Things I learned from watching U-571

[JScones]

Things I learnt from reading this thread:

• that BLACK and BLUE are not good font colours to use when one has the Admin Blue scheme.

"Diesel engines can be turned on 20 meters under water."

Well, that's true. They can be turned on 200 meters under water if you really want to. After they've sucked all the air out of everyone's lungs they'll sputter out. I'm sure it was a bad couple of seconds when heavy seas washed over the top of the schnorchel.

Actually, the two worst things about U-571 are:

1) I saw it, therefore the knowledge of it is burned into my brain and
2) I'll never have those two hours back . . . ever

Now for a real discussion: which movie is worse, U-571 or Pearl Harbor?

[Umfuld]

Pearl Harbor, no question.


The thing about U-571 is it's oddly enough a suspense movie. I mean, it's meant as a action film, but all of it's action is built as dramatic suspense. Not really what I look for in film.

The tension in say Das Boot is very realistic, and not just Hollywood fun time.

[Drebbel]

You should Wave your hands heroically while drowning instead of shouting "throw me a f**king rope!"

If you can shout your head is above the water
if your head is above the water you are not drowning

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Drebbel

If you can shout your head is above the water
if your head is above the water you are not drowning

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


Oh and who is Andy yelling at, when he calls for an crash dive up on the bridge??? He looks behind him and yells, yet everyone are already below deck.

[VonHelsching]

Originally Posted by Fab

Now for a real discussion: which movie is worse, U-571 or Pearl Harbor?

Well, none of the above. The worse is yet to come:

U-571 in Pearl Harbor (helping the Japanese):rotfl:

[bigboywooly]

Personally i would rather have seen the real version of U571 with U110 inc the convoy attack and depthcharging/ramming now that would have been far more entertaining than some completely made up plot so far removed from the truth its unbelievable
And if it had been made by Peterson all the better still one can only hope
The trouble is there is a new generation of people ( in the US especially) that watch films such as U571 and dont know any different as far as the truth goes because of Hollywoods attitude to the war

[Rose]

Originally Posted by bigboywooly

The trouble is there is a new generation of people ( in the US especially) that watch films such as U571 and dont know any different as far as the truth goes because of Hollywoods attitude to the war

HEY! Watch who you make the subject of your generalizations! Most Americans are actually good people .

[Drebbel]

that watch films such as U571 and dont know any different as far as the truth goes because of Hollywoods attitude to the war

But lets be honest, is that a problem, is that a bad thing ? :hmm:

[U-Bones]

Hollywood does a horrible job of representing the truth, much less Americans and their actual values and positions. As an American citizen who has proudly served my country, I can say they do NOT speak for me on anything of importance.

So just a reminder, Hollywood != typical American, and Americans are not the only ones who too often tend to believe everything they see on film or TV.

It used to be entertainment, now almost everything is a delivery system for propaganda of some type.

[Marko]

Originally Posted by U-Bones

Hollywood does a horrible job of representing the truth, much less Americans and their actual values and positions. As an American citizen who has proudly served my country, I can say they do NOT speak for me on anything of importance.

I really wonder who really representing the truth nowdays.

[bigboywooly]

lol I know that and didnt mean it in that way - hell if I didnt like the people or country ( USA ) I wouldnt go there for my holidays ( and not disneyland either ) what I meant was if a whole generation is bought up watching films which are "adapted" to suit the American market then thats what they will grow up believing
Yes the films are watched here too but there are also many programmes here that you wont see over there that address the balance and of course they are still taught the war in schools in history

I know that films have to grab the interest of the viewer and keep it but the plot in that film bears no relation to what happened and just as you leapt to the defence of your country how do you think the people who were actually present at the real capture of the sub (U101) - the Royal Navy_ feel about it being rewritten to make out it was the USN that saved the day as far as the Enigma was concerned

Not slating the US at all and apologise if thats how it came across

It just gets a bit annoying this side of the pond when these films are all " adapted " for the US market without any semblance of fact in them

[STEED]

Never seen the film U-571, I found the trailers for it just a tasteless joke and a bloody insult to the real events that took place.

[Ducimus]

HEY! Watch who you make the subject of your generalizations! Most Americans are actually good people.

He has a point sadly enough. I did not know this, and i woudlnt have believed it until i saw it first hand. There are American's who do not know:

- why we celeibrate the 4th of july. To some its a day to bbq, drink beer, set off firecrackers, and thats it. No clue as to why.

- Anything about or dealing with, the American revolutionary war. or the signficance of 1776. (see 4th of july)

- what POW/MIA means. My own spouse went unto me oneday and asked, "hon, whats Pow Mia?" ( she said it exactly how it sounds. pow.. meeya)


I think i can stop there, thats enough. you may think im full of it, but its sadly true. So ya, hollywood movies will most definatly be beleived as factual information to some people.

[Darth Brooks]

At least with U-571 they used something that at least looked like a german submarine (I'm wondering where the lounge was too). In Pearl Harbor, both sides apparently used modern slant deck aricraft carriers. Before anyone makes any excuses, consider the size of the budget on Pearl Harbor. 1/10,000 of the budget could have been used on good looking models/cgi for the carriers. The japanese carriers were ugly beasts so it was an opportunity lost to do something interesting on screen.

Instead we have Alec Baldwin lecturing Ben Affleck next to the steam catapults on the WHAT? 1941 era carrier!

And when did FIGHTER pilots join BOMBER squadrons flying aircraft they never trained for????