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Das Boot
1981 Drama / War / Action
Review
It seems fitting that one of most powerful and best-known anti-war
films should have been made in Germany. Das Boot isn’t a mea culpa for that
country’s part in WWII – although it does make some strong anti-Nazi
statements – but a forceful condemnation of warfare in
general. It is a film which celebrates the heroism and
nobility of the ordinary men who get caught up in battle, whilst
scorning the empty idealism and inhumanity of political leaders who
allow wars to happen. By taking us through the experiences of a
U-boat crew, the film shows us the brutal reality of warfare in a way
that is both gripping and blisteringly effective. The film is
based on a novel (first published in 1973) by Lothar G. Buchheim, who,
as a war correspondent , was tasked with photographing and writing
about a U-boat in action in 1941.With a budget in the region of 30 million deutschmarks, Das Boot was the most expensive film made in Germany. However, this massive production cost was recouped several times when the film proved to be an international hit, achieving massive box office returns and huge critical acclaim. It was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Direction and Best Cinematography, but, remarkably, won none. Das Boot has two great strengths – its setting and its pace. Most of the drama takes place within the confined and crowded interior of the U-boat, which gives the film a very claustrophobic feel that adds greatly to the oppressive mood and tension. Filming in such a restricted space must have posed immense problems for the camera team, but the results are stunning and the spectator does get a real sense of the dire conditions under which U-boat crews lived, worked and, in most cases, died. The film’s pace also gives a feel of the psychological pressure the U-boat crews were under. For most of the time, the men sit in idle anticipation, waiting for something to happen. And when things do start to happen, it is with a suddenness of such ferocity and intensity it is amazing that half the crew didn’t die from coronaries. It is hard to say which is more compelling - the quieter moments where the crew members reflect on their predicament with a mixture of anxiety and hope, or the fast-paced action sequences where every split second can mean the difference between life and death. Both are realised with extraordinary skill and are equally effective at conveying the suffering and anguish endured by the men. The critical standing Das Boot has increased over the years to the point that today virtually no self-respecting film enthusiast would describe it as anything less than a masterpiece. The film exists in several versions. The original 1981 theatrical release ran to 150 minutes. In 1985, this was re-cut with unused footage as a mini-series for German television, consisting of three episodes of 100 minutes each. The director’s cut followed in 1997, which ran to 209 minutes. In 2004, the television version was released in an uncut version for DVD, running to 293 minutes. It is these later two versions that have accorded Das Boot its status today as one of finest works in German cinema and one of the greatest war films of all time. © James Travers 2008 Write a review for this film...User Comments
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Director:
Wolfgang Petersen
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge Synopsis
October 1941. The crew of U-boat U-96 is preparing to leave their
base in La Rochelle and head out for patrols in the North
Atlantic. The boat’s captain reflects grimly on what may
lie ahead. His crew has got younger and less experienced but the
British have become more adept at sinking German U-boats. Having
survived a long and violent sea storm, the U-boat runs into a convoy of
British ships. Whilst the U-boat crew are busy launching
torpedoes at the ships, a destroyer appears and closes in on
them. Taking a hit from a depth charge, the U-boat escapes
with some damage, and the crew are hopeful that they can now return to
base. Unfortunately, the captain receives a radio message
instructing him to head for the Mediterranean. This means passing
through the Straits of Gibraltar, an area that is heavily protected by
the British navy. After stopping to pick up supplies in Southern
Spain, the U-boat sets out for what may well be its final destination...
Credits
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