Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2537 in DVD
• Released on: 1998-12-21
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, Letterboxed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Icelandic, Turkish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 200 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing and claustrophobic U-boat thriller Das Boot was released as both a theatrical film and a six-hour mini-series, and remains the most expensive production ever made by a German studio. The expanded "Director's Cut" of the movie was re-released 1997 and it is this version that is available for home viewing. This epic story became an instant classic on its first release, provoking critical and audience acclaim worldwide for its sympathetic and entirely truthful portrayal of a German U-boat crew. Faithfully adapted from the bestselling novel by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, Petersen and his committed cast (led by the amazing Jürgen Prochnow) were concerned to ensure that every detail was rendered with painstaking accuracy--both physical and psychological--and the result is not only the best submarine drama ever made but also arguably the finest cinematic portrait of men at war and the terrible madness they must endure.

On the DVD: The 200-minute "Director's Cut" version of the movie not only has several major scenes restored that were not in the theatrical release but also has been digitally remastered with significantly improved sound (new sound effects have been added) and anamorphic picture. (The six-hour TV version has yet to be released.) Here, the viewer can watch the movie in the original German, with or without subtitles, or in an English dubbed version that uses the voices of many of the original cast. On the utterly engrossing commentary track, director Wolfgang Petersen and star Jürgen Prochnow talk animatedly and in great detail about every aspect of making this epic story--from model shots using Barbie dolls to meeting the Captain of the original U-boat. This is one of the most consistently rewarding commentaries on disc. Also included is a five-minute featurette that promotes this new version. --Mark Walker

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Wide Screen
DVD 9
German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English German\Dolby Digital Surround English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Digital Surround
Theatrical Trailer
Featurette
Directors Commentary
English\German\Hebrew\Hindi\Icelandic\Turkish

Synopsis
In the midst of World War II, a German U-boat crew is sent out to patrol the Atlantic and fire at Allied ships bringing supplies to England. The submarine also carries a press correspondent, there to report from the front lines of nautical warfare. Meanwhile, the crew's captain (Jurgen Prochnow – IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, BEVERLY HILLS COP II) is becoming disillusioned with the Nazi regime and with war in general. What starts out as a routine mission is soon livened up beyond the crew's expectations when their boat's surprise attack on a convoy is thwarted by a fast-moving destroyer. Battered by depth charges, the crew must pull together to survive the attacks of their unseen enemy.
Widely considered to be director Wolfgang Petersen's best film and one of the finest German films ever made, DAS BOOT is stunningly realistic in its portrayal of the cramped conditions aboard a German submarine. Based on a novel by Lothar G. Buchheim, it is a striking example of an intelligent antiwar film clothed in the guise of a military thriller.

Customer Reviews

Exceptional
The acting, atmosphere and unsentimental approach to this film (from a very fine book) make this a pleasure to watch. Both moving and plausible.

Highly recommended.

Gripping naval war drama
This is possibly the best of all Naval WW2 films, but I have just a few quibbles. Although technically very detailed and informative in most areas, as you'd expect of a German production, I did notice several faults, some minor, but a few of them, major. The Captain wasting a whole torpedo on an already destroyed tanker was ludicrous, as all U Boats were notoriously frugal with their ammo. But the main problems came with the damage she took from the British destroyer, when still in the Atlantic. Those depth charges going off so close to her would have ripped her apart, and yet she sustained relatively minor damage, a fire in the instrument room, a ruptured bilge or ballast tank, and a cracked air shaft. I say relatively minor, but all three of these problems would have meant she would have had to have surfaced very quickly. That air shaft alone would have spelt major trouble for them, especially as they spent six hours under!! The blast she received sent the comms stacks crashing, and generally stuff was jolted all over the place. The next morning, the ship looked as if nothing had happened to it, which I thought was ludricrous. And when the bolts of the inner skin started shooting off under deep pressure, I thought she cannot survive this, surely! Well, of course she did, and then what, allowed to limp back home for major repairs? You would have thought so, wouldn't you, but no, not this indestructible iron maiden. Instead she was ordered into the straits of Gibraltar - Alone!!! This was pure nonsense, as any Admiral ordering that kind of suicide mission for a single sub, however highly rated the Captain was, would have been court martialed for sheer stupidity.

Then the real fun and games start for it, but by this time, I had given up taking notes and just sat back and enjoyed the drama of it all, as that's what it really was, a good war drama. The unrealities of all the science defying, death defying escapes they had, just washed over me as I realised this was not a major concern for the film makers alas. I had such high hopes for it at the beginning. Still, there were some great, authentic looking bits of naval stategy and practice that you don't see much in war films generally, and the German principles of self discipline over and above imparted discipline were absolutely spot on. This, and the great involving drama of it all make it still one of the best war films ever made. I thought the terribly tragic ending was superb, as that's the way a lot of fiercly brave and loyal German troops went, after all their effort, because they were fighting a war they couldn't possibly win.

the most awesome war movie ever.
Wolfgang Petersen's 'Das Boot' is one of those films that words simply do not justify. Unbearably tense, this is, as they say, is how it's done. The (mis)adventures of a German U-Boat patrol prowling the Atlantic, Das Boot picked up 7 academy award nominations and remains an experience that, even by todays standards, is without equal for sheer intensity.

Here we have life on a U-Boat as hell on Earth. Days of mind-numbing boredom which gives way to sheer terror within a second when confronting the enemy (the British). In these sweaty, cramped, hellish conditions, you'll be thanking your lucky stars you're not in there with them. Filmed chronologically so the cast could look dishevelled and grow real-time beards, it's impossible to believe that the actors ever left the set.

Jurgen Prochnow plays the enigmatic captain to perfection, trying to follow orders in a war he hates, whilst trying to do the best thing by his crew. And in a smart move, the politics are left out in favour of pure tension. These are just soldiers following orders like everyone else. These guys are the 'Jerries' remember. Fighting the British. And yet, not for one second will you not be behind these guys all the way, desperate for them to survive.

And to top it all, Petersen's direction is fantastic, showing a real technical ability, before he became a Hollywood director-for-hire. His camera swoops from stern to bow in one extraordinary shot, seamlessly following the panicking crew as they race toward the front of the sub.

And apart from Prochnow, the rest of the cast perform impeccably, trapping the viewer in this horrible situation. With an hours worth of extra footage cut from the cinematic version, this is the preferred way to view 'Das Boot' (there is also the episodic T.V version).

The original cinematic version is absolutely stunning, but with all the extra scenes, this version is something resembling absolute perfection. Plus Dolby 5.1 surround for those explosions and a digital picture clean, you can now view 'Das Boot' as its supposed to be viewed.

You've never seen a war movie 'til you've seen 'Das Boot'.