Das Boot (1981)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen

Film Review

It seems fitting that one of most powerful and best-known anti-war films should have been made in Germany.  Das Boot isn't a mea culpa for that country's part in WWII - although it does make some strong anti-Nazi statements - but a forceful condemnation of warfare in general.   It is a film which celebrates the heroism and nobility of the ordinary men who get caught up in battle, whilst scorning the empty idealism and inhumanity of political leaders who allow wars to happen.  By taking us through the experiences of a U-boat crew, the film shows us the brutal reality of warfare in a way that is both gripping and blisteringly effective.  The film is based on a novel (first published in 1973) by Lothar G. Buchheim, who, as a war correspondent , was tasked with photographing and writing about a U-boat in action in 1941.

With a budget in the region of 30 million deutschmarks, Das Boot was the most expensive film made in Germany.   However, this massive production cost was recouped several times when the film proved to be an international hit, achieving massive box office returns and huge critical acclaim.  It was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Direction and Best Cinematography, but, remarkably, won none. (Unfortunately, the film was up against Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982)).

Das Boot has two great strengths - its setting and its pace.  Most of the drama takes place within the confined and crowded interior of the U-boat, which gives the film a very claustrophobic feel that adds greatly to the oppressive mood and tension.  Filming in such a restricted space must have posed immense problems for the camera team, but the results are stunning and the spectator does get a real sense of the dire conditions under which U-boat crews lived, worked and, in most cases, died. 

The film's pace also gives a feel of the psychological pressure the U-boat crews were under.   For most of the time, the men sit in idle anticipation, waiting for something to happen.  And when things do start to happen, it is with a suddenness of such ferocity and intensity it is amazing that half the crew didn't die from coronaries.   It is hard to say which is more compelling - the quieter moments where the crew members reflect on their predicament with a mixture of anxiety and hope, or the fast-paced action sequences where every split second can mean the difference between life and death.  Both are realised with extraordinary skill and are equally effective at conveying the suffering and anguish endured by the men.

The critical standing Das Boot has increased over the years to the point that today virtually no self-respecting film enthusiast would describe it as anything less than a masterpiece.   The film exists in several versions.  The original 1981 theatrical release ran to 150 minutes.  In 1985, this was re-cut with unused footage as a mini-series for German television, consisting of three episodes of 100 minutes each.  The director's cut followed in 1997, which ran to 209 minutes.  In 2004, the television version was released in an uncut version for DVD, running to 293 minutes.  It is these later two versions that have accorded Das Boot its status today as one of finest works in German cinema and one of the greatest war films of all time.

Film Synopsis

October 1941.  The crew of U-boat U-96 is preparing to leave their base in La Rochelle and head out for patrols in the North Atlantic.  The boat's captain  reflects grimly on what may lie ahead.  His crew has got younger and less experienced but the British have become more adept at sinking German U-boats.  Having survived a long and violent sea storm, the U-boat runs into a convoy of British ships.  Whilst the U-boat crew are busy launching torpedoes at the ships, a destroyer appears and closes in on them.   Taking a hit from a depth charge, the U-boat escapes with some damage, and the crew are hopeful that they can now return to base.   Unfortunately, the captain receives a radio message instructing him to head for the Mediterranean.  This means passing through the Straits of Gibraltar, an area that is heavily protected by the British navy.  After stopping to pick up supplies in Southern Spain, the U-boat sets out for what may well be its final destination...