Plot
The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.
Release Year: 1981
Rating: 8.5/10 (89,360 voted)
Critic's Score: 86/100
Director:
Wolfgang Petersen
Stars: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
Storyline It is 1942 and the German submarine fleet is heavily engaged in the so called "Battle of the Atlantic" to harass and destroy English shipping. With better escorts of the Destroyer Class, however, German U-Boats have begun to take heavy losses. "Das Boot" is the story of one such U-Boat crew, with the film examining how these submariners maintained their professionalism as soldiers, attempted to accomplish impossible missions, while all the time attempting to understand and obey the ideology of the government under which they served.
Writers: Wolfgang Petersen, Lothar G. Buchheim
Cast: Jürgen Prochnow
-
Capt.-Lt. Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock - Der Alte
Herbert Grönemeyer
-
Lt. Werner - Correspondent
Klaus Wennemann
-
Chief Engineer Fritz Grade - Der Leitende-Der LI
Hubertus Bengsch
-
1st Lieutenant - Number One-1WO
Martin Semmelrogge
-
2nd Lieutenant - 2WO
Bernd Tauber
-
Kriechbaum - Chief Quartermaster-Navigator
Erwin Leder
-
Johann
Martin May
-
Ullman
Heinz Hoenig
-
Hinrich
(as Heinz Hönig)
Uwe Ochsenknecht
-
Chief Bosun
Claude-Oliver Rudolph
-
Ario
Jan Fedder
-
Pilgrim
Ralf Richter
-
Frenssen
(as Ralph Richter)
Joachim Bernhard
-
Preacher
Oliver Stritzel
-
Schwalle
Taglines:
The other side of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Opening Weekend: $26,994
(USA)
(14 February 1982)
(2 Screens)
Gross: $73,482,661
(Worldwide)
(except USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
(director's cut)
|
(uncut version)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The poem Lt. Werner cites when the submarine stuck in the Strait of Gibraltar is "Schlacht - Das Maß" from Rudolf G. Binding ("Einmal vor Unerbittlichem stehen...").
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
When the allied destroyer attacks, there are underwater shots showing the hull from below. The depiction of the fluid flow in these shots is incorrect. The waves around the hull move way too fast, revealing it's a ship model of smaller dimensions than a full-scale ship.
Quotes: Lt. Werner:
What's going on? Why are we diving? 2nd Lieutenant:
Hydrophone check. At sea, even in a storm you can hear more down here than you can see up there.
User Review
Take it from a real submariner-
Rating: 10/10
on modern "boats" life isn't easy- but compared to the living hell that
the
German U-Boats were, modern submariners have nothing to complain
about.
People in certain professions don't like to watch movies about those
professions (Doctors and Nurses shy away from hospital dramas, for
example).
Submarine sailors are different. We love to watch every submarine movie
ever
made, from "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "Destination: Tokyo" to "The Hunt
For
Red October", "Crimson Tide" and "U-571". Why? Because we can always use a
good laugh. For those in the know, submarine movies are usually absolutely
hilarious.
Except this one.
After being in the Navy for four years, serving with around 350 different
men, and being acquainted with a further 200-300, all of them submarine
sailors, I think that I can state with absolute certainty that this film
is
the ONLY submarine movie that ALL submariners take seriously.
And that is the highest praise a movie like this can possibly
get.
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