Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece of Film Making!
Review: Wolfgang Petersen's "Das Boot" has been called "the most realistic movie ever filmed." I would have to agree. The film, based on Lothar-Gunther Bocheim's novel, documents life on board a German U-boat as the tide of the battle of the Atlantic was turning in favor of the Allies. Lieutenant Werner (Herbert Gronemeyer), a war correspondent, is assigned to cover the voyage of U-96 for the Nazi propaganda machine. By the autumn of 1941, the cream of the German U-boat crews were being replaced by hastily trained recruits held together by the few surviving veterans. The Captain (Jurgen Prochnow) and his trusted Chief Engineer (Klaus Wennemann) represent the last of these dying chivalrous knights of the high seas. The result combines the loss of innocence coupled with the ultimate goal in warfare: basic survival.Prochnow steals the movie with a stellar performance as the Captain. Prochnow reveals the multi-layered personality of his character with finesse. On the one hand, the captain is obsessed with the hunt. He pushes his vessel and its crew to their limits. He seems to relish the stalk and the psychological game of wits waged between himself and the unseen enemy above. The crew learn to trust his intuitions and cunning as a means of their own survival. On the other hand he shows compassion for his own men as well as the enemy. For instance, when one of his officers reaches the end of his tether and abandons his posts during a long and brutal depth-charge attack, the captain was torn between shooting him or having the officer court-marshalled. He did neither. After resurfacing to finish off a crippled freighter like one would put a dying animal out of its misery, the captain is horrified to see crew members floundering helplessly in the water. "For the love of God," he says, "why weren't they rescued by their own ships?" Knowing it was impossible to take prisoners aboard the U-boat, the captain agonizes along with his officers as he leaves the survivors to their fate.Thinking the British "no longer make mistakes," the captain cannot understand why the destroyers hone in on his exact location and return again and again to drop their deadly depth-charges. In reality, for which the film does not make clear, the allied navies were constantly improving the three most important weapons against the German U-boat menace: radar and sonar; the convoy system with improved destroyer escort tactics; and wider air cover. The latter is not emphasized until the end of the movie. The U-boat captain's cunning and stealth was being outwitted by technology.As in Petersen's later effort "Stalingrad," U-96's captain was bound to obey orders from the high command regardless of their futility. Following orders, he attempts to sneak past the British fortress of Gibraltar knowing it is darn near impossible. The crew's efforts to revive the crippled submarine from the bottom of the Mediterranean will leave one on the edge of their seat. Again like "Stalingrad," the ending will erase any semblance of political ideology and magnify the human nature of survival in war.The director's cut far surpasses the original VHS version. As in other DVDs, a full director's (wing-it) commentary adds interesting behind the scenes anecdotes from the making and reproducing of the film. I wish the producers would include an "historian" in these conversations to add the realm of historical accuracy to films of this genre. This DVD is a must own for the war movie fan. This masterpiece of film making gets 5-stars for its realism, action, and Prochnow's solid performance.
Rating:
Summary: must buy best submarine movie ever
Review: This is a great movie and a must buy for anybody who likes military movies, or just great drama.And now that its, comming to superbit with a dts sound track it just cant be anybetter.you know with superbit it'll have the best possible picture and should be cleaned up .the movie it self about men woking together in hard situration should keep you glued to the tv.and if you have ahdtv and great sound the reproduse dts sound you will be in heaven.
Rating:
Summary: a beautiful story, but a sad ending unfortunately
Review: This is an excellent DVD. I really liked the story, except the end is really sad; it is really hard to see the submarine crew die during a massive air raid without being able to do anything about it, especially after all the skills and courage they had displayed before, while they were very successfully fighting against all kinds of odds in their submarine. Apart from the sadness resulting from the last scene, the rest of the movie is really excellent; the actors are good, the atmosphere of the movie is nice, the pace is fine, the suspense is excellent etc. I do not recommend the french translation though.
Rating:
Summary: Danke Scheon Columbia!
