View Full Version : Hollywood's Das Boot
The world as I know it would've never been the same...
from the Wikipedia article on Das Boot:
<Production for this movie originally began in 1976. Several American directors were considered, and the Kaleun (Kapitänleutnant) was to be played by Robert Redford... Disagreements sprang up among various parties and the project was shelved. Fans of the movie would add the word "fortunately" to that statement.>
Pretty scary "could-have-been", eh? :D
Robert Redford playing a german U-Boot commander is scary indeed. I hate it when Hollywood makes "Americans" play foreigners. Kinda reminds me of Fatherland (Vaterland) from Robert Harris. The book was awesome but the movie just s***ed so bad. With all these millions of dollars going into movies nowadays it always makes me wonder why they can't afford to hire somebody who actually speaks German/Russian/Chinese....just imagine a Robert-Redford-Herr Kaleun speaking english with a fake german accent :huh: Damnit you DDs...sink him! :D
Stealth Elephant
08-02-05, 07:11 AM
Aside from the horrible Russian "accents" belted out by Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford, I thought that K-19: The Widowmaker was a suspenseful and affecting film. But those hastily thrown in "comrade"'s and such really were cheesy.
Shadow9216
08-02-05, 07:13 AM
I thought Robert Shaw did a good job in Battle of the Bulge.
I would love to see Danny de Vito as a KaLeun! No chance for that I guess....
Type941
08-02-05, 07:30 AM
Aside from the horrible Russian "accents" belted out by Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford, I thought that K-19: The Widowmaker was a suspenseful and affecting film. But those hastily thrown in "comrade"'s and such really were cheesy.
than again, if you were russian, probably the LAME cold war accent wouldn't have been the only thing you found annoying. :stare:
But it's a trick aimed at common Joe to convey a different country. I guess they still think it sounds cool, but it's not. Oh well.
Redford as U-boat captain - rriiiiight. Might as well picked Moore or Connery.
I would love to see Danny de Vito as a KaLeun! No chance for that I guess....
Would he need a little stool to stand on to look through the periscope?
Glassair
08-02-05, 08:00 AM
Wel for that matter..Robert Redford even refused to do an english accent in Out of Africa...! So imagine ... :huh:
Shadow9216
08-02-05, 08:00 AM
How bout Ah-nold? He could be "The Torpedonator"
er, "The Subinator"
:nope:
Mouseketeer
08-02-05, 08:30 AM
How bout Ah-nold? He could be "The Torpedonator"
er, "The Subinator"
:nope: :rotfl:
DerKaleun
08-02-05, 10:35 AM
I hope somebody would place enough "Wabonators" to counter that cinematic horror ! :88)
Arnold would at least have the correct accent. And he probably speaks german quite good as well. I vote for Arnold! :rotfl:
Arnold would at least have the correct accent. And he probably speaks german quite good as well. I vote for Arnold! :rotfl:
Ahnold would never fit in a WW2 sub, he'd have to drop some body mass first :lol:
redstorm101
08-02-05, 11:24 AM
I thought Robert Shaw did a good job in Battle of the Bulge.
Now that is a great movie!...... :up:
clive bradbury
08-02-05, 11:26 AM
He's too big to get down the conning tower hatch - they would have to cut a door in the side...
redstorm101
08-02-05, 11:32 AM
He's too big to get down the conning tower hatch - they would have to cut a door in the side...
Just Oil him down.......like a torpedo !
:rotfl:
Duncan Idaho
08-02-05, 11:36 AM
Aside from the horrible Russian "accents" belted out by Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford, I thought that K-19: The Widowmaker was a suspenseful and affecting film. But those hastily thrown in "comrade"'s and such really were cheesy.
I'm with ya, I was dreading seeing that movie after hearing (on the David Letterman show nonetheless) that they used false Russian accents. But I actually agreed with Harrison Ford in the end, who said he thought it seemed more authentic that way.
I do wish the movie had been just a bit more accurate about what happened, but it was good nevertheless.
On Das Boot...I'm kinda ashamed to admit it, but I've never seen it. Someday...
redstorm101
08-02-05, 11:52 AM
@Duncan Idaho...Its a must see movie..... :|\
I have the Director's cut.... :up:
Shadow9216
08-02-05, 12:11 PM
The Russian accents in Hunt For Red October are pretty bad for the most parts. When they sing the national anthem, the American accented Russian is pretty bad. Sean Connery might as well be speaking Lithuanian. And Jack Ryan's Russian is badly translated American idioms...none of which takes away from the movie for me :P
But as one who works with, and teaches, foreign languages, accents bug me. Not as much as bad subtitles though... :nope:
Sailor Steve
08-02-05, 12:18 PM
I thought Robert Shaw did a good job in Battle of the Bulge.
