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IMDbPro

The Boat Is Full

Original title: Das Boot ist voll
  • 19811981
  • PGPG
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
616
YOUR RATING
The Boat Is Full (1981)
  • Drama
  • War
During World War II, Switzerland severely limited refugees: "Our boat is full." A train from Germany halts briefly in an isolated corner of Switzerland. Six people jump off seeking asylum: f... Read allDuring World War II, Switzerland severely limited refugees: "Our boat is full." A train from Germany halts briefly in an isolated corner of Switzerland. Six people jump off seeking asylum: four Jews, a French child, and a German soldier. They seek temporary refuge with a couple w... Read allDuring World War II, Switzerland severely limited refugees: "Our boat is full." A train from Germany halts briefly in an isolated corner of Switzerland. Six people jump off seeking asylum: four Jews, a French child, and a German soldier. They seek temporary refuge with a couple who run a village inn. They pose as a family: the deserter as husband, Judith as his wife, ... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
616
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Markus Imhoof
  • Writers
    • Edgar Bonjour
    • Alfred A. Haesler(book)
    • Markus Imhoof(scripted by)
  • Stars
    • Tina Engel
    • Hans Diehl
    • Martin Walz
Top credits
  • Director
    • Markus Imhoof
  • Writers
    • Edgar Bonjour
    • Alfred A. Haesler(book)
    • Markus Imhoof(scripted by)
  • Stars
    • Tina Engel
    • Hans Diehl
    • Martin Walz
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 9User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 7 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 19
    Video 29:04
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 19

    Photos6

    The Boat Is Full (1981)
    The Boat Is Full (1981)
    The Boat Is Full (1981)
    The Boat Is Full (1981)
    The Boat Is Full (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tina Engel
    • Judith Kruegeras Judith Krueger
    Hans Diehl
    • Hannes Kruegeras Hannes Krueger
    Martin Walz
    • Olaf Landauas Olaf Landau
    Curt Bois
    Curt Bois
    • Lazar Ostrowskijas Lazar Ostrowskij
    Ilse Bahrs
    • Frau Ostrowskijas Frau Ostrowskij
    Gerd David
    • Karl Schneideras Karl Schneider
    Simone
    • Gittyas Gitty
    Laurent
    • Mauriceas Maurice
    Renate Steiger
    • Anna Flueckigeras Anna Flueckiger
    Mathias Gnädinger
    • Franz Flueckigeras Franz Flueckiger
    Michael Gempart
    Michael Gempart
    • Landjäger Bigleras Landjäger Bigler
    Klaus Steiger
    • Reverend Hochdorferas Reverend Hochdorfer
    Alice Brüngger
    • Frau Hochdorferas Frau Hochdorfer
    • (as Alice Bruengger)
    Otto Dornbierer
    • Ottias Otti
    Monika Koch
    • Rosemarieas Rosemarie
    Ernst Stiefel
    • Dr, Baertschias Dr, Baertschi
    Johannes Peyer
    • Truck Driveras Truck Driver
    Gertrud Demenga
    • Peasant Womanas Peasant Woman
    • Director
      • Markus Imhoof
    • Writers
      • Edgar Bonjour
      • Alfred A. Haesler(book)
      • Markus Imhoof(scripted by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Switzerland's official submission to the 1982's Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Cannery Row/The Boat is Full/Soldier Girls/Making Love (1982)

    User reviews9

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Challenges myths about Swiss wartime virtue
    In 1996 a panel was created called the Independent Commission of Experts headed by historian Jean Francois Bergier to study Switzerland's wartime past. The report of the Bergier Commission, though acknowledging the many refugees Switzerland accepted during 1940-45, condemned its wartime practices of deporting Jewish refugees (around 30,000) back to Germany, accusing Swiss officials of pursuing an inhumane policy at odds with the country's tradition of offering asylum to those facing persecution. A Swiss/Austrian/West German co-production, Markus Imhoof's striking drama The Boat is Full dramatizes this issue, challenging myths about Swiss wartime virtue and innocence.

    Nominated for an Oscar in 1982 for Best Foreign Film, The Boat is Full is not widely known in the U.S. but it is one of the finest films dealing with the holocaust. In the film, a group of German Jewish refugees must pretend they are a family in order to be granted asylum in Switzerland (refugee families with children under 6 are allowed to remain in Switzerland) but are faced with the rigidity of small-minded bureaucrats who see it as their duty to uphold the letter of the law. As the film opens, a German train is halted because of a Swiss attempt to wall off the tunnel to close potential escape routes. Six people, four Jews, a French child, and a deserting German soldier jump off the train and seek refuge at a rural inn, run by a married couple Laurent and Franz Fluckiger (Renate Steiger and Mathias Gnadinger). It is only afterwards that they discover that the country maintains strict quotas and that they are in danger of being deported.

    To survive, they pose as a family. Judith Kruger (Tina Engel), a young woman, pretends that she is the wife of Karl Schneider (Gerd David), a Nazi deserter, an elderly man from Vienna, Lazar Ostrowskij (Curt Bois) pretends to be her father, and a young boy (Simone Maruice), who can only speak French, pretends that he is a deaf mute. The scheme is threatened, however, when a hard-nosed constable comes to investigate and Judith's real husband escapes from a work camp and tries to find her. Though we do not know the protagonists on other than a surface level, The Boat is Full is still a powerful film that reminds us that rigidly supporting the letter of the law does not always mean adhering to its spirit, or understanding the personal consequences that may result.
    helpful•19
    0
    • howard.schumann
    • Jul 3, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 18, 1981 (West Germany)
    • Countries of origin
      • Switzerland
      • West Germany
      • Austria
    • Official sites
      • Director's official site
      • Swiss Films page
    • Languages
      • German
      • Swiss German
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Teknede Boş Yer Yok
    • Filming locations
      • Diepoldsau, Kanton St. Gallen, Switzerland
    • Production companies
      • Limbo Film AG
      • Schweizer Fernsehen (SF)
      • Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,718
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,016
      • Mar 13, 2005
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,718
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 41 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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