Das Boot ist voll (1981)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Markus Imhoof

Writers:

Alfred A. Haesler (book)
Markus Imhoof (writer)

Release Date:

18 December 1981 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

During World War II, Switzerland severely limited refugees: "Our boat is full." A train from Germany...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Book

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Tina Engel	...	Judith Krueger
Hans Diehl	...	Hannes Krueger
Martin Walz	...	Olaf Landau
Curt Bois	...	Lazar Ostrowskij
Ilse Bahrs	...	Frau Ostrowskij
Gerd David	...	Karl Schneider
Simone	...	Gitty
Laurent	...	Maurice
Renate Steiger	...	Anna Flueckiger
Mathias Gnädinger	...	Franz Flueckiger
Michael Gempart	...	Landjäger Bigler
Klaus Steiger	...	Reverend Hochdorfer
Alice Bruengger	...	Frau Hochdorfer
Otto Dornbierer	...	Otti
Monika Koch	...	Rosemarie
Ernst Stiefel	...	Dr, Baertschi
Johannes Peyer	...	Truck Driver
Gertrud Demenga	...	Peasant Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
André Frei
Hans-Joachim Frick
Wolfgang Grabow
Walter Hess
Thomas Hostettler
Paul Lohr
Otto Mächtlinger
Rodi Nater
Daniel Plancherel
Jochen Porger
Walter Ruch
Axel Schlossler
Guido von Salis
Walter Wefel
Stefan Witschi

Directed by
Markus Imhoof

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alfred A. Haesler		book
Markus Imhoof		writer

Produced by
George Reinhart	....	producer

Cinematography by
Hans Liechti

Film Editing by
Helena Gerber
Fee Liechti

Makeup Department
Giacomo Peier	....	makeup artist
Anne-Rose Schwab	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Arlette Brunner	....	assistant production manager
Peter Spoerri	....	production manager
Regula Trauffer	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ursala Bischoff	....	assistant director
Lukas Strebel	....	assistant director

Art Department
Kathrin Brunner	....	props
Ursula Isler	....	props

Sound Department
Oliver Schuhmann	....	assistant sound
Vladimir Vizner	....	sound
Luc Yersin	....	sound post-production

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Indergand	....	camera operator
Rainer Klausmann	....	camera operator
George Reinhart	....	still photographer
Olmar Schmid	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sylvia De Stoutz	....	costumes (as Sylvia de Stautz)

Editorial Department
Raffaella Delucca	....	assistant editor
Anina Mutz	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Franziska Frischkna	....	script supervisor
Marcel Just	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Limbo Film AG
• Schweizer Fernsehen (FS)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
• Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)

Distributors

• Cactus Film (1981) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Prokino Filmverleih (1981) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metropolis Film World Sales
• Quartet Films (USA) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

The Boat Is Full

Runtime:

USA:101 min

Country:

Switzerland | West Germany | Austria

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-12 | USA:Unrated (video rating) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Diepoldsau, Kanton St. Gallen, Switzerland

Company:

Limbo Film AG

Tragic but powerful and deeply moving

When the von Trapp family make it over the border to Switzerland, their ordeal is over and all is well (or so "Sound of Music" implies). Not so with the six forlorn refugees of "The Boat is Full." Having reached Switzerland after a perilous escape from Nazi Germany, their ordeal has just begun. They end up in a small village where an innkeeper couple take them in and try their best to provide food, clothing, shelter, and protection from the authorities.

The movie examines the attitudes of the Swiss towards refugees who were escaping Germany and seeking safety in their country. It provides a good insight not only into the official policies regarding which refugees were allowed to stay and which were forced to be repatriated, but also the attitudes of the common people. Some were openly hateful, most were indifferent and callous, many genuinely compassionate and kind.

The overall arc of the story is less important with this movie than the individual scenes and episodes that take place. Each conveys a particular pathos and engraves itself in one's memory with indelible force. The acting is almost totally transparent: you feel these are real people going through real events. The refugees' blank, despondent expressions, the gradual transformation of the innkeeper husband from suspicion to tolerance to outright kindness, the harsh authoritarian attitudes of the policeman, these all contribute to the film's effect.

It's a stark film to watch: there is no score, the colors are heavily muted and drab, and there are few points of comfort or cheer. One is left with a profoundly ambivalent view of the Swiss and Switzerland, which apparently was known as the "lifeboat" of central Europe (hence the irony in the title). The film is basically examining where the line could/should have been drawn between compassion and the need to maintain Swiss neutrality and protect its own borders and feed its people.