Now that is a great movie!...... :up:
No it's not! It's awful! Battleground was much better.
On Das Boot...I'm kinda ashamed to admit it, but I've never seen it. Someday...
Nothing to be ashamed of, though it's your loss. It's a great movie, nothing more.
I have the Director's cut....
Have you seen the "Uncut" version? The extra hour-and-a-half makes it that much better.
redstorm101
08-02-05, 12:22 PM
redstorm101 wrote:
I have the Director's cut....
Have you seen the "Uncut" version? The extra hour-and-a-half makes it that much better.
no, but thanks I will look for it... :|\
redstorm101
08-02-05, 12:38 PM
I thought Robert Shaw did a good job in Battle of the Bulge.
Now that is a great movie!...... :up:
No it's not! It's awful! Battleground was much better.
On Das Boot...I'm kinda ashamed to admit it, but I've never seen it. Someday...
Nothing to be ashamed of, though it's your loss. It's a great movie, nothing more.
I have the Director's cut....
Have you seen the "Uncut" version? The extra hour-and-a-half makes it that much better.
This is about the " Director's cut"
Das Boot Director's Cut Movie Review
Movie Review by Anthony Leong © Copyright 1997
Take photos of the crew returning, not putting out to sea.
Why?
They'll have beards by then... it would shame the Brits to see mere boys give them hell. Baby faces... who should still suck Mama's breast. I feel ancient around these kids, like I'm on some children's crusade.
This 1981 submarine movie (labeled the 'definitive submarine movie') drew international recognition for director Wolfgang Petersen and opened doors for him to direct several Hollywood feature films, including "Enemy Mine", "Shattered", "In the Line of Fire", and more recently, "Air Force One".
During the Second World War, German U-Boats prowled the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, preying on transports that ferried Allied supplies. They were sleek, deadly, and attacked with impunity... or maybe not. "Das Boot" deconstructs the mythos of the valiant German submarines and their valorous crews who steadfastly defended their Fatherland in a series of decisive tactical strikes. In reality, the U-Boats were cramped (you had to drop everything you were doing and stand up whenever anyone wanted to pass by), dehumanizing (with no such thing as privacy in the crowded crew quarters), and cesspools for various forms of pestilence, such as crab lice. Though they could run silently beneath the surface, the lack of visual cues underwater made it difficult for the crews to actually find their targets, and they were easily tracked by enemy destroyers armed with depth charges. Wolfgang Peterson effectively uses steadicam cinematography (such as the dynamic battle scenes, with follow shots of sailors running the entire length of the vessel to pass orders along), tightly-composed shots, and long spells of anticipation to effectively convey the claustrophobia, helplessness, lack of morale, and maddening sense of expectation on board a U-Boat.
Based on the novel by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim, DB follows one U-Boat mission, that begins with the clean-shaven and eager young men reporting for duty under the command of the war-weary Captain (Jurgen Prochnow) who openly criticizes the wisdom of the Third Reich. Among the men reporting for duty are a mentally unstable Chief Engineer (Klaus Wenneman), a party-line spouting First Lieutenant (Hubertus Bengsch), and a news correspondent (Herbert Groenemeyer), who serves as the eyes and ears of the audience. As they carry out their mission, we come to know some of the crew members, we watch them wait in fear as the vessel reaches depths which strain the hull's integrity, and suffocate alongside with them as the air begins to slowly run out. DB humanizes the enemy, putting a face on the Nazi Germany war machine, and also drives home the point that regardless of what side you are on, in a war, we are all victims. The tone of the film is decidedly apologetic, an extension of the postwar German angst over the horrors committed during WWII-- a good example of this is when the U-Boat crew actually sink a freighter. They accomplish their mission, but they must also watch the crew of the sinking ship burn and drown.
One of the great things about the Director's Cut is that it adds back about an hour of footage cut out from the original theatrical release, bumping up the running time to three-and-a-half hours. This extra footage fleshes out some of the secondary characters, making the tribulations that they endure and the tragic ending that more poignant. However, the downside of the new footage is that the interminable cat-and-mouse waiting game that the crew plays is accentuated further, which slows the pacing considerably, making it difficult to watch in one sitting.
If you enjoyed "Das Boot" in its original theatrical release, you will definitely enjoy the Director's Cut, which provides a more complete portrayal of events on board a U-Boat. And if you have never seen "Das Boot", you will shortchange yourself by watching anything else but the Director's Cut.
Twelvefield
08-02-05, 12:50 PM
But as one who works with, and teaches, foreign languages, accents bug me.
Then I assume your vote for the Kaleun of the hypothetical Das Boot remake would not go to Kevin "Man of a Thousand Voices" Costner?
