I like to play squash, keep fit and have an interest in the stockmarket. I hope you enjoy reading my...
I like to play squash, keep fit and have an interest in the stockmarket. I hope you enjoy reading my opinions if you are here.
Member since:09.05.2001
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I decided to buy this DVD because I wanted to watch a war film with a different perspective. I had heard from other people how good this film was and it was obviously evident because it had been nominated for six Academy Awards and an Oscar. Das Boot is a German made film and is about the German crew of a U-Boat who patrolled the Atlantic during World War 2. In most American or British World War 2 films the Germans tend to be dehumanised and looked upon as cold and evil, because Das Boot is German you get to see how normal most of the Germans really were. The characters on board the U-Boat are presented as people who are doing their military service, trying their best to fight for their country. Members of the crew tend to have a healthy lack of trust for most politicians including Hitler and Churchill.
Das Boot has been extremely well directed and put together by film director Wolfgang Petersen he uses certain shots in the film with great effect in helping to involve the audience. The extras in the DVD include being able to watch the film with directors commentary so you can see what Petersen was trying to achieve with certain techniques used in the film. A great effort has been made to make the film as realistic as possible, apparently a replica U-Boat was
built in which the cast of actors had to live for a year. The result of this is that the actors end up with very pale skin due to the lack of daylight and they all grow beards because shaving would have been difficult aboard a submarine.
The mission of the crew aboard the U-Boat, U-96 is to try and torpedo ships carrying supplies to Britain from USA across the Atlantic. The ships however are normally accompanied by a fleet of British Destroyers these are extremely fast moving boats carrying depth charges to use on enemy submarines. The crew, have been warned that the British have stopped making mistakes when transporting goods across the Atlantic so life will be tough if they are to achieve their objective of sinking some boats. The film allows you to experience the boredom and claustrophobic conditions the crew had to put up with when nothing seemed to be happening in the Atlantic, you also get to experience the fear the crew had to go through when entering a conflict with a fleet of Destroyers.
There are many characters making up the crew aboard U-96, but there are three main people who stand out including the Captain, Lt. Werner (the correspondent) and the Chief of Engineering. The Captain (Jurgen Prochnow) is in his early thirties but is one of the oldest crew members on board, he is looked up to and respected by most of the younger crew and tries his best not take too greater risk with lives of those aboard the U-Boat. Lt. Werner (Herbert Gronemeyer) is actually a journalist/photographer who has never been aboard a submarine in his life, he is someone who most people could relate to and you basically get to see the events on the U-Boat through his eyes. The Chief of Engineering (Klaus Wennenman) is another older crew member he is a hard working character with a wife who is ill, the Chief turns into the hero of the film when his hard work saves the crew by getting U-96 out of a trench in the straits of Gibraltar. The rest of the crew members aboard U-96 seem to generally take care and look after each other, one particular example of this would be where one of the crew freaks out after an unpleasant encounter with a destroyer, the Captain threatens to shoot him, but the rest of the crew persuade the Captain to take no action.
The crew aboard U-96, are eventually successful in their mission and manage to destroy a fleet of boats, this is seen as quite an achievement because most U-Boats sent out by the Germans have been sunk. Because of the success of U-96, a hero’s welcome is received by the crew on returning from their mission. Unfortunately this welcome is only short lived and the port at which the U-Boat docks is then attacked in an air raid by the allied forces, this results in a sad ending to the film which demonstrates how pointless and futile the efforts of the crew have been.
Das Boot was originally recorded in German, but the DVD allows you to watch the film with English dubbing, there is nothing to stop you watching the film in German with English subtitles. I however chose to view the film with English dubbing because my German is not particularly good. The dubbing used on the film is very good and you have to look very closely if you want to see an actor’s mouth out of sync with his voice. The DVD also allows you to have languages such as Icelandic and Hindi as voices or subtitles.
Das Boot was filmed during 1980, the sound on the DVD has been digitally re-mastered since then and this helps to make the film more realistic. The music and soundtrack used in the film is very good and helps to add in creating an atmosphere. The only disadvantage with this film is the length of 3 hours and 20 minutes, which might put some people off. Extra features on the DVD include director’s commentary and a documentary showing how the film was made.
I am not a really a great fan of war films, but I did enjoy watching Das Boot. If you are a fan of war films and haven’t seen Das Boot then I highly recommend it to you, but you will also enjoy the film if you are not a war film fan. With the high quality of the directing, acting and soundtrack it is easy to see why this film was nominated for six academy awards. If you decide to watch the DVD after reading this opinion then I hope you have enjoyable time.
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Production Year: 1970 - War - Director: Brian G. Hutton - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Carroll O'Connor, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, Gavin MacLeod
Das Boot is a graphic and gripping tale that follows the daring patrol of U-96 one of the ... more
famed German U-Boats known as 'The Grey Wolves'. Prowling the North Atlantic they challenged the British Navy at every turn. The crew aboard the U-96 is portray...
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From the Director of Air Force One and In The Line Of Fire. 'Das Boot' is a graphic and ... more
gripping tale that follows the daring patrol of U-96, one of the famed German U-Boats known as 'The Grey Wolves'. Prowling the North Atlantic, they challenged the B...
Feb 4th, 2003
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