Das Boot - The Director's Cut

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Summary: Let him who desires peace prepare for war. Vegetius
Review: I don't know where it comes from but, I'm 23 year old female who enjoys a great war movie. "Das Boot" happens to be one of my all time favorites. The intensity of the movie completely grabs you. You can almost feel the claustrophobia of the tightly cramped men in their vessel. The score to the movie is fantastic. It gives you an adrenaline rush that helps to give you a feel of almost being apart of the movie. A movie I can truely recommend when you have the time to sit down and not be interrupted by anyone or anything.

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Summary: LET ME OUT ! I CAN'T BREATHE !
Review: DAS BOOT is a director's dream : Wolfgang Petersen's dream. In the special features of this DVD, Petersen tells us he wanted to film the ultimate submarine movie. He was lucky enough to have a producer who let him have the final cut. So he could do it.

The only critique I can find is that the movie is a little bit too long but you can't blame Petersen for that. It was his dream, after all.

And the movie is terrific. The enemy being invisible, you are invited to care for this german crew, the Hollywood enemy by essence for the last fifty years. And it works ! You feel the doubts of these men, their heroism, the tension and their fear.

Jurgen Prochnow is magistral and the production great. You soon understand that the British aren't the only enemy of the crew. They have to protect themselves against fire, water and air.

A DVD zone claustrophobia.

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Summary: Great Movie, Unworthy DVD
Review: "Das Boot" is probably the best and most honest World War II submarine movie ever made.

I do have some quibbles with the DVD, however.

I began watching it with English sound and English captions. But it was hard to follow because the words on the screen often differed drastically from the words being spoken. Whoever did the English captions probably didn't use the English version of the movie. My guess is that the captions were translated directly from the German soundtrack.

I ended up watching the movie with German sound and English captions.

Secondly, the "Making of Das Boot" item in the Special Features menu leaves much to be desired. Compared to the "Making of" features on the DVD versions of "American Graffiti" and "1941" it's woefully lacking.

I was hoping for a shot of a bird landing on the U-boat miniature, or at least a modicum of detail on the genesis, casting and production of the movie.

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Summary: A historical epic journey of courage and triumph
Review: A great movie. One of the best World War II movies ever made. I love it!!!

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Summary: Great Movie, Don't Miss the Director's Cut and Extras
Review: Das Boot is a great movie, one that no movie buff should miss! But even if you've seen it before, it's worth looking at again on DVD, for the excellent director's cut and restoration, as well as the commentary. The picture and sound are perfect, and unlike many foreign films, the dubbed version retains the excellent surround sound and authenticity. (Many of the original actors did the dubbing, which is perhaps why it sounds so authentic.) I don't normally like dubbed movies, but in this case, you can follow the action without losing the subtleties of the actor's performance (or, of course, watch it in the original German with or without subtitles, they're all included). There is only a very short documentary included, but the commentary is excellent as well - many commentaries are dull, endless refrains of "this was great, that was great" but this commentary really goes into the details of how the film was made, and it never drags even after 3 hours. The double sided DVD is a little annoying (I'd rather just have two discs) but the transition is seamless and it probably keeps the cost down.

Movie buffs probably saw Das Boot when it came out back in 1982, but it's worth seeing again in this DVD version, the longer director's cut really adds a lot to the experience (it doesn't feel padded at all), the enhanced picture and sound make it even more exciting than the original, and this is one of the best commentaries I've ever heard.

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Summary: Better than that U-571 PANSY SHIP!!!
Review: This is the best suspense/action based movies from the genre of War. I really liked the acting and to tell you the truth all the good things I wanted to say about this film at first were not that much but with this DVD version I have too too much to say about it. The acting, whoa!, talk about your stone cold looks and brink on the edge of meeting with the angel of death or a slow and painful death to the bottom of the sea!!! Anyways, don't spend a penny on U-571 cause the spark that this movie makes is like a Boeing 747 smashing into a lake of gasoline while U-571 is a blue flame you make after eating alot of tacos!

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Summary: Amazing movie!
Review: This movie is simply amazing.. Its hard to know how to describe the impact it had on me except to say that it is the slowest movie that I have ever seen that DID NOT BORE ME FOR A SECOND.

The tale of a German submarine that is sunk (sort of.. that's not a spoiler), this movie has some of the most awe-inspiring portrayals of the horror of war and the struggle of man to overcome all obstacles I have ever seen.

The visuals are amazing, from the way the condensation gathers on the bulkheads to the way the characters slowly become more grimy, bag-eyed and filled with dread as the movie progresses. At each turn, this movie draws you in and makes you feel as if you are right there, trapped in the submarine with them.

There is one scene involving a U-Boat and a Destroyer which I won't spoil that really reinforces the humanity of people who are easy to write off as the 'enemy'. This movie serves as an excellent reminder that while war is a dreadful thing (albeit sometimes necessary), everyone involved is riding along on the same human condition.

One of the best movies I have ever seen. The only people who won't like this are those addicted to non-stop action (which I like too) only. For the rest of you, do not hesitate to buy this movie!!

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Summary: and none came back
Review: i understand that plymouth england wanted to have a german ww2 veteran at their ceremonies for the 50 anniversary of the end of the war. so they asked the german government for names of u boat survivors who might be invited, u boat as they where so deadly on the coastal economy and people. german said they couldnt find any. i understand it was a death sentence to be a u boat crew man during the world. now these maybe urban myths but there is i am sure a core element of truth. the u boats were dangerous and deadly.

first, watch the german with subtitles.
second, think german. it will help with the transition that will occur to you during the movie. like american indians rooting for the calvary coming to the rescue, you too will be hopeing against hope that YOUR heroes the germans make it back.

now it seems part of the logic of propaganda to paint your enemy in the worse possible terms, never yielding a inch to his humanity. this is the only way we can justify the horrors of dresden, tokyo, and 2 atomic bombs. but our enemies in all wars, even the great war to ...... (democracy, against facism, you supply this generations great war title), our enemies are human, they are just like us.

that is the great power of this movie, you leave realizing that the germans are people. even heroic in their struggles just to stay alive and to get back home. this is simply one of the best war movies i've ever seen, and it desires rewatching and rethinking, every time you hear of another war on the horizon, and how we are right, and the enemy, whoever it is this time, is subhuman and deserving of the death we will deal out to them...
when you hear those drums on the horizon, pop in your copy of das boot and rewatch it, maybe that way this movie will tone down the volume of the approaching hoofbeats(the horseman of the apocalyse).

richard williams

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Summary: Stick with the VHS vesion
Review: The original version of the director's cut of Das Boot on VHS is widely, and I think rightly acknowledged as one of the greatest films ever made about men at war, and about submarine warfare in particular. So it was an enormous disappointment to me when I sat down to watch the DVD version of this classic to find that the movie had not only been re-dubbed with different actors, but the script had been re-translated!

After spending many enjoyable hours over several years watching the VHS version, I found the different voices and different words on the DVD very jarring, akin to watching a Bugs Bunny cartoon with Daffy Duck's voice!

So, if you have never seen this movie, I would have no hesitation in recommending this DVD - it's still a great film. But if, like me, you know and love the original VHS version of the director's cut of Das Boot, then I suggest you stick with it. (I have no idea whether recently produced VHS copies feature the original or new soundtrack and script.)

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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.