U-571 writer admits (some) mistakes

[August]

Originally Posted by Smaragdadler

The point about U-571 is, that it makes so much stupid mistakes, but at the same time thinks itself so ********** seriously. Not a good combination - if you want to impress people with some intellect...
But in a way because of this, it has become a classic of its own league now...

A Hollywood movie takes itself seriously? Isn't that a contradiction?

[Smaragdadler]

No. The seriousness of Hollywood lies in the will to make money, no matter the cost...

[Chock]

The thing about U-571 is that, for a lot of people who aren't rivet-counters, they don't really notice the mistakes, so it probably seems fairly accurate in those circumstances. If people can watch it like that, fair enough.

When I saw U-571 at the cinema, and they were figuring out the German sub's controls and getting it going, I was waiting for the A-Team music to kick in, it really is that silly. And I laughed my ass off at the German 'destroyer' in the movie that was evidently loaded up to the gunwales with Napalm and C4 when it exploded. But, I suppose if you switch your brain off, it passes the time.

Must admit, I think that as far as people being upset by historical innaccuracies, they'd have been better off putting a caption at the end of U-571 apologising to the men of the Kriegsmarine, as opposed to pointing out that the Brits got an Enigma machine before the Americans. The cardboard cut-out portrayal of Nazi scumbags on a submarine in U-571 was as preposterous as it was innaccurate, and far more of an insult than anything else in the film. You only have to read the story about U-27 and the Q-Ship Baralong, or U-156 and the British troopship Laconia to see exactly who the ones are with something to be ashamed of when it comes to atrocities in submarine warfare, and it certainly wasn't the Germans.

In any case, the Enigma machine was hardly the key to sussing out German messages, the code books were the important stuff. You could have popped along to the Patent Office in London in the 1920s and 1930s and checked out patents for rotor encoding machines similar to the ones the Germans used quite easily, and the thing was available commercially in many countries well before the Second World War started.

The real work of decoding German communications was in the computing advances made at Bletchley Park by Alan Turing and his colleagues. A man incidentally, who was treated appallingly by the British after the war, which is something the British Government should be ashamed of. Although Manchester in the UK, a city where I work, has at least had the decency to put up a sculpture of Turing, and name a road after him.

U-571 is a popcorn movie, nothing more, and not even a very good one.

Chock

[Rose]

I completely agree Chock. As I said before, when I first saw it I was about 9 or 10 years old -- far too young to notice the preposterous innaccuracies. However, last time I saw it on HBO I couldn't sit through five minutes without laughing.

[Frau_Phillips]

I also notice that U-571 has been the submarine movie that I've seen the most on American television, which must mean its the generally accepted film documentation of U-Boats.

Ah, it is quite sad.

[ASWnut101]

Originally Posted by Frau_Phillips

I also notice that U-571 has been the submarine movie that I've seen the most on American television, which must mean its the generally accepted film documentation of U-Boats.

Ah, it is quite sad.

I know. In fact, that's the only submarine movie (besides Crimpson Tide) that ever plays at all anymore.

Do you get DirecTV? U-571 plays on "Bravo" like every other week. Crimpson Tide plays on Showtime every so often.


I've only seen Das Boot twice on the show listings, and at that time I was not into the whole submarine thing (It was about 4-5 years ago). I shamefully say that I've got to be the only one here who hasn't seen the full showing of Das Boot.


...anyone got a spare DVD with it or something?

[Frau_Phillips]

Originally Posted by ASWnut101

...anyone got a spare DVD with it or something?

Sure do, drive up to Atlanta, give Kap'n Phillips and I a visit after the summer when he'll be here, and I'll hand mine right over

You have to bring it back though

[ASWnut101]

Originally Posted by Frau_Phillips

Sure do, drive up to Atlanta, give Kap'n Phillips and I a visit after the summer when he'll be here, and I'll hand mine right over

You have to bring it back though

Funny. I'm moving to Kennesaw with my girl in two weeks...

[August]

Originally Posted by Frau_Phillips

I also notice that U-571 has been the submarine movie that I've seen the most on American television, which must mean its the generally accepted film documentation of U-Boats.

Ah, it is quite sad.

Well don't be because it's also completely innaccurate to assume that the number of times a movie is shown somehow indicates its acceptance as a historical accuracy.

If U-571 is shown more often than other U-boat movies it's because it is not 6 hours long like The Boat (thereby compatible for a 2 hour time slot) and it was made recently enough that the actors who played in it aren't half forgotten relics of the past. Given it's schlocky pedigree the broadcast rights are probably pretty cheap to come by as well.

[Frau_Phillips]

Originally Posted by August

Well don't be because it's also completely innaccurate to assume that the number of times a movie is shown somehow indicates its acceptance as a historical accuracy.

If U-571 is shown more often than other U-boat movies it's because it is not 6 hours long like The Boat (thereby compatible for a 2 hour time slot) and it was made recently enough that the actors who played in it aren't half forgotten relics of the past. Given it's schlocky pedigree the broadcast rights are probably pretty cheap to come by as well.

Ah, but your own argument only backs mine.

1) More people are exposed to it.
2) More recognizable faces are in it, therefore more people watch it
3) Its shorter, easier for empty-heads to get into
4) It has more Hollywood bravado, see previous point.

The end :P

Oh, ASWnut101, I was serious about the visiting, just do it when Rich is here, he'd pee his pants if he got to meet a subsimmer XD

[August]

Originally Posted by Frau_Phillips

Ah, but your own argument only backs mine.

1) More people are exposed to it.
2) More recognizable faces are in it, therefore more people watch it
3) Its shorter, easier for empty-heads to get into
4) It has more Hollywood bravado, see previous point.

The end :P

Sorry but you're just plain wrong Missy. People are just as often exposed to movies like Lord of the Rings but only a complete fool would ever believe that orcs and wizards ever existed.

The first time such a fool runs into someone who knows better, whether in RL or on a forum like this, they are going to have their butts verbally handed to them with a heaping helping of scorn. Then either one of two things will happen. Either they will make the effort to learn about the real history (which IMO is just as exciting as any dumbass hollywood movie) and in the process gain an important lesson on distinguishing real from made up or they will shut up and go back to concentrating on Brittany Spears latest peccadillo. Either way the truth wins out.