The Boat

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.

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.

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.

"Das Boot" is a classic. This film couldn't be more intense and emotionally draining. It is a work of genius. Jurgen Prochnaw gives a spectacular performance as the German U-Boat Captain. The acting is first rate as the cast of characters is as realistic and believable as it gets. Don't watch this film unless you are absolutely prepared to immerse yourself into the drama of life as a crewman aboard a German submarine during war. This is a very rare portrayal of battle through the eyes of our enemy and will actually have you cheering for the "bad guys" at times. This is a one of a kind movie that must be seen to be believed. Words in a review cannot describe the experience of "Das Boot." A tremendous film! A 12 on a scale of 10!

War movies have been biases to one side or the other. This movie does not make hero's or enemies of the German U-boat sailors. Instead, it grips the viewer with realistic depictions of what it was like to be a U-boat sailor for the Gemans in WWII. It starts off with young (17 year old to 25 year old) who have been filled with propaganda about the war effort and glorious battle. After this young crew of immature sailors start to experience the true horrors of war, you can not only see, but experience with them the boredom, laughter, camaraderie, team work and death. In a world where you have no windows, where your ears have to be your eyes, where a cat and mouse game is played and the looser dies, these young men age 10 to 15 years It makes the viewer realize the horror of submarine warfare in WWII. The most realistic war movie I have ever seen.