El submarino (Das Boot)

My late father served in the Royal Navy in WWII and was torpedoed by a U Boat, so when I sat with him to watch this in 1986, I fully expected him to be filled with hatred for them. Nothing could have been further from the truth. He told me that seamen, even those on opposite sides, share something unique. He told me that his ship picked up some U Boat survivors from a ramming. They were just ordinary men doing the bidding of their masters, just like he was. They were put down at Scapa Flow as POW's after being at sea for 5 weeks. Many of them had formed friendships with the Royal Navy men, including my father. He formed a friendship with a submariner called Gotz Stiffel and they remained friends until Gotz passed away. My father attended his funeral in Duisburg and he was welcomed as an old friend by the survivors of that U Boat sinking. My father said that film bought tears to his eyes. They were just ordinary men caught up in extraordinary times and this film captured everything from fear to boredom and relief. He said, and I utterly agreed with him this was just about the finest anti-war film ever made.

What impresses me the most about the film, as the title makes apparent, is that it's a German made film about a German U-boat. Patriotism for my own country would tend to make me hate the crew on this ship by definition (especially if portrayed as typical mindless killing machine Nazis), but these characters are so well developed and played like human-beings facing difficult decisions that I find myself sympathizing with these guys.

I love the flow and pacing of the Director's Cut; it takes its time, and does not feel like typical Hollywood formula "first major plot point at minute 12" cookie-cutter routine. Das Boot gives us plenty of time to know these characters, discover how they kill time while waiting for orders, how they feel about their job and each other. Then when the action finally starts: how they deal with the possibility of dying deep underwater, how they react to the sounds of a sub going deeper than it should, the look on their faces as a destroyer is heard pinging them, and dozens of little personality quirks--subtle details that bring the crew to life. It truly does feel like an epic about a submarine crew, and I'm interested in some day viewing the 6 hour TV version.

The underwater battles somewhat remind me of Sergio Leone in that Wolfgang Peterson takes forever and a day to get the fights started. Unlike Leone, once the torpedos are launched and the depth charges dropped, the cat-and-mouse game is ongoing and relentless, but never boring.

And despite the fact that most of the film takes place inside a cramped submarine, Das Boot is never boring to look at; in fact, it's a visually spectacular film (given the dated special effects, who hold up reasonably well and add to the old-school charm). And the freedom of the camera in those tight corridors came as an incredibly pleasant surprise. The color and composition of the shots in those tight quarters -- particularly upon approaching the first destroyer when we get the first real glimpse of the interior prepped for war -- it is both haunting and beautiful.

Jurgen Prochnow delivers the most believable performance of a ship captain I've ever seen on film. All the emotions register on his face--his concern for his own life, ship, and crew; his hatred for the decisions he's forced to make; the disbelieving joy of beating the overwhelming odds--while simultaneously holding it back so the crew sees a strong unmoving man forever in control of the situation. His performance is, in a word, brilliant.

The rest of the cast also delivers amazingly believable performances, and trust me, I could write an entire review on the film's characters and their portrayals. It's both disappointing and satisfying that I'm not given enough space to do so (I wish I could state that about a tenth of the films I've reviewed here on IMDb.) I liked the entire crew of this U-boat, the war correspondent and his character arc as he realizes the truth behind these "heroes", the chief and his longing to return to his wife, Johann and the story of his redemption--all well cast, well acted, and believable.

Another aspect I adored about Das Boot - the controversial scenes simply rolled by with no more or less emphasis than any other statement the film makes. In fact, I saw the film before really reading anything or researching it and found myself somewhat shocked to hear about these "talked about" scenes. Granted, the film does pose some moral questions, but I felt the film handled it with grace and great subtlety, showing what it needs to get the point across and not a step further . . . unlike typical Hollywood where controversy gets bold print, italics, and a highlighter. Maybe I should move to Germany.

I can go on for a long while: Over three hours of wonderful visuals and strong performances, a sparse but great score (this film's lack of music is quite appropriate, making the presence of music much more impactful in its key places). Realistic writing from people who lived the experience first hand. As I said, I can go on for awhile but I'll sum it up and end this review with one statement: Das Boot is the definitive submarine movie.

Das Boot (1981)

Widely considered the most impressive submarine movie ever made, I'll go so far as to say it's easily the most accurate that I've seen. The action scenes, the sense of doom, the eerie quiet and then explosive depth charges, the grime and the crowded conditions, all of this is palpable.

But more impressive, I think, is how the movie works as a German movie about Germans in a war where the Germans were painted as evil. American movies to this day still glorify and make heroic their roles in WWII (unlike the willingness, at times, to show the problems of Americans involved in Viet Nam, say), especially in the European side. But in movie after movie, the German film industry has confronted the real problem of being aggressors, and of being under the Nazi sway. "Das Boot" is typical, and key. The captain goes so far as to openly make fun of the German propaganda coming in on their radio. It isn't just that war is bad, but that the Nazis are bad.

Nevertheless, there they are, and they have a job to do, and they're going to do it well. So a small group of men in a small underwater tin can try to survive the boredom as much as the British, who come very close to getting them several times. It's a great movie, one of the best at capturing the feeling of being there.

What is less impressive, at times, is the more ordinary character development that seems inevitable in a movie this long--2 ½ to 4 hours depending on the version you have, I saw the long one, the director's cut. I think the acting is superb, and so it's easy to go along with the conversations and interactions, but they aren't always compelling in themselves, more just creating some space before the next conflict arises. Maybe, in some honest sense, this is exactly how it would have been. Life for most people is pretty ordinary.

But this movie is not. Or it makes what is ordinary in war--the nostalgic to the profound and deadly--believable, and not simply big and dramatic, which it also is.

For full German effect, I suggest seeing it with the original German language track on and subtitles if you need them, though I tested the dubbed version in English and it's really well done. I also suggest, if you have doubts about such an involved war movie, trying to find the older, shorter release. The visuals are not enhanced, but some of the character development sections are left out and I don't think you'll miss them. Then, of course, if you want the whole kit and caboodle, try to find the 5 hour version released in sections for British and German television.

Das Boot is one of the most emotionally involving movies I have ever seen. The characters are developed richly, without those awkward moments in movies when you realize that the director is doing so. You sympathize with the crew, and FEEL their plight as they struggle, cramped in a rickety U-boat against the odds. At times the movie grows slow and drawn out, but that is intentional- to make you feel like you are trapped in an underwater coffin with nothing to do, no where to go. The directing is great, the sound is fabulous! I've never heard faint noises tell a story like this before.

I spent 17 years of my life in Royal Navy submarines. 'T' class, 'A' class and 'R' class. Das Boot is the only submarine movie that shows exactly how it was. It could be a documentary. Bouncing around in the Bay of Biscay with the sea too rough to be able to dive safely and get away from it. 'Goffers' pouring down the conning tower and the control room deck ankle deep in the green stuff. Going down backwards at 500ft and you know there is 10,000ft below you, with seawater pouring in through a burst cooling pipe and one main motor out of action. Existing for two weeks on kai or oxo because your stomach is rebelling against the elements. Laying in your bunk in ultra quiet routine with the sweat just dribbling down. When the sweat starts to dribble upwards you know it's a cockroach crawling up your body. And that Klaxon. 'Hunt for Red October', 'Crimson Tide'. They are just adventure films.