Le bateau

Das Boot is my favorite war film. It shows war through the eyes of Germans. It is so realistic and intense that I live it every time I see it. It is one war film where I consider Germans to be the "good guys"! Their humanity and fight for survival touch me in such a way that I cannot help but be totally for them. It does indeed prove that beneath every uniform their lies a human being with hopes and dreams for the future.

It makes me realize that war is terrible for everyone involved. It makes me realize that our common humanity is much more important than politics. We all should recognize this fact of life. God bless the people who made this film. They not only opened my mind but also my heart! So I'd like to say to them: Vielen Dank!

I researched German U-Boats for many years, interviewed surviving crew as well as current day German naval officers. I read at least 100 books on U-Boats. I did this to research my novel, An Honorable German, a World War Two naval epic told from the point of view of a heroic yet deeply conflicted German naval officer, published in 2009. I say this to establish my credibility to write the following review.

Das Boot is based on the novel of the same name which is a thinly disguised memoir by the author, Lothar Gunther Buchheim. This imparts an authenticity to the film often lacking in many war films. The author of the novel was actually aboard the U-Boat on several war patrols. The IMDb lists the German actor Jürgen Prochnow as playing Capt.-Lt. Henrich Lehmann- Willenbrock, the actual commander of U- 96 and 6th highest scoring U-Boat ace of the war when Buchheim was aboard and not the fictitious commander of the U-boat always referred to as the "Old Man."

I would strongly recommend that you watch the movie in the original German with English subtitles rather than the version dubbed into English. You get a far better feel for life aboard a German U-Boat when the men are speaking in German and you hear the urgency in the voices of the actors as it would have been in real life.

Buchheim was a war correspondent working for the German Propaganda Ministry (all war correspondents in the Third Reich worked for the Propaganda Ministry) and in that capacity he went on two war patrols

aboard the actual German U-Boat, U-96.

I can say with every assurance that this film is an accurate description of daily life aboard a German U-Boat in World War Two we will ever see. But even more important, this film depicts the horror and terror of war in the most compelling way possible. To me, no other war film comes as close to Das Boot in depicting both the boredom and terror of war.

The film is extremely accurate in its depiction of the foulness of everyday life aboard a German U-Boat. None of the boats had bathing facilities so the men could never clean themselves except with a bucket of salt water from the ocean. Nor could they wash their uniforms, of which they were only allowed two while on board.They had special salt water soap but all that did was irritate the skin.

Boils, rashes and skin infections of all kinds were common among U- Boat crews. Fresh water was strictly rationed and none could be spared for bathing. The men did receive a cup of water each day for brushing their teeth and cleaning their face etc but most were so thirsty from strict water rationing that they just drank the cup of water.

Food grew slimy and green with mold as shown in the movie and there was such limited storage space that sausages really did hang down in the compartments as shown in the film. Fresh food only lasted a few days and the rest of their food came from cans.Because of the rocking of the boat and monotonous diet, the men developed constipation.

Unlike American submarines in World War Two, German submarines had no air conditioning or heat (except for so small portable heaters). The boat took on the temperature of the water outside the hull so you can imagine how uncomfortable this must have been. Ventilating the boat was very difficult and many crewmen developed lung problems.

When the movie first appeared in Germany in 1981, it was vilified by many surviving U-boat crewmen. Small details were pounced on and men said "we didn't have that on my U-Boat" which is sort of meaningless since no U-Boats were equipped exactly the same. What is more interesting about the vilification of the movie, which gave it immense publicity in Germany, is that the former commander of U-96, Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, was on the set everyday advising the actors and the director. The "old man" had survived the war and in what must have been a surrealistic experience, he later helped put the movie together and coached Jürgen Prochnow how to play Lehmann-Willenbrock, that is, himself.

Another high scoring U-boat ace, Erich Topp, advised on the movie as well. Those who criticize the film usually fail to point this out. This was one of the first movies to use the technique of hand-held cameras to give the viewer a sense of the movement of the boat and the men. This technique had become ubiquitous today and in my opinion overdone.

