Review of Das Boot (1981) by Xoandre M — 25 Nov 2008

Das Boot is an epic film that is very well done. I loved the suspense and terrific character moments. The thrills are well paced and we get a feeling of the boredom and terror of living in a Nazi U-boat in the midst of the Atlantic during 1941 WWII. Going 60 days with no sight of the enemy helps show the epic nature of the ocean. The three week storm is well crafted and adds so much more tension to the film.

This movie is now one of the top ten movies of all time for me.

In viewing the DVD, I chose to turn on English Subtitles while also selecting the English 2.0 spoken language. What is interesting is how the english dub has paraphrased certain lines and in others totally changed every meaning behind the statements. I'm talking about the line that, in German, reads something like "I can't wait to get back home and f**k the h*ll out of a few wild wh**es!" is rewritten and dubbed as "When I get home I'm going to shower and sleep until December!" Quite a drastic change. But of course, sailors in the German Navy use language that I suppose is unacceptable - even in an "R" rated movie - for English audiences...

There are more than fifteen conversations of that nature that have been translated into English subtitles from the German language spoken in the original dub of the film, while the English dub is totally different. Later in the film, there are even lines shown in subtitles that are not spoken at all in the English dub. Very interesting and fun to watch.

Even with the subtitles on, I enjoyed this movie from start to finish. I love the epic movies that run well over two and a half hours. This one clocks in at a good four and a half hours! It draws you in and keeps you going from the very first moment to the very last explosion...

One of the best war movies I have ever seen!

One of the most interesting ironies of this film is that the entire movie takes place within the Nazi U-boat and we get to see and feel compassion for the German men who fight to keep the boat afloat. The irony occurs when the Allied forces attack them and we get to experience the other side of the equation. Very intense and dramatic.