Das Boot - The Director's Cut (1982)

This is the restored, 209-minute director's cut of Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller, which was theatrically rereleased in 1997. Originally made as a five-hour miniseries, this version devotes more time to getting to know the crew before they and their stoic captain (Jürgen Prochnow) get aboard their U-boat and find themselves stranded at the bottom of the sea. Das Boot puts you inside that submerged vessel and explores the physical and emotional tensions of the situation with a vivid, terrifying realism that few movies can match. As Petersen tightens the screws and the submerged ship blows bolts, the pressure builds to such unbearable levels that you may be tempted to escape for a nice walk on solid land in the great outdoors--only you wouldn't dream of looking away from the screen. --Jim Emerson Amazon.com

Claustrophobia

There have many submarine films but this one is simply the best. Films featuring U.S. submarines invariably depict spacious boats with clean, well-dressed crews.

This film is totally different. A real effort has been made to make the viewer feel the filth, crawling vermin and the compression of men into a very small space. You can almost smell the stink of a tiny ship out on the sea for months at a time.

You can also smell the terror of men forced to the bottom by attacking allied warships. You hear the rivets pop as the ship is pushed to impossible pressure limits. You feel the grief as the dying captain watches his beloved boat sink from the effects of an allied attack on the German sub pens.

The highest praise I can give to this film is that it became the all time favorite of my pre-adolescent sons. They watched it time and again and, even knowing how it would all turn out, shouted warnings to the threatened crew.

One of my sons, no doubt heavily influenced by this film, commanded his own claustrophobic "boat" in the attack on Iraq. He commanded four Marine Corps tanks, went four days without sleep and a month without a bath. He and his brave men, in their own way, do honor to all those submariners and tankers who fought in all the armies and navies.

I must mention the Hunley, the first of all militarily successful submarines. It was a Confederate invention and killed the first three crews during training. A testament to the courage of the Confederate forces, there were no problems in finding volunteers for a third crew. Tiny, it was propelled by a crack shaft operated by eight or nine crewmen. There was barely enough room to move let alone crank. Like most of its submarine successors, it travelled primarily on the surface, but the atmosphere must have been fetid.

It's "warhead" was an explosive charge in the form of a spear mounted on the bow. In 1864, the Hunley made its first--and last--combat run. She sank a Federal battleship--the first ship sunk by a submarine in history--but her courageous crew never returned. They died in Charlestown harbor.

Ron Braithwaite author of Mexican Conquest novels, "Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God" June 19, 2008

best submarine movie ever

This is the best submarine movie ever! The directors cut, even at over three hours, just flys by - you don't realize you've been watching so long. The action grabs you and the tension holds you in the story.

You must watch the German version with subtitles - the English over-dub is terrible, you lose the feeling of being in the sub with the story, which is the best part.

Enjoy! June 2, 2008

Das Boot

DAS-Aufladung ist eine von Filme am emotionalsten mit einbeziehen, die ich überhaupt gesehen habe. Die Buchstaben werden reich, ohne jene unbeholfenen Momente in den Filmen entwickelt, wenn Sie feststellen, dass der Direktor so tut. Sie sympathisieren mit der Mannschaft und GLAUBEN ihrer Lage, während sie kämpfen, einzwängten in einem gebrechlichen U-Boot gegen die Vorteile. Manchmal wächst der Film langsam und herausgezogen, aber der ist absichtlich, Sie glauben zu lassen, wie Sie in einem Unterwassersarg mit nichts zu tun eingeschlossen werden, kein, wohin man geht. Die Richtung ist groß, der Ton ist fabelhaft! I' VE hörte nie schwache Geräusche, eine Geschichte so vorher zu erklären. May 16, 2008

Gripping Sub Story

Wow....this DVD is a real winner, Though long, I found myself sitting on the edge of my chair and feeling as though I was almost there and in portions of the movie I was so immersed when things would happen, I'd jump like I was there. I had the good fortune to go aboard the U505 in Chicago when it first arrived there and I always wanted to learn more, watching this DVD filled that void. This gripping story of a sub under attack and the final outcome is supreme.
Anyone who enjoys stories about Subs and the people in them will love it. May 9, 2008

This Movie IS The Bomb

If you are in to U-Boats ( Like I am ) this movie is a must see. Just rember it is a little over 3hrs long. May 2, 2008

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