DAS BOOT - THE DIRECTOR'S CUT |
| CREDITS: Director: Wolfgang Peterson. Cast: Jurgen Prochow, Herbert Gronemeyer, Klaus
Wennemann, Herbert Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge, Bernd Tauber, Erwin Leder & Martin
May. West Germany (Subtitled) 1982/1997 (12) INTRODUCTION: The epic war film, originally made for West German television, returns in an extended Director's Cut with a new score. On its original release in the early 80's this became the most successful foreign-language film in American Cinematic history, a position only recently rivalled by Japanese charmer "Shall We Dance". Peterson has of course since gone to Hollywood to seek his fame and fortune with such hits as "Airforce One" and "In The Line of Fire" but he will always be remembered as the man who made the submarine movie. SYNOPSIS: The increasingly cynical command staff and increasingly youthful crew of German U-boat U-96 continue the blockade of Britain long after it has become hopeless. Joined by a reporter for their latest mission they must face the trials and tribulations that lie ahead. REVIEW: Any film that starts with the astounding statistic that three quarters of the men who set to sea on board these vessels never returned, is bound to have a strongly anti-war message. Indeed Peterson's masterpiece must rank alongside "All Quiet On The Western Front", "Catch 22" and "Dr. Strangelove" as one of the greatest anti-war movies ever made. The high casualty rate is hardly surprising when you see how low-tech the craft were. Did you know that the entire crew had to run to the bow to get them to submerge, or how futile their mission was, outclassed by the British destroyers and far too few in number to provide decent coverage of the Atlantic? The cast are excellent, Gronemeyer's portrayal of the na‹ve war correspondent is matched only by Prochow's performance as the stoically despondent skipper. The rest of the cast convincingly portray the encroaching neurosis, that can be the only result of sending men off to face death in the confines of a tin coffin. The sets are superb, the sound effects add to the atmosphere, and Jost Vacano's ("Starship Troopers") cinematography shuts down the set to create an astounding feeling of claustrophobia. Many U-boat survivors have congratulated Peterson for the realism of his opus based on the autobiographical novel by Lothar-Guenther Buchheim. The ending while perhaps a tad melodramatic provides one of the most symbolic death scenes to ever be committed to celluloid. Not to be missed, although the faint-hearted may prefer the shorter dubbed version "The Boat". Mutt's Rating: ***** |