Bloody Right that!

:rotfl: :rock:

Why was that? I don't think it portrays U-boot men in a bad way.

Or where they disappointed German lost the war in the end /bad joke ;)

They talked about this in the extra stuff on the Das Boot DVD :). It wasn't popular at all in Germany (forgot if they mentioned a reason and if so, which one), but after they received a lot of international praise and award nominations that changed... :hmm:

I remember reading the reason that it was not popular was because he wrote disapprovingly of Admiral Donitz and a U-Boat man had written a book called the we the u-boat men say No it's not true.
I might have got the title wrong but it was something like that.

But as you said it was the movie that made it popular again and the upset was more at the book and the opinion of Donitz.

The tv series itself was a success with the german public. It was part of the first wave of films in the late 70's where germans started to examine the war, a subject which had been taboo up until then. It was repackaged as a film and shown in north america in 1981 where it was also quite successful, considering the subject matter.

The ending is a result of german guilt about the war, which was still very strong at that time, the producers did not feel comfortable ending it any other way.

From what I remember, U-Boat men objected to the portrayal of the captain and other officers as being disrespectful of Donitz and the german government and the anti-war sentiment.

I also dimly remember some more trivia:

1. the U-Boat set was designed and built with the help of a firm that had built U-Boats during the war. The firm still had original U-Boat plans in their possession;

2. the beginning and ending scenes were actually filmed in surviving U-Boat pens in france. Some of the locals felt uncomfortable since it brought back unpleasant memories ( this would be in 76-77 );

3. You never see a swastika in the movie (go back and check before you dispute this claim), since it is illegal under german laws;

4. The movie rights were originally owned by a hollywood producer who wanted to film it as an american submarine in the pacific. I believe Robert Deniro was being considered to play the captain. Thankfully, the project fell through;

5. The U-boat in the movie was rented by Steven Spielberg and appears in Raiders of the Lost Ark;

6. The real captain of U-96 served as a consultant during the filming.

In the version I have you can see them on the crew's hats and uniforms (as part of the eagle), on Thompson's and the Captain's Iron Cross, on the control room clock, and on U-96's flag at the beginning and end of the movie. Nothing in your face but they're still there. What version did you see?

I will check again for the badge, but it you look at the U-96 flag, it is always folded up and the swastika is hidden. You only see a small part of it.

Im watching the 6 hour version of das boot right now, came into it around 2 hours into the movie.. I was wondering, those gigantic zits on the guys faces and those cuts and stuff. What are they? Looks like herpes and huge bite marks from spiders from a sci-fi movie. Its gross. I wished i saw the beggining tho, seems like now im watching most of the movie from the version i have.

I saw the movie for the first time today. That is one fricken LONG movie! I thought it was ok. To my surprise Encore was playing it. I saw it in the guide on the satellite dish programming. I was able to tape it. I might have to watch it again sometime. I didn't watch it all the way through, though. Encore showed the original version. I didn't notice any swastika's, but then again I wasn't looking for them.

I've read that surviving U-boat veterans were divided about the book. Some hated it and others said "yes, that's how it was."

As was already said, there are swastikas in the movie. It´s not always illegal to show such symbols.

Article 86a of the German penal code states:

1. There is a charge of up to three years in prison or a financial fee for:

- publishing symbols of an organization hostile to the constitution, or using these symbols publicly in meetings or publications

- importing, exporting using, publishing, distributing or producing items with these symbols domestically or internationally.

2. symbols are flags, buttons, uniforms, slogans and forms of greetings. Included are variations that are extremely similar to the original ones.

3. Excepted are the use of these symbols for public education, prevention of hostile actions against the constitution, the use in art, science, schooling, news reports, historical reports and the like.

i agree

i have seen two varitions of the movie

das boot - directors cut on dvd 8-10 times owned
and
the boat - on video 15 times hired

i got the dvd because i was sick and tired of hireing
the boat
only difference is videos dont have langvige option haha

I think why the film worked was because it focused on the human side of the German sea war. Most people can understand and relate to that. The director (Petersen) is on record saying it was his intension to depict it so, and it seemed like he tried to make the movie as historically accurate as possible. You'll never please everyone. But the movie was intended to be entertainment, not a documentary.

Almost all recent major theatrical and television releases with war themes have drawn criticism from veterans. It seems impossible to reconcile the demands of both the accuracy seekers and the entertainment seeking audience.

Okay, I don't live in Germany, but I can never understand the fright of people and the need for censorship with regard to historical symbols. Swastikas aren't evil, and studying them and understanding them doesn't make you a Nazi. No more than a criminal psychologist being a murderer when he profiles a psychopath.

For SH3-playing, wannabe Kaleuns like us, it's a great film. The terror, boredom, exhilaration, frustration and tragedy of the German war in the Atlantic as experienced by u-boat crews comes through effectively in the film. If you like history, irrespective of the inaccuracies, its cool to see the era brought to life with big "Hollywood-style" budgets and production values.

Anyone know what the best version of Das Boot is? Where can I buy it?

In my opinion the best by far is the 5-hour (not 6, as some have said) Original, Uncut Version, aka the Miniseries.

It's available here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/re...ance%26n%3D130


or, if you're in Jolly Olde, here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...981409-6678209

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