U-96 launching a torpedo attack over a British tanker convoy already crippled...
Das Boot (German for The Boat) is a feature film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, adapted from a novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. Hans-Joachim Krug, former first officer on U-219, served as a consultant, as did Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, the actual captain of the real U-96.
The movie has a strong anti-war message. One of Petersen's stated goals was to guide the audience through "a journey into madness," (which is actually what the film's German tagline translates to) showing "what war is all about." Petersen heightened suspense by very rarely showing any external views of the submarine unless it is running on the surface and relying on sounds to convey action outside the boat, thus showing the audience only the claustrophobic interior the crew would see. The director's meticulous attention to detail resulted in an extremely realistic and historically accurate movie.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Boot
9 Comments
Farhad2000Gut-wrenching scene from Das Boot.
Submarine warfare is a great interest of mine, I actually wanted to sift this clip from The Hunt of the Red October. However the embed is disabled. Then I thought about the embarkation speech from Crimson Tide, as I watched both movies on a rainy sunday and was simply blown away. Though neither are Das Boot, so I went back and looked for this clip.
PostMortemFarhad, I'm a big fan of submarines too! But I can't believe that this movie is "obscure"! However I don't live in the States so maybe it is obscure there, but I hope not. This, in my opinion, is one of the best movies ever made.
Farhad2000Well let me put it to you this way, in a pub conversation with Film students from my university only 1 knew of Das Boot. It is far more highly regarded in Europe and generally with people who grew up in the 80s when it initially received acclaim.
bigbikemanAnother sub warfare geek here. It all started for me with reading Red Storm Rising which was included with the PC game of the same name. Shortly thereafter, I saw Das Boot in a rep theatre and I've been a sucker for this stuff ever since.
If I ever get to Chicago, I'm going to be checking out U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry. Also, Bavarian Film Studios apparently has their entire set from the filming of Dad Boot on public display.
Nice sift.
bigbikemanAlso, just thought I'd mention that I've always been nagged by part of this scene:
Would a U boat skipper really have spent a torpedo to hit a ship that was already foundering? Was that just artistic license or might there have been some practical motivation for using a scarce and precious resource to hit an already destroyed ship?
PostMortem"in a pub conversation with Film students from my university only 1 knew of Das Boot."
That's too bad!! They don't know what they're missing!
Every time I play Silent Hunter II on my computer I think about this movie.
antGreat flick and it's really long.
swampgirluhhhhh...my husband watches this at least 3 times a month
The vote is from him 
lavollsomeone has to say:
"allllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarm!!"
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