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The Boat

7.7

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Das Boot (TV Miniseries)

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Das Boot (TV Series)

Original title

Das Boot (The Boat)aka

AKA

Das Boot

Year

1981

Running time

150 min.

Country

Germany - West Germany (FRG)

Director

Wolfgang Petersen

Screenwriter

Wolfgang Petersen. Novel: Lothar-Günther Buchheim

Cast

Music

Klaus Doldinger

Cinematography

Jost Vacano

Producer

Bavaria Film, Radiant Film GmbH, Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR), Twin Bros. Productions, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Genre

War | II World War. Submarines

Synopsis

With the once-feared wolfpacks reduced to 12 lone U-boats, Captain Lehmann-Willenbrock (Jürgen Prochnow) sets out once more to hunt allied shipping. Now it's a different story - German air support and intelligence is weak, and British destroyers seem to be everywhere - and no longer making mistakes. By sheer willpower, good seamanship and superhuman effort, the Captain and his crew manage to avoid constant attack and make it to secret harbor in Portugal. But how can they break through Gibraltar to get to their port in the South of France, with the allied Navy in such firm control?

Rankings Position

#18 Best German Movies of all time
#28 Best War Movies/War Film
#32 Best Movies of the '80s
#35 Best Movies and TV Series about the Second World War

Awards: 1982: Academy Awards: 6 Nominations, including Best Direction and Adapted Screenplay

1981: Golden Globes Awards: Nominated Best Foreign Film

1981: 2 German Film Awards: Film Award in Silver and Sound

1982: BAFTA Awards: Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film

1982: Directors Guild of America (DGA): Nominated for Best Director

1982: National Board of Review (NBR): nominated to Top Five Foreing Films.

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Critics' reviews

"Truffaut said it is impossible to make an anti-war film, because films tend to make war look exciting. In general, Truffaut was right. But his theory doesn't extend to 'Das Boot.' (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"Petersen pays great attention to the sights, sounds and smells that characterize the U-boat, on which several dozen men are confined. His direction powerfully fosters the impression that you, too, are there."

Janet Maslin: The New York Times
"'Das Boot: The Director's Cut' has become one of the richest, most humanistic depictions of wartime life since Jean Renoir's "Grand Illusion"

Desson Howe: The Washington Post
"A gripping, impressively detailed account of one harrowing voyage by a German U-boat during World War II"

Todd McCarthy: Variety
"The film has no qualities beyond its formal polish--and its careful avoidance"

Dave Kehr: Chicago Reader
"'Das Boot' is by no means a pleasant experience, but it's an intelligent and emotionally gripping one that you won't forget."

Keith Phipps: AV Club
"Suspenseful when it needs to be and intelligent in its depiction of the horrors of war and the sweaty claustrophobia of submarine life."

Edward Guthmann: SFGATE
"The most convincing war movie ever made."

Kenneth Turan: Los Angeles Times

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Ranking Lists Position

15 My Favorite German Movies (77)
24 My Favorite War Movies (230)
75 My Favorites from the 80s (92)
86 My Favorite Movies from Europe & Latin America (32)

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The Boat

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