Das Boot - The Director's Cut

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This is the restored, 209-minute director's cut of Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller, which was theatrically rereleased in 1997. Originally made as a five-hour miniseries, this version devotes more time to getting to know the crew before they and their stoic captain (Jürgen Prochnow) get aboard their U-boat and find themselves stranded at the bottom of the sea. Das Boot puts you inside that submerged vessel and explores the physical and emotional tensions of the situation with a vivid, terrifying realism that few movies can match. As Petersen tightens the screws and the submerged ship blows bolts, the pressure builds to such unbearable levels that you may be tempted to escape for a nice walk on solid land in the great outdoors--only you wouldn't dream of looking away from the screen. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

5 Stars, all the way...and for a lot of reasons...........2007-09-05

This movie was EXCELLENT. Never thought I'd catch myself saying that about the German side of WW2. But it's true....

Director Petersen did a fantastic job with the set. I read somewhere it was the most expensive German movie of all time as of the late 80s...not sure if that still holds, but I wouldn't be surprised.
The cast is perfect - this is one of those films where the cast all comes together, from the Captain - the "Old Man" at about 30 yrs old - played to absolute perfection by Jurgen Prochnow, to his competent and harried Chief Engineer, to the slightly strange Johann (the Chief Mechanic), to the Bosun (a very believable NCO), to the Nazi "Number One" Watch Officer (nominally the 2nd in command, despite his obvious youth).

I have the VHS version, which is shorter than this Director's Cut. That sort of tipped me against the DVD Director's Cut, in that the voices are not dubbed quite the same. And there were several scenes in the Director's Cut that kind of distracted me, having gotten used to the VHS already. For example, the scenes between the young German sailor and his French girlfriend were ancillary to the basic story. The VHS tape I have does not show her live, only the sailor mulling over her photo.

The idea that German sailors were less-than-enthusiatic-Nazis actually has validity - it's said that Germany went to WW2 with a "people's Army, a National Socialist (Nazi) Luftwaffe, and an Imperial Navy". The point is that the Navy was the least "Nazi" of all the German services. It retained a lot of its old traditions.

In fact, there is scholarly speculation that if Hitler had delayed the war long enough for Germany to get the 200 submarines the Navy command (Admirals Raeder and Doenitz) knew they needed, it might indeed have changed the outcome of the western part of the European war. It most certainly would have delayed Allied victory. As it was, they started with less than 100 operational subs....Adolf Hitler never really understood or thought in terms of the "sea war".
Winston Churchill is said to have stated that the U-Boat force was the only thing he ever really feared about Germany.

The movie has an appropriate amount of drama, action, boredom, life at sea, and "leadership issues" to make this a completely believable story - at least as far as can be done in a couple hours movie. And, ultimately, the sub is sunk in port...

I rate this in the top five on my all-time favorite war movies. It is certainly the best submarine war movie ever made. Its right up there with Saving Private Ryan and others. And - it was done almost 20 years earlier ! In fact, we watched it in ROTC in 1983-84 as a sort of "professional development" lesson.

Intense and supenseful war epic.......2007-09-01

The experiences of a U-Boat crew and the futility of war are extraodinarily well documented in this intense film that follows them from launch to return to port. The close quarters of a submarine crew are depicted and the bonding of men under pressure are timeless and cultureless themes. The men who manned Hitler's U-Boats were doing their duty and they had an incredibly insane assignment. This film captures men at war and the sacrifices they make in a way that will speak to any generation.
Extremely well-done.

pounding terror.......2007-08-30

A great print of a great production. This gives a portrait of the war at sea in WW11 from the German perspective. The movie gives you the feeling of the unremitting terror and boredom of a long sub- marine patrol. You get the sense of the claustrophobic confines of German subs which weren't as large as the U.S. subs. You can almost smell the stench of the men who have gone weeks without bathing and the awful odors coming from the single head serving over 50 men. When the movie is through, you feel you had also gone on the patrols. A great movie in every respect. a must see.

The reality of war.......2007-08-08

Seen from the viewpoint of a naive young German submarine crew near the end of World War 2, this is one of the best films about war. How many of today's people anywhere in the world can hold patriotism and honor so dear as to fight a nearly impossible fight to its inevitable end?
The film depicts life in a submarine --- from coarse humor to strict discipline, grittiness to terror and yet the humanity of each character shines through in individual displays of honor and courage.

The Classic Submarine Movie.......2007-07-26

Undeniably the best submarine movie ever made. One of the few 3 hour movies I will watch.
Excellent DVD quality.

Das Boot - Director's Cut (Superbit Collection)

Average customer rating:

5 Stars, all the way...and for a lot of reasons....
Intense and supenseful war epic
pounding terror
The reality of war
The Classic Submarine Movie

Das Boot - Director's Cut (Superbit Collection)
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow , Herbert Grönemeyer , Klaus Wennemann , Hubertus Bengsch , and Martin Semmelrogge
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000844MV
Release Date: 2003-03-04

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Description

The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format.

Customer Reviews:

5 Stars, all the way...and for a lot of reasons...........2007-09-05

Intense and supenseful war epic.......2007-09-01

pounding terror.......2007-08-30

The reality of war.......2007-08-08

The Classic Submarine Movie.......2007-07-26

Undeniably the best submarine movie ever made. One of the few 3 hour movies I will watch.
Excellent DVD quality.

