After viewing
the 210 minute Director's Cut of the Wolfgang
Peterson masterpiece, "Das Boot," the film
enters my Top 100 films of all-time.
I've always believed that a truly effective war
film is, essentially, an anti-war film. "Das
Boot" for all its intensity and excitement and
fighting and destruction is, perhaps more than
any other film, an anti-war film.
The action of "Das Boot" takes place entirely in
a German U-Boat, with dimensions of 10'x150'.
The entire crew is confined in this small space
throughout the film...first, in a sub at war,
then a disabled sub, and, finally, in a sub that
may well be doomed. The emotions that transpire
within the confines of the sub and the confines
of this story are claustrophobic along with the
action.
Peterson's film, which received six Oscar
nominations (this is amazing for a foreign
film), utilizes meticulous attention to detail
in every production aspect, from stellar
cinematography that enhances the mood of the
film with closed quarter and fast-paced
boat-length shots to the haunting sound mix that
captures, perhaps more vividly than any other
film, the sounds of war and desperation.
Peterson's direction keeps the pace moving
frantically, ever enhancing the claustrophobic
feel of the situation and the increasing peril
in which these soldiers find themselves.
Jurgen Prochnow, as the U-Boat captain, is
simply magnificent as a man who simply refuses
to lose control despite the increasing peril. He
brings to life a certain humanity as his
character is not a Nazi, and frequently scoffs
at the battle plans he is, nonetheless, forced
to carry out.
Because the U-Boat is German, I believe the film
played as increasingly suspenseful for American
audiences. Ebert makes the point that American
audiences expect their war movies involving
Americans to be triumphs with happy endings. We
are not typically a nation that responds
strongly to war films in which we are actually
defeated (such as the incredibly made "Blackhawk
Down"). In "Das Boot," the crew in question are
Germans and, thus, we are left hanging. It's
nearly impossible to know the resolution of the
film before the film is, in fact, resolved. The
end result is a more realistic, captivating and
hypnotic story that American audiences could
enter without expectation and, thus, the
suspense is simply horrifying.
The Director's Cut is 45 minutes plus longer
than the theatrical version of the film, and
significantly closer to Peterson's original
vision. Quite simply, it is a more emotional,
more demanding and more horrifying version of an
already magnificent film.
Ever so often, a film comes along that attains
legendary status. "Das Boot" is a legendary,
earth-shattering and groundbreaking film that
you will not soon forget.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
The first
time I ever saw Das Boot as an adult was on DVD.
I rented it based on all the critical acclaim
and was not disappointed.
A friend stuck in the DVD and away we went. The
film started in the middle of a tense sequence
and I was immediately riveted. There were no
previews... no ads... no BS... just a great
scene that had me from the word go.
I watched the film and loved it.
When it was over... I took the DVD out to place
it back in the box.
WHAT THE????????
I flipped it over and then over again... IT WAS
A DUAL SIDED DISC!!! One that you have to flip
over half way through. We had only watched the
second half of the film.
Most unbelievable was that we had no idea until
we saw that disc. The film was complete as it
stood.
I have since gone back and watched the glorious
masterpiece in its entirety. But it is a
testament to the film that even half of it would
have merited an A+ from me.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