This film is an incredible work of art and is, in my opinion, the greatest war film ever made. There is no "sugar coating". The brutality and randomness of war are shown without any attempt to make them "pretty." If you are only going to watch one war movie in your life, then watch this one.

When a film about World War II has American audiences routing for the Germans, hoping and cheering them on for the success of their mission, one can only become conscious of the ultimate horror and futility of war. One also has watched a helluva movie.

Back in the early 80's I called in sick (along with some friends) to see the opening of Petersen's Das Boot. We were all stunned. Went out for a beer and then returned to the theatre and watched it all over again.

Petersen masterfully developed his cast into a crew who are no longer "the enemy" but fresh faced kids, neither prepared nor aware of the horror that was waiting them. When I first saw "Das Boot" – I was the same age as those kids so it resonated more powerfully than I could have possibly imagined. In this wonderful uncut release of the original German miniseries we're forced to spend even more time with the crew of U-96 and in that time get to knew them better. We see friendships and bonds formed, the irritability that comes with lack of privacy and tension so dense it becomes an almost physical presence. We also get more of the sense of what war really is – immense spans of boredom and ennui interrupted by the occasional horrors of violence and death.

Petersen kept his cast indoors and unshaven during the entire shoot with the resulting effect that the crew actually looks like a group of men who have not seen natural light, or breathed fresh air for 65 days. Additionally, the actors were all put through vigorous physical training so that when racing through the set of a dangerously reconstructed U-Boat, they move naturally with an almost balletic swiftness that is dazzling.

This is masterful film-making of the highest order, with sound and lighting that capture the claustrophobic nature of a submarine, almost suffocating the viewer. The scenes of Das Boot racing through the Atlantic, it's difficult near fatal destruction in the narrow Strait of Gibraltar will have your blood pumping at fever pitch.

The ensemble cast is uniformly excellent, each actor - even ones with little to no dialogue, making bold indelible choices in developing their characters.

Jürgen Prochnow as the Captain gives a remarkable, strong performance, making one believe - from the very beginning - this is a true leader of men.

You have no difficulty believing this crew standing behind this captain's every decision.

Petersen's writing of Herbert Grönemeyer as the eager young reporter, Werner is a masterful creation. Werner becomes the multi-faceted prism through whom we watch and live this story. Part Greek chorus, part conscience of the uninvolved, we join him as an outsider on the inside, becoming participants in this heart rending drama. Grönemeyer's performance becomes the very soul of Das Boot.

"Das Boot" remains one of my all time favorite films and to finally be able to own and see it as Wolfgang Petersen intended is one of the best things to happen since the invention of DVD.

I watched this movie the very first time as a kid in 1985 on TV and was stoked right away. I had not even been allowed to stay up late at that age but I was able to persuade my parents to let me watch it. Since then I must have watched this five hour version at least seven times and I would be very happy to see it again but unfortunately I do not own it.

Do not let the genre "war movie" keep you away from watching this because it is far from being one of those typical "war movies". It is not only the story which makes this one great but also the acting, the lack of special effects and the authenticity. And of course Jürgen Prochnow is king!

If you want an action movie, watch something else. Das Boot reflects what war must really be like, showing not just the 1% of terror and confusion, but also the 99% sitting around waiting for things to happen. It is also the best if not only explanation I know, of how honourable men could have fought for the Nazis.

I have now seen "Das Boot" 4 times. The first time was the "Director's Cut" with subtitles. Since then I have learnt German, so each time I watch the film I understand it better. It is still very difficult to follow, and a great deal passes me by; I think this film probably has the hardest German of any of the 50 or so German-language films I've seen. This is part of its authenticity; you don't expect people to speak Standard High German when they think they may die horribly in the next five minutes.

The original mini-series has about the same amount of action as the Director's Cut, but a great deal more explanation and character development. For example, the Captain gets to comment on his actions towards the English sailors from the sinking oil-tanker. I think the sound of the Director's Cut was redone for Dolby-7, so the noises seem to come from all around and at times make you want to hide under the seat. However in all other respects, I think the mini-series is very much better than the Director's Cut, brilliant though that is.