Watched Das boot DVD today.

[Oberon]

In regards to Thomson, I do believe Otto Sander was actually drunk during the filming of the bar scene.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Oberon

In regards to Thomson, I do believe Otto Sander was actually drunk during the filming of the bar scene.

I do believe that was in fact the case:

In the scene at La Rochelle harbor near the beginning, actor Otto Sander, playing a drunk Phillip Thomsen really was drunk. Originally another actor was slated to play that part, but he was fired before filming began...ironically enough, because he was too drunk all the time.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DasBoot

[Penguin]

Ah, a Das Boot thread, nearly missed this one

Originally Posted by ABBAFAN

Haha, I'd forgotten the scene were Thomsen is in the bogs at the Uboat base at the beginning of the film pissed up and says ;I am not in a postioin to ****!'.

I wonder why the filmmakers had him say that in english.

Many sailors were previously in the merchant fleet (like Der Alte) and as those international travellers, thus most of them spoke some English and it was en vogue among them to do so.
I read stories of German captains from the 30s-50s, they used quite a lot of english expressions in their tales. Many expressions where the sailor of today uses a (nautic) german word for have been in English.

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Which version was it?

I don't recall him playing a bigger part in the book, either.

True to an extent.
The famous Churchill speech of Thomsen was in the book delivered by a guy called Trumann. This was also the guy who tried the tablecloth stunt, which was performed in the movie by the 2nd WO.
However the movie is missing on scene, when Thomsen tells a story of a depth charge pursuit and an underwater attack. This scene plays in the afternoon, with Thomsen sitting in a big leather chair - this would have looked great in the movie!
In the screenplay that Buchheim wrote after the american authors screwed up, "U-96 Szenen aus dem Seekrieg", he added a scene at the beginning where Thomsens boat enters the port with several injured onboard. His boat has a dented con tower, made by a destroyer's ram attempt.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Penguin

Ah, a Das Boot thread, nearly missed this one

Many sailors were previously in the merchant fleet (like Der Alte) and as those international travellers, thus most of them spoke some English and it was en vogue among them to do so.
I read stories of German captains from the 30s-50s, they used quite a lot of english expressions in their tales. Many expressions where the sailor of today uses a (nautic) german word for have been in English.

In addition I expect foreign language studies, including English, were part of the officer candidate curriculum at the naval academy. Not to mention the fact that some officers had already been exposed to English in an educational or even everyday setting before joining up. Cremer, I think, had an English grandmother and Kretschmer spent the better part of a year living and going to school in England.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

In addition I expect foreign language studies, including English, were part of the officer candidate curriculum at the naval academy. Not to mention the fact that some officers had already been exposed to English in an educational or even everyday setting before joining up. Cremer, I think, had an English grandmother and Kretschmer spent the better part of a year living and going to school in England.

Yes, you're right that most officers could speak some English. I am not sure if it was part of the curriculum for all officers, if so then certainly only in the earlier years of the war. Those who went to the "Gymnasium" (the German school, which was only affordable for posh people at that time) might have also learned it to some extent - after they learned Latin and Greek...
I am somehow impressed about Topp's language skills which he shows in this interview:
He really speaks free and coherent, no search for words. Definitely not common in his age group.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Penguin

Yes, you're right that most officers could speak some English. I am not sure if it was part of the curriculum for all officers, if so then certainly only in the earlier years of the war.

Yep, and it was probably even more likely for those who'd done their time there pre-war and were already commissioned early on. I think there's even a line in Das Boot (the book), when they have stopped a Spanish ship, where der Alte says something to someone from the potential target and then turns to his own men and says something like, "Yes, I had Spanish too!"

Altho the close ties between Hitler's Germany and fascist Spain might've had something to do with that.

I am somehow impressed about Topp's language skills which he shows in this interview:
He really speaks free and coherent, no search for words. Definitely not common in his age group.

That interview looks like it was done after he retired, though, or at least very late in his career. You have to keep in mind that by then he'd spent some time working within NATO as part of the new German Navy and was even "stationed" in the US for a while. No doubt it helped to keep his English pretty fresh.

[Stealhead]

Also "I'm not in the condition to ----!" just sounds funnier in English even to a German. "Ich bin nicht in der kondition zu ficken!" ---- just sounds better than Ficken.( no German children
should view this post)

I think that is correct I learned German from a civilian ex-Luftwaffe mechanic in my shop and on German women off base it worked for me then but they where usually more drunk than I was.

Interestingly I can often spot guys that where stationed in Germany because they like to use Scheiße in stead of ---- I suppose because it is more expressive.The guys in my shop learned that from Joey the ex Luftwaffe mechanic you could tell by the way he said Scheiße if he was merely frustrated or if had just nearly severed his thumb he must have said Scheiße 25 different ways.

Another note on Das Boot in older versions(I always view a film in original language with subs if needed) the scene where the guys are talking about farts one guys says"Smells like baby ----" in German in the old English subs they dont say "baby" in a newer DVD I have now they correctly show the line in sub titles.

During WWII from different things I have read or seen in docs on TV it seems that it was not uncommon to find Germans in particular officers and NCOs that could speak at least some English.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Oberon

In regards to Thomson, I do believe Otto Sander was actually drunk during the filming of the bar scene.

Peterson and Prochnow talk about this in the DC commentary.