Things I learned from watching U-571

[Rhodes]

For me the worst moment in U-571 was the scene were diesel fuel igntites with a sparkle from the light ball...but there is one thing that I like in the movie, the fact that the U-571 went to 300 m and held a bit and harvey keitel caracter says a good line and the fact that the american submarine when at periscope depth has more water comming in that my u-boat models in my tub... Enfim passando à frente...

[Rosencrantz]

Subnuts, you just confirmed my bad feelings... I have tried to avoid that film - even its cover looks very, very suspiciouse.

So, thanks for info, it was funny to read!

-RC-

[Enigma]

Do you guys have any idea how incredibly boring a completely textbook realistic submarine film would be?

[Subnuts]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Do you guys have any idea how incredibly boring a completely textbook realistic submarine film would be?

No, but thanks to U-571 I do know how relentlessly stupid and inducing a submarine movie can really be.

And was it just me or were all the characters in U-571 cardboard cutouts? It's not impossible for a two-hour action movie to have at least a few mildly compelling characters!

[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.

[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.

[Puster Bill]

Originally Posted by Subnuts

* It's possible to locate the exact location a crippled sub based on it's radio signals, which you can not decrypt.

Actually, that is true. It is called 'High Frequency Direction Finding', HF/DF, or as the Brits liked to call it 'Huff Duff'. In fact, that is an excellent way to tell where a crippled submarine is. This is because it gives you (to varying degrees of accuracy, depending on a number of technical factors) a chance to locate where a target is without needing to derive intelligence from the actual message transmitted. It is of more limited use when the target is mobile, because they can transmit from one location and then move to a different one before you can deploy assets in that area.

In the general field of Signals Intelligence, there are three ways of gaining information on the people you are monitoring:

1. The creme de la creme, the timely decryption of encrypted target signals. It goes without saying that this is the gold standard of SIGINT, as it not only can tell you where a particular target is and what it is doing, but can also tell you of their future plans.

2. Direction Finding: Allows you to find the location of a specific transmitter. This works by having several different receiving stations take simultaineous bearings when the target is transmitting. Then, you simply draw lines on a map from each of those stations, and where they intersect is where the target is.

3. Traffic Analysis: You can derive a lot of useful intelligence just by observing what stations communicate, and what actions happen both before and after they communicate. You can then make assumptions in the future about what will happen based on patterns observed.

I have to agree with most of the list, however. A better movie for this sort of thing is "Enigma", starring Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, and Saffron Burrows (Yowser! hubba-hubba!). It has some flaws also, but none anywhere near as egregious as U-571. The main one is that the main character in the movie is supposed to be Alan Turing, who was gay, not lusting after Ms. Burrows in silk stockings (c'mon, Puster Bill, concentrate!). The Morse in that movie is actually pretty good. Most of the times, Morse in the movies is just gibberish.

/Ex Army 05H (Electronic Warfare Signals Intelligence Morse Interceptor)
//Current Ham Radio op.

Originally Posted by bigboywooly

the worst thing about U571 is its just a load of Hollywood b*ll*cks

The enigma codes were not captured that way or by the US but by the Royal Navy from 2 different submarines...etc.

We've all known that was the real problem with U-571 from the day it was released. Of course it has nothing to do with history, or with much of anything else. The point of the thread was the funny parts...we know the rest.

[The Noob]

I love U-571!

Best submarine movie ever!

[Puster Bill]

Originally Posted by The Noob

I love U-571!

Best submarine movie ever!

Except for all the others...

[Seminole]

To be honest I liked this movie and Pearl Harbor and for that matter most war films I ever watched.


I was never under any illusion that they were made with the idea in mind of satisfying my vision of a historically correct film.

I am happy to sit back and be satisfied and say when I see an inacurracy ....that hey....I know better. If it is an entertaning flick then I got my money's worth.

[The Noob]

Originally Posted by Puster Bill

Except for all the others...

I already thought this way BEFORE i ever used this forums. If others dislike a movie, why should i?

If others dislike Darth Vader, why should i?