, in direct violation of the Neutrality Act, Hitchcock took advantage of Zanuck's departure from 20th Century Fox to launch a major new propaganda project: Lifeboat. He asked John Steinbeck to write the basic story. This great American literary figure, author of The Grapes of Wrath, whose adaptation was one of Fox's biggest successes, was himself very committed to the war effort. When Lifeboat was released, success quickly turned to controversy. What if Hitchcock's film had completely missed the mark? What if, instead of providing anti-Nazi propaganda, the film actually defended the thesis that the German people were superior to the Allies and the union of democracies?

Au moment où le nazisme se répand en Allemagne, Alfred Hitchcock débarque aux États-Unis. Le cinéaste milite au sein d'une cellule secrète pour l'entrée en guerre des Américains et réalise plusieurs films antinazis à l'instar de "La cinquième colonne".

Después de hacer varias películas defendiendo la entrada estadounidense en la guerra junto con los británicos, en violación directa de la Ley de Neutralidad, Hitchcock aprovechó la salida de Zanuck de 20th Century Fox para lanzar un nuevo e importante proyecto de propaganda: Lifeboat.

Le pidió a John Steinbeck que escribiera la historia básica. Esta gran figura literaria estadounidense, autor de Las uvas de la ira, cuya adaptación fue uno de los mayores éxitos de Fox, estaba muy comprometido con el esfuerzo bélico.