Review: This review refers to the Director's Cut Edition DVD(Columbia) of Das Boot......Das Boot is a WWII submarine movie that is a cut above the rest.From the opening scene of this 209 minute film to the closing frame you will not want to miss a second. Director Wolfgang Petersen captures a journey from boyhood to manhood, fraught with danger and suspense. In the opening scenes you will get to know this very young German U-boat crew as they party hardy before they begin their first mission.They are eagerly awaiting their chance to engage the enemy in their first assignment.They are lead by an expeiernced and weathered captain who at around 30 seems to be old and wise.Once out to sea though, they find a much tougher life than anticipated. The action and extremely tense situations begin as they try to break through the British fleet.With Depth Charges going off all around them,serious mechanical problems, and a manuever that gets them stuck on the ocean floor, while trying to outrun a destroyer,they become weary and claustrophobic.They must wait quietly while the chief engineer tries to repair the problems. You can feel the anticaption in their souls as they prepare to head towards a port for leave,and then the despair as they are reassigned, leaving them at sea for many months. You will see these baby faced boys become bearded toughened men,heroes, by the end of their journey. Although the story revovles around a German crew, this could be any crew anywhere,facing the horrors of war.It doesn't matter what language you watch it in, you only need to look at the faces of these inexperienced boys,the fearlessness of the Captain, or the intenseness of the chief engineer to know what is going on in their heads. The expert camera work captures these images perfectly. Most of the story takes place in the close quarters of the submarine and is expertly filmed. I felt like I was right there in the sub with them. Petersen is meticulous at bringing us this very authentic look at life aboard a sub.The actors are no less than superb at bringing their charcaters to life.Jurgen Prochnow plays the stoic Captain.The wonderful soundtrack also captures the feel of story. This 1981 treasure has been restored beautifully and transfered onto this great DVD. It is presented in the original widescreen of 1:85.1, and looks like it was made yesterday. The picture is sharp and clear and the colors are fabulous. The sound is tremendous in 5.1 Dolby Digital(German or English). Every ping, every expolsion is right there in the room with you.Watch it in either language with either subtitle. It may also be viewed in Spanish, and also has subtitles in Spanish and French.The DVD does have to be turned over, as the running time is quite long. Extras include Director's commentary, and a short Behind the Scenes Feature.There is also an informative booklet that comes with it. If you already know you love it, you'll love the DVD, Aspiring filmakers will be in awe of this incredible work of art. Thank you Columbia for bringing it to us on this fine DVD. enjoy....Laurie
Rating:
Summary: The Best Sub Movie Ever
Review: This movie is an excellent buy. It is full of the pressure of being on a submarine. You wil find yourself rooting for the Germans even though you might consider them the enemy. It shows that Americans were not the only heroes who died on subs. This movie will keep you in suspense for every single minute. This movie is a must own for anybody who loves Submarines.
Rating:
Summary: Really great, but don't get the dubbed version!
Review: You definitely want the director's cut and you definitely want the version with subtitles -- the dubbed version is ludicrous. And you definitely want this movie. It's GREAT from every perspective -- the story, the acting, the photography, you name it. The direction and photography are particularly outstanding -- any number of shots will stick in your memory, which in my experience is rare for a movie. I was surprised to learn from one of the reviews below that this was originally a 6-hour mini-series, because it certainly has the look and feel of a Major Motion Picture. Regardless of whether you think you like "war movies," you will be enthralled by this. It's extremely realistic and intense and will have you rooting for the German crew even if you're a gung-ho patriotic American. It really isn't about World War II or "Germans vs. Americans." It's about the human drama of a group of men trying to do their jobs and stay alive under near-impossible circumstances. This is one of the VERY few movies that I actually consider worth owning. ....
Rating: 
Summary: Das Bore
Review: "Das Boot" isn't a bad movie but it's not the cinematic tour-de-force as some have suggested. "Das Boot" does have its moments of intense drama but the problem is, they're only moments. The rest of the film consists of long, drawn-out scenes with a lot of nautical dialogue and political rhetoric. Yawn! I give "Das Boot" high marks for its realism and technical detail. Unfortunately, there's not enough action to hold the viewer's interest for any length of time, which is something to consider since "Das Boot" runs well over three hours. If you're looking for a good war movie to add to your video/DVD collection, I would recommend "Stalingrad" or "Cross of Iron" instead.
Rating:
Summary: Too Short
Review: I would like to say that this is a wonderful movie with great acting(particularly by Max Von Shrow) and tremendious camera shots. I first saw this movie in my 11th grade German class and was dazzled by all I saw.
This movie provides a wonderful picture of the utter lack of hope with which German U-boat crews in WW2 were faced with, it also a look into how they actually lived in a little tin box 200 feet below the waves.
The movie also shows that not all of the Germans were fanatical Nazis along with debunking several other historical myths
One very important point
The title is pronounced "Das Boat" not "Das Boot" like the things you put on your feet to go hunting. If you haven't seen this one yet go rent it.
Rating: 
Summary: Das Boot Director's Cut - Too long????? No!!! Too short!!!...
Review: No doubt! "Das Boot" is definitive the best Anti-war film ever made.
The only disappointment is the length. (That's why I only can give it 4 stars)
I watched the DVD and I must say, I could feel the cuts. The DVD concentrates too much on the action-parts and the english dubbing really doesn't bring it.
I don't say the DVD is bad! There's only a lot of story missing.
For those who don't know; there are 3 different versions:
1. The original film made for TV (in 6 Parts) with a total time of over 6 hours.
2. The 120 minute cinema-version
3. The Director's Cut with around 180 minutes.
If you have the chance to get your hands on the 6 hours version, get it instead! Watch it in german (with subtitle if you really have to). It has a lot more "Depth" than the "Director's Cut".
Rating:
Summary: THE BESTWAR MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!
Review: When I watched the film "Das Boot" for the very first time, I was very excited what kind of film would that be. My father (who watched it before me) said that it would be "a very haunting and superb film" so I took advice and watched it. And I wasn't disappointed: I definetely LOVE this film beacause it is so impressional and interesting. I watched it the day after because the film was always in my mind, I wasn't able to resist! That's why I give FIVE stars.
So, "Das Boot" is my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE FILM 4 EVER!!!!
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