Das Boot (1981)

The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth and sheer terror.

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers:

Wolfgang Petersen (screenplay), Lothar G. Buchheim (novel)

Stars:

Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann

Top Rated Movies #80 | Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

It is 1942 and the German submarine fleet is heavily engaged in the so-called "Battle of the Atlantic" to harass and destroy British shipping. With better escorts of the destroyer class, however, German U-boats have begun to take heavy losses. "Das Boot" is the story of the crew of one such U-Boat, with the film examining how these submariners maintained their professionalism as soldiers and attempted to accomplish impossible missions, all the while attempting to understand and obey the ideology of the government under which they served.

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Plot Keywords:

submarine movie | war at sea | claustrophobic setting | sonar | submarine captain | 

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Taglines:

40 000 men were sent out on German U-boats... 30 000 never returned

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some war violence and brief language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Klaus Wennemann, who portrays the Chief Engineer, was forty one years old when the film was produced. The actual Chief Engineer of U-96, Hans Peter Dengel, was just over twenty five during his first patrol onboard the submarine. Dengel survived the war patrol, was promoted to Captain Lieutenant in 1943, and assigned as Chief Engineer of the type IX U-boat U-543. He was killed when the boat was sunk by an allied air attack in July 1944.

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Goofs

In the bordello sequence prior to the launch scene, swing music was being played. Under Hitler, swing or big band music was forbidden, and only German classical music could be played. However, popular music was common in such service clubs, especially outside Germany proper.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Captain: Out boatswain's mate. Been on quite a bender tonight.

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Alternate Versions

A 210 minutes Director's Cut has been re-released in USA on April 4th, 1997.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: The Deep End of the Ocean/Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels/Cruel Intentions/Analyze This/Wing Commander (1999)

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Soundtracks

Muss i' denn zum Städtele hinaus
(Wooden Heart)
(uncredited)
Written by Friedrich Silcher

User Reviews

Take it from a real submariner-

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Twin Brothers

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

10 February 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boat

Filming Locations:

Bodensee, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$26,994, 14 February 1982

Gross USA:

$11,487,676

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,487,676

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Film, Twin Bros. Productions, Radiant Film GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

149 min 208 min (director's cut) 138 min (video) 293 min (Original Uncut Version) 300 min (Original Uncut Mini-Series Version)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (director's cut) Dolby Stereo (original release) SDDS (director's cut)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1