Warriors 3-Pack (The Patriot / A Knight's Tale / Das Boot Director's Cut)

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Warriors 3-Pack (The Patriot / A Knight's Tale / Das Boot Director's Cut)
Starring: Mel Gibson , Heath Ledger , Joely Richardson , Jason Isaacs , and Chris Cooper
Director: Roland Emmerich , Brian Helgeland , and Wolfgang Petersen
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000094J9J
Release Date: 2003-05-20

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The Patriot
Aimed directly at a mainstream audience, The Patriot qualifies as respectable entertainment, but anyone expecting a definitive drama about the American Revolution should look elsewhere. Rising above the blatant crowd pleasing of Stargate, Independence Day, and Godzilla, director Roland Emmerich crafts a marvelous re-creation of South Carolina in the late 1770s (aided immeasurably by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel), and Robert Rodat's screenplay offers the same balance of epic scale and emotional urgency that elevated his earlier script for Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, Emmerich embraces clichés and hackneyed melodrama that a more gifted director would have avoided. Instead of attempting a truly great film about the most pivotal years of American history, Emmerich settles for a standard revenge plot with the Revolutionary War as an incidental backdrop. On those terms, the film is engrossing and sufficiently intelligent, especially when militia leader Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) cagily negotiates with British General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) in one of the most rewarding scenes. For the most part, the story concerns Martin's anguished quest for revenge against ruthless redcoat Colonel Tavington (played with snide relish by Jason Isaacs), and the rise to manhood of Martin's eldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), whose battlefield honor exceeds even that of his brutally volatile father. At its best, The Patriot conveys the horror of war among innocent civilians, and the epic battle scenes, while by no means masterful, are graphically intense and impressive. And although Ledger's love interest (Lisa Brenner) is too bland to register much emotion, the focus on family (which frequently relegates the war to background history) provides a suitable vehicle for Gibson, who matches his achievement in Braveheart with an effectively brooding performance. --Jeff Shannon

A Knight's Tale
There's no rule against rock anthems from the 1970s in the soundtrack for a movie about a medieval jousting champion, but if you're going to attempt such jarring anachronisms, you'd better establish acceptable ground rules. Writer-director Brian Helgeland does precisely that in A Knight's Tale and pulls off this trick with such giddy aplomb that you can't help but play along. (Upon witnessing a crowd of peasants at a jousting match, singing and clapping to the beat of Queen's "We Will Rock You," you're either going to love this movie or dismiss it altogether.) Other vintage rock hits will follow, but Helgeland--the Oscar®-winning cowriter of L.A. Confidential--handles this ploy with judicious goodwill, in what is an otherwise honest period piece about a peasant named William (Heath Ledger) who rises by grit and determination to the hallowed status of knighthood. As if the soundtrack weren't audacious enough, Helgeland (recovering from the sour experience of his directorial debut, Payback) casts none other than Geoffrey Chaucer (wonderfully played by Paul Bettany) as William's cohort and match announcer, along with William's pals Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), and feisty blacksmith Kate (Laura Fraser). Of course there must be a fair maiden, and she is Jocelyn (newcomer Shannyn Sossamon), with whom William falls in love while battling the nefarious Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) on the European jousting circuit. Add to this an inspiring father-son reunion, Ledger's undeniable charisma, a perfect supporting cast, and enough joyful energy to rejuvenate the film's formulaic plot, and A Knight's Tale becomes that most pleasant of movie surprises--an unlikely winner that rises up, like its hero, to exceed all expectations. --Jeff Shannon

Das Boot
This is the restored, 209-minute director's cut of Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller, which was theatrically rereleased in 1997. Originally made as a six-hour miniseries, this version devotes more time to getting to know the crew before they and their stoic captain (Jürgen Prochnow) get aboard their U-boat and find themselves stranded at the bottom of the sea. Das Boot puts you inside that submerged vessel and explores the physical and emotional tensions of the situation with a vivid, terrifying realism that few movies can match. As Petersen tightens the screws and the submerged ship blows bolts, the pressure builds to such unbearable levels that you may be tempted to escape for a nice walk on solid land in the great outdoors--only you wouldn't dream of looking away from the screen. --Jim Emerson

Average customer rating:

A Necessary Diversion--Get a Code-Free DVD Player!!!

Das Boot (Mini-Series) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Manufacturer: Eurovideo
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Miniseries | Television | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000EIUAF8

Product Description

Germany released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0), German (Dolby Digital 2.0), Danish (Subtitles), English (Subtitles), Finnish (Subtitles), Hindi (Subtitles), Norwegian (Subtitles), Swedish (Subtitles), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SYNOPSIS: 'The Boat' is the story of the crew of one of the thousands of U-boats deployed by the Germans in World War II. Subject to countless hours of claustrophobic confinement and unending assault by enemy ships, the crew struggles for survival. SPECIAL FEATURES: Uncut, Scene Access, Interactive Menu, Behind the scenes,

Customer Reviews:

A Necessary Diversion--Get a Code-Free DVD Player!!!.......2007-01-11

With all of the versions of DAS BOOT floating around, one would wonder which is THE version to buy. First of all, if you are considering the full Television Series--this is probably the one to buy, since the German version has no subtitles. And, if you have not figured out how to make your DVD player CODEFREE or found one (there is a large online auction that has many such players) and you are a serious DVD collector, it is about time you bought one!! They are not that expensive....before this came out on DVD, I scrounged the studios to find a VHS player that was multi-region, and it was used and cost me $275!!! I bought it to view the then-available 6 cassette version of the original television series (6 parts).

So, if you really want to get the feeling of being in a 50-man Type VIIC U-Boat AFTER the Happy Times of the early Battle of the Atlantic, you must watch this version. There really is nothing like it--before or since. Most highly recommended!

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