Amazing. I expected another testosterone war movie, but this is so, so much more.
Perfect in every possible way, and as someone wrote, "more like an event than just a movie".
Das Boot (The Boat, in German) is surely the gold standard of submarine movies. Where other films might show you what it's like to be on a submarine (or U-boat, same difference), Das Boot goes further and makes you feel like you're THERE. The way the camera glides from compartment to compartment, it never lets you forget the environment's claustrophobia, and the character of a war correspondent helps the procedural come alive and make sense, but also makes it very personal. We get to know the submariners well enough that we care what happens to them, especially as the film moves from war film to disaster movie in the third act. Not until the end do we find out if this is to be a story of triumph or tragedy, though we hope for the former and dread the latter throughout. Das Boot is on the long side, and structurally, features two distinct missions (which does work as a dichotomy and pushed the docu-drama part of it), but it does a lot more than you'd expect even with that running time. It's claim to the title of best submarine movie ever made seems secure.
This film does tension extremely well, and dares to portray German soldiers as humans instead of faceless cannon fodder or inhuman monsters. Very, very powerful film that I would recommend to anyone
There are so many things I love about the movie it's hard to know where to start. There's no way this movie would have the effect it does if it were in English. There is something truly magical about U-boat movies in German, it just clicks on all cylinders. It's super gritty too, perhaps as gritty a movie as I've ever seen. There are times when you can almost smell the sweat, engine oil, or human excrement in the air as if you are stuck on the same boat.
Do yourself a huge favor and read a couple books of U-boat accounts (Iron Coffins and Steel boat, Iron hearts) after you watch it, then watch it again. It's stunning how real and gripping it will make the movie.
I really liked the film, but it is such a bummer that the voices are all dubbed. Each time I noticed this, it pulled me out of the boat and in front of the screen.
Subtitles? Who needed subtitles? I couldn't understand half of what was being said in English anyway...but it didn't matter... what mattered were the moments without words, the silence, the pauses, the looks on faces, that building of tension, the waiting...the waiting....for that.....BOOM! Thrilling (not boring)- That was the universal language being spoken here....overall this movie was not my cup of tea but I'll give credit where credit is due-this was one fantastic piece of film making...
And as a side note: think of what Cameron had to work with in 1997 when Titanic was made compared to what Peterson had to work with in 1981 when making Das Boot in regards to computer generated special effects...I'll take Dis Boat over Dat Boat anyday!
This film is FANTASTIC. Best Wolfgang P by far, and best submarine film by far. In fact, I think it's one of the greater war films. Like All Quiet on the Western Front, it humanizes the German WW2 experience. A grand and fantastic film. War affects the soul of every soldier.
I think what director Wolfgang Petersen successfully achieved the most was making the audience feel as if they were on the boat themselves. Even just by looking at the actors in a confined space, I felt like I was experiencing claustrophobia. It's not just a war epic, there are moments in the film that moves the audience in a profound way:
like the part where the chief and the lieutenant were looking over pictures of the chief and his wife, and he starts sobbing, or the part where Lt. Werner returns Ullmann's bulk of love letters because he was ordered to stay on board
, those moments make you empathize the characters even more. Highly recommend others to watch the director's cut, it does the movie justice.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 34
Beingtaki
Johan: Keep going and get us back.The engines:
keivhendet
Amazing. I expected another testosterone war movie, but this is so, so much more.Perfect in every possible way, and as someone wrote, "more like an event than just a movie".
catherinefrances
Damn. That got me good.danisanna
Extremely intense!Siskoid
Das Boot (The Boat, in German) is surely the gold standard of submarine movies. Where other films might show you what it's like to be on a submarine (or U-boat, same difference), Das Boot goes further and makes you feel like you're THERE. The way the camera glides from compartment to compartment, it never lets you forget the environment's claustrophobia, and the character of a war correspondent helps the procedural come alive and make sense, but also makes it very personal. We get to know the submariners well enough that we care what happens to them, especially as the film moves from war film to disaster movie in the third act. Not until the end do we find out if this is to be a story of triumph or tragedy, though we hope for the former and dread the latter throughout. Das Boot is on the long side, and structurally, features two distinct missions (which does work as a dichotomy and pushed the docu-drama part of it), but it does a lot more than you'd expect even with that running time. It's claim to the title of best submarine movie ever made seems secure.Typically Thomas
This film does tension extremely well, and dares to portray German soldiers as humans instead of faceless cannon fodder or inhuman monsters. Very, very powerful film that I would recommend to anyoneDisneyStitch
There are so many things I love about the movie it's hard to know where to start. There's no way this movie would have the effect it does if it were in English. There is something truly magical about U-boat movies in German, it just clicks on all cylinders. It's super gritty too, perhaps as gritty a movie as I've ever seen. There are times when you can almost smell the sweat, engine oil, or human excrement in the air as if you are stuck on the same boat.Do yourself a huge favor and read a couple books of U-boat accounts (Iron Coffins and Steel boat, Iron hearts) after you watch it, then watch it again. It's stunning how real and gripping it will make the movie.
mfmopdenkamp
I really liked the film, but it is such a bummer that the voices are all dubbed. Each time I noticed this, it pulled me out of the boat and in front of the screen.locovoco
Subtitles? Who needed subtitles? I couldn't understand half of what was being said in English anyway...but it didn't matter... what mattered were the moments without words, the silence, the pauses, the looks on faces, that building of tension, the waiting...the waiting....for that.....BOOM! Thrilling (not boring)- That was the universal language being spoken here....overall this movie was not my cup of tea but I'll give credit where credit is due-this was one fantastic piece of film making...And as a side note: think of what Cameron had to work with in 1997 when Titanic was made compared to what Peterson had to work with in 1981 when making Das Boot in regards to computer generated special effects...I'll take Dis Boat over Dat Boat anyday!
Fluegi
I've just seen the director's cut version. Every minute pulled me more and more into a corner of the submarine.armyofshadows
This film is FANTASTIC. Best Wolfgang P by far, and best submarine film by far. In fact, I think it's one of the greater war films. Like All Quiet on the Western Front, it humanizes the German WW2 experience. A grand and fantastic film. War affects the soul of every soldier.pallmallandcoke
amazing soundtrackThe_Comatorium
Valar Morghulisvoltesque
I think what director Wolfgang Petersen successfully achieved the most was making the audience feel as if they were on the boat themselves. Even just by looking at the actors in a confined space, I felt like I was experiencing claustrophobia. It's not just a war epic, there are moments in the film that moves the audience in a profound way:papp
Just saw the uncut version of 293 minutes. Didn't feel long or slow at all. Added to the suspense.Showing items 1 – 15 of 34