Das Boot (1981)

Das boot is a realistic war epic depicting life on a German U-Boat during world war two. Wolfgang Petersen masterpiece was originally a six-hour mini-series but was then shortened to its now three-hour runtime, and every second portrays the war in a whole new light. Unlike most films ‘Das Boot’ shows the war how it was, dark and gritty with no prominent hero figure but a collection of real people finding their footing in their new life on board a submarine.

Again, ‘Das Boot’ takes a major departure from the usual war film as it takes place from the perspective of the Germans under Nazi rule. The film portrays the reality that not all Germans during this time were Nazi’s and in fact had a great disdain over their generals and of their leader, Adolf Hitler, and that the majority fighting on the side of Germany were everyday people.

The film also departs from normal story structures presenting no real beginning, middle and end as most films do but adopting a more documentary style of storytelling by having events take place that seems straight from the history of real people and their real lives. At certain points, the film may seem slow during its three-hour runtime, but make no mistake ‘Das Boot’ is not devoid of action presenting the audience with realistic sea warfare and the complications that can arrive from sailing a U-boat deep in the depth of the Atlantic ocean. The film takes a whole more realistic and grounded vision with no real central main character but instead, the crew reacts to the situations they find themselves in within their U-Boat and react as real people, with true emotions, rather than characters within a film.

The entire cast brings each character to life with staggering realism in their acting. Jürgen Prochnow brings captain Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock to life as he struggles with the stress of situations the war puts him in and how he copes with his fellow crewmates. Herbert Grönemeyer portrays Lt. Werner a correspondent brought onto the U-Boat to take pictures to inspire the German people of the war effort, little does he know what life in war truly is and Grönemeyer captures this awe and terror perfectly in his captivating performance.

In conclusion, the war epic ‘Das Boot’ is a must-see for the gritty reality of German soldiers life during the war in any of the film's version, ranging from the theatrical runtime, the recommended three-hour version, or the six-hour mini-series. Whichever version you witness the film fully captures the true reality of war during these dark times in the world's history.