Das Boot

[Sailor Steve]

This is the reason I like the Uncut version of Das Boot the best. A lot of the plot is cliched and has been used before, but the actual depiction of everyday life, and the food, and the crowding...

Those are the real reasons I watch it over and over. The action parts bore me, but I find the boring parts exciting.

Well, I never said I was normal.

[Dan D]

In the book you learn that the female navy personnel at navy school has to learn how to write the German forename „Otto“ on the blackboard with a piece of chalk in the rear section.

O T T O

You get the picture.

What really happened is that the guys were staring at some female navy personnel bottoms jiggle while the female navy personnel was writing on the blackboard.

Fiction/non-Fiction.

[Sammi79]

'Das Boot' Is a revolutionary piece of film, yes it is fictional and unrealistic at times (in regard to the capacities of the type 7) but IMO it doesn't push these boundaries too far.

It is essentially a film about war, but more importantly the human aspect - as people have said, the boredom, the grime, the immense psychological and physical pressure that men are expected to endure at the command of other men who sit behind a desk thousands of miles away. Its true greatness lies in the ability to be unbiased in this respect. Sides do not really figure, while you watch it you become one of the crew, it matters not that they are German, you understand that they are :- human men, younger or more mature and they experience all the horror and excitement of war as they work together to achieve their military goals or more often to simply survive. They fear and respect their enemies with equal measure. (which is an awesome amount on both counts)

The uncut mini-series is the best I think although the cut down versions still have the same if slightly dimmed effect. The soundtrack composed by Klaus Doldinger is truly beautiful, for me it really captures the hopes, fears, torment and despair that is equivalent to the reality of that time.

[Sledgehammer427]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

I remember some surviving uboat captain (Eric topp? or was it Reinhard Hardigan?) said that the movie was accurate in its portrayal of boredom and life on a uboat, but to toss the rest as rubbish, or words to that effect.

In Operation Drumbeat the surviving crewmembers made some interesting comments about Das Boot, the movie, that is. But that's another thread.

[longam]

You'll notice that every time the movie goes into action mode the Captain has a brain fart.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Dan D

In the book you learn that the female navy personnel at navy school has to learn how to write the German forename „Otto“ on the blackboard with a piece of chalk in the rear section.

O T T O

You get the picture.

What really happened is that the guys were staring at some female navy personnel bottoms jiggle while the female navy personnel was writing on the blackboard.

Fiction/non-Fiction.

More likely some typical sailors were telling typical dirty sailor jokes. It's what sailors do best.

[Buddahaid]

The propagandist Lothar-Günther Buchheim, who wrote the book did serve on U-96 under Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, which did make an attempt to enter the Mediterranean Sea, did get detected and hit bottom, did need to repair damage before surfacing, and did abort the attempt per Blaire's history. This boat was the "real" boat behind the story.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_...-96_%281940%29

[Wolfehunter]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108211/

This is another good one.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Wolfehunter

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108211/

This is another good one.

If we are recommending war movies from the German perspective than I got to recommend this one:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074695/

(Although it not a German made movie)...

[Legionary74]

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[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Legionary74

Saw it, but after seeing modern movies it makes that one look like **** :P\

Are you talking about the film WH linked to? Stalingrad? Because that's less than 20 years old.

I guess maybe my idea of a "modern" film is different, lol.

M*A*S*H being an exception..

Having pretty much grown up on the series, I was completely underwhelmed by the movie when I finally saw it. I mean, it's not awful, but certainly not as appealing as I expected.

OTOH I find much of the TV series less appealing now than what I remember, and some of it even incredibly grating, when I catch it in reruns.

TBH I found Stalingrad to be something of a let-down as well. I guess I was hoping for the "infantry version" of Das Boot or something and it just didn't live up to my expectations.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Having pretty much grown up on the series, I was completely underwhelmed by the movie when I finally saw it. I mean, it's not awful, but certainly not as appealing as I expected.

I saw the movie in the theater, then read the book. Consequently I admitted the TV series was great, but still I never liked it.

[Legionary74]

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[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Legionary74

The movie wasnt good at all I dont think.

I agree...you don't think.


Sorry, couldn't resist.

I'm old enough to have seen the movie first, and appreciate the actual period humor. Of course the book was written by a man who was actually in Korea, and the movie was made during the Vietnam era, and shows it. But for me the series is fairly typical of movies that get shoehorned into TV, which for me means blah.