Das Boot (1981)

Das Boot (“The Boat”)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Screenplay by Wolfgang Petersen from a novel by Lothar B. Buchheim
1981/West Germany
Repeat viewing
#670 of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die
IMDb users say 8.4/10; I say 9/10

[box] Captain: [looking at one of the LI’s pictures] Funny. I haven’t seen snow in years.[/box]

This movie had my heart pumping vigorously for 149 minutes and me wishing that I was watching the 209-minute director’s cut.

It is autumn 1941 and the war for control of the Atlantic is turning against the Germans. This is the story of the voyage of u-boat U-96 which set out from La-Rochelle, France.  It is seen through the eyes of a young military journalist who is along for the ride.  The crew of the U-96 endures boredom, celebrates strikes against the enemy, and struggles to survive hits on its boat.

I have seen this film at least twice before – once in the theater in what I assume was the theatrical cut and once on DVD in the director’s cut.  The version I rented this time was the theatrical cut.  The theatrical cut is gripping and well-acted and edited, with amazing special effects.  However, I really had the sense that the story suffered from the cuts.  There were several awkward gaps and the ending was extremely abrupt.  One minute they were surfacing after the Gibraltar episode and the next minute they were in La Rochelle.  I also think this is the kind of thing that is best seen fresh the first time.  I kept asking questions about little details when I should have been caught up in the action.

Don’t get me wrong.  I highly recommend this film to anyone looking for a well-made action adventure.  It is one of my very favorite war films.

German trailer (no subtitles but really not needed)