Review of Das Boot (1981) by Kent H — 15 May 2008

[size=3]Das Boot[/size].

[size=3]1981[/size].

[size=3]Directed by Wolfgang Peterson.[/size].

[size=3][/size].

[size=3] Few films deserve the kind of praise Das Boot receives, but Das Boot deserves its titanic legacy. Expertly crafted, Das Boot has a painful eye for detail, right down to the valves and screws. Jurgen Prochnow leads the cast as ?the captain?, we never really learn his name to my knowledge. But by the end of the film, it is felt like we have known him for a long, long time. The film?s 209 minute length allows a complex characterization for most major and some minor characters. For example, when the ship?s ?ghost? breaks down during a dive to evade death? Prochnow almost kills him for not returning to his post. Das Boot is a tense film, the action takes a while to kick in but once it does, buckle in for the ride, for once it?s got you hooked, it doesn?t let go. The interior of the submarine is where nearly all of the tension builds, as water pressure makes the boat creak, or as sonar reflects off the sub to the surface or the engines of an enemy boat are heard overhead.[/size].

[size=3] Sound is a device that can make or break a film. Often times poorly implemented sound will ruin a good moment in a movie, but here the sound is flawlessly implemented, and given the lack of exterior shots, good sound is a must for the film, it?d be broken if not for sound. One of the moments that always gets me good is the scene at the bottom of the ocean, the submarine is flooded and dire measures are necessary, fountains of water are spraying up, chambers are rapidly flooding but the chaos of the ricochets along the walls wouldn?t matter if the sound was off by a second, the synchronization of sound is what makes the scene tick, without the bolt sounding like it?s coming lose, the film loses a lot of impact. [/size].

[size=3] The anti war message of the film ?did not come through? according to author of the book on which the film was based on, but I disagree, the film?s anti war message is strongly punctuated by the cold irony of the film?s ending. And speaking generally, the cold stance towards the nazi party is blatant but effective. Wolfgang wanted to show it like it really was, and according to many submariners, it is shown as if it really was. The English man is never portrayed, he?s just there. But never on screen. One of the more interesting scenes in the film is when Prochnow retreats from a burning ship horrified that the allies did not evacuate the ship when they had plenty of time to do so after ?breaking the ship?s back? when he was previously unaware of those men. It?s fear what drives these men to dive unsafe distances, and it?s fear what causes these men to retreat from the men they just doomed. Overall I?d certainly be willing to call Das boot the best war film ever made, and one of the best films ever made. Period.[/size].

(this is based off of a repeat viewing).