Sailor Steve

Okay, now I'll come to your defense. I never said you were a troll, and I still don't think you are. I thought your original comments were on the antagonistic side, like maybe you were looking for a fight. Maybe I was too, as I like a good argument once in a while.

There are things I actually don't like about Das Boot: the guys running to the front of the boat in a crash dive; I may be wrong, but I don't see how that makes much difference in a 750-ton submarine. I also wish they had had no underwater exterior shots; in order to see the depth-charge explosions they placed them all so close that any one of them would have cracked the pressure hull. Also, it could have benefitted from modern CGI: sometimes the scale of the water and lack of foam makes it obvious that it's a model.

What I like the most is the accuracy of the interior, scale-wise. It just feels totally claustrophobic, and I hate/love that. The scenes following them through the boat (yes, those same scenes I find silly) are pretty remarkable all by themselves. Also, they built the interior on a gimballed frame, so it really rocks back and forth, especially during the storm scenes. I've read that some of the actors really got hurt. And part of the 'zombie' look is due to the fact that the actors had to live in the studio during the entire shoot; they signed a contract saying they wouldn't go outside unless Petersen said they could.

I recommend the extended 5-hour version, and I watch it about once a month. But then, I really am a period history geek.