FesterShinetop
08-02-05, 12:55 PM
How bout Ah-nold? He could be "The Torpedonator"
er, "The Subinator"
:nope:
:rotfl: Brilliant. And every time he sails out he's shouts out to the nurses on the shore: "Don't worry, I'll be back!!!"
And of course there would have to be a scene where he single handedly loads a few torpedos (flexing his muscles) when the loading crew gets wiped out... :lol:
And he'd mutter to himself staring down the persicope "Hasta la vista, baby" just before giving the fire command ROFL
:rotfl:
Ah, I could go on, but so could most of us I think LOL :-j
mystery meat
08-02-05, 01:01 PM
More on the Hollywood version: I also remember reading that the Hollywood producers wanted an American destroyer crew to share the film, al la "The Enemy Below."
More on the Hollywood version: I also remember reading that the Hollywood producers wanted an American destroyer crew to share the film, al la "The Enemy Below."
There's even more of a horror story about the Hoolawood version that (fortunately) never was... apparently the american producers wanted to add the obvious love plot, the pretty boy Redford paired up with a pretty blonde, and the usual hour long useless romance story (a la "Pearl Harbor"), and maybe get on with the war later, maybe add a kid or two, a cute little puppie, and even a nice happy ending... :lol:
KL Seestern
08-02-05, 01:46 PM
More on the Hollywood version: I also remember reading that the Hollywood producers wanted an American destroyer crew to share the film, al la "The Enemy Below."
Yes ... in autumn 1941 ... :roll:
DerKaleun
08-02-05, 05:41 PM
By the way... does anybody know the Movie with Robert Mitchum as the Skipper of a Fletcher DD and Curt Jürgens as Skipper of a Type VII ? The german title in TV was "Duell im Atlantic". Would be "Duell in the Atlantic" in Englisch. Liked that one. Was not bad. Nice cat an mouse play between single DD and a U-Boat.
And no I am the hero end, both of them got theirs butts blasted ;)
Shadow9216
08-02-05, 06:02 PM
It's The Enemy Below
DerKaleun
08-02-05, 06:42 PM
Ok that prevents my next question, "what is enemy below about?" ;)
Thanx
Duncan Idaho
08-02-05, 07:19 PM
On Das Boot...I'm kinda ashamed to admit it, but I've never seen it. Someday...
Nothing to be ashamed of, though it's your loss. It's a great movie, nothing more.
I have the Director's cut....
Have you seen the "Uncut" version? The extra hour-and-a-half makes it that much better.
Well at least I know what version to get...(I'll have to order it online, local movie places where I live only seem to get action (read Rambo or Terminator) movies, or love movies... (Yuck!) :damn:
P.S. Needs to be a Gag emoticon...or maybe a 'ralph' emoticon. ;)
clive bradbury
08-03-05, 10:43 AM
How bout Ah-nold? He could be "The Torpedonator"
er, "The Subinator"
:nope:
:rotfl: Brilliant. And every time he sails out he's shouts out to the nurses on the shore: "Don't worry, I'll be back!!!"
And of course there would have to be a scene where he single handedly loads a few torpedos (flexing his muscles) when the loading crew gets wiped out... :lol:
And he'd mutter to himself staring down the persicope "Hasta la vista, baby" just before giving the fire command ROFL
:rotfl:
Ah, I could go on, but so could most of us I think LOL :-j
The more you describe this, the more I want to see this movie...
Shadow9216
08-03-05, 10:51 AM
What about when he dismounts the deck gun and fires it from the hip, a la Predatornator?
Maybe Richard Dawson could reprise his role in "Running Man" as a smarmy tv-host-turned-DD-commander?
And don't forget the tense scene when the sub is sinking out of control, water gushing through a rupture in the hull, only to be halted by his superhuman strength as he forces the ruptured plates together, holding them with his bare hands long enough for the crew to quickly weld them together.
Then he turns to the stunned crew and says "Wet enough for you?"
Der Schatten
08-04-05, 08:16 PM
Ah, "Battleground"........if I remember the ending scene correctly, is that where they are marching off of the frontline, passing the fresh, clean, untested troops who are to replace them? I always thought that was a good movie..........I remember watching every war movie that would come on tv (pre cable!) with my dad, and looking back, I could probably tell just by how much he talked whether he was thinking about what he saw.....but there were some very quiet times! Found out years later he was a medic.
Aside from that, I cant get the mental image of Danny Devito looking through the periscope out of my mind!
Damo1977
08-04-05, 09:04 PM
No I vote for Sly Stallone to be a U-Boat captain. He would be so cool. You cant' understand him half the time either, so us that don't know German would still need the subtitles.........
vBulletin® v3.8.11, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.