Movies - Das Boot

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Das Boot

	Movies - Das Boot

Das Boot (IPA: , German for The Boat) is a 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 well as 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," 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 what the crew would see. The original 1981 version cost DM 30 million ($40 million in 1997 dollars) to make; it was at the time the most expensive film in the history of German cinema. The director's meticulous attention to detail resulted in the most realistic submarine movie – and one of the most historically accurate war movies – ever made.

Movie

Story

The movie is the story of a single mission of one U-boat and its crew, following U-96 from its departure from La Rochelle, France, through its patrols in the North Atlantic and an attempted penetration of the Mediterranean, to its return to La Rochelle. It depicts both the excitement of battle and the tedium of the fruitless hunt, and portrays the men serving aboard U-boats as ordinary individuals with a desire to do their best for their comrades and their country. The story is based, loosely, on an amalgamation of the exploits of the real U-96, a Type VIIC-class U-boat commanded by Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, one of Germany's top U-boat "tonnage aces" during the war.

Detailed plot

The story is told from the viewpoint of war correspondent Lt. Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer), who has signed up to write a report on the U-96. He joins its captain (Jürgen Prochnow), who is only named as "der Alte" ("the Old Man") or "Kaleu" (short for his rank of Kapitänleutnant), and drives to Saint Nazaire, where he is disturbed to see most of the crew, including the "2WO" (the Second Lieutenant, played by Martin Semmelrogge) drunk in a sleazy cabaret. There, he also meets the "1WO" (the First Lieutenant, played by Hubertus Bengsch), an ardent Nazi, and the "LI", the quiet Chief Engineer (Klaus Wennemann), who is tormented by the failing health of his wife back in Cologne.

When the U-96 launches into the sea, Werner is in awe and takes a lot of photos of the submarine and its crew. He gets to know the rest of the crew, like Johann, the Mechanic (Erwin Leder), Chief Bosun, and some crewmen like Ullmann, Pilgrim, Frenssen, Dufte or Schwalle. He marvels when the submarine makes its first dive to 150 metres. But time passes, and he begins to realize the routine of being crammed together with 40 people in a small space with no ventilation. There is an unhealthy undercurrent of sweat, filth and boredom, fuelled by the fact that there is nobody to fight against. Werner has no one to talk to. He cannot relate to the battle-hardened Captain, the quiet LI, the Nazi 1WO, the cynical 2WO or the tough crew.

Life becomes crushingly boring when the U-96 fails to make contact with the enemy. But then, the U-96 stumbles upon a British destroyer and attempts to attack it. Their periscope is spotted, and they barely escape being rammed. The U-96 dives, but is hit by depth charges and takes damage, most notably water leaks, every submariner's nightmare. The crew quickly patches them up and resurfaces safely.

A huge storm hits which reduces the U-96 to a bit of driftwood. Towering waves hit the submarine and send it reeling. Werner is ridiculed for his fear of the elements, but after a week of the relentless storm (i.e. almost no resting or sleeping), even the sea-hardened crew get pushed to their limits. Then, the U-96 sees a friendly German submarine. The Captain is irate, because two submarines in such close proximity mean that a huge part of the sea is unguarded, and safe for enemy ships. The misfortune of the U-96 — no kills, totally out of position, horrible weather — sends the crew's morale to a nadir.

After 23 days, the storm finally ends. The U-96 spots a British tanker convoy and launches a successful torpedo attack which sinks two ships. Two escorts - destroyers - attack the submarine and use ASDIC detection. The Captain decides to dive to 230 metres, far beyond the safety threshold of 165 metres, but is still hit by the depth charges of the destroyers; the submarine buckles under this strain. The submarine takes heavy damage and is nearly crushed by the water pressure. Johann, the mechanic, panics and his mental health, already somewhat precarious, breaks down. Despite heavy damage, the crew manages to patch up enough to resurface safely. They see the wreckage of the tankers and celebrate, but then everything turns into horror when they see burning British sailors dying in the sea. Fearing further torpedo attacks, the convoy had not stopped to pick up the survivors. The Captain orders to fall back and abandon the doomed sailors, unable to save them because of the possible presence of escorts.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Das Boot ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Das Boot; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Movies - Das Boot

Movie

Story

Detailed plot

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay