Talk:Das Boot

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Contents

[edit] inconsistency

7. "Dubbings and subtitles" lists:

  1. In the U.S. DVD there are no German subtitles. English-speaking students of German wishing to read the German while listening in German will need to obtain an appropriate European region code DVD, such as the French version "le bateau", which also includes American English subtitles and soundtracks.
  2. Cabaret scene: In the U.S. DVD there is a minor background comment during the drunk hero captain's speech ("He'd better watch his mouth!") that is not subtitled in English with the German sound track but which is heard in the English dubbing.

The first says that the US DVD contains no subtitles, the second refers to English subtitles. It is possible that it is referring to the English subtitles in the French version, but that should be stated. Also, statement 1 leaves me wondering about other English versions, such as British. Why mention only French version as a version with English subtitles? If the British version has English subtitles, that seems like the first choice. It implies that either there is no British version, or the British version also cannot be viewed with German audio and English subtitles. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.194.82.143 (talk) 15:35, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] older entries

Kudos to all the authors of this excellent article. :) Nevilley 22:01 Jan 18, 2003 (UTC)

Isn't it good? I have the DVD and have yet to listen to the commentary; I just watch the movie again each time. --Koyaanis Qatsi
yep, fabulous, a good example of what this w. can be like in its good moments. I envy you your DVD. I loved the TV when it came out, I used to go round the house being Jurgen Prochnow and going Verdammt, verdammt! through the Straits of Gibraltar ... Nevilley 22:19 Jan 18, 2003 (UTC)
LOL. You and me both, 'cept I'm from Chicago so I got to play Prochnow on the U-505 :) Palm_Dogg 03:19, 31 October 2005 (UTC)
Great article, well done! And one of the greatest films ever, IMHO. (Of course, I would say that... ;-) — Johantheghost 12:07, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Production Cost

The original 1981 version cost DM25 million ($40 million in 1997 dollars)

Is the money figure really correct? IMHO 30 Millions of German Marks are 15 mio Euros which would make it about 12 mio US$ (today). I don't remember that the US$ was below 1 DM in 1997?! --Urbanus

The $12 million is indeed correct, however this is $12 million in 1980 dollars. Inflation ran extremely high in the 80s, taking inflation into account this comes to $40 million in 1997 dollars --kudz75 02:54, 28 May 2004 (UTC)
The official site states 30 million GM's ([1]) Quoting: "At a cost of about 30 million Deutsche Marks (about $40 million US in today's dollars)" --Julien 22:31, 29 January 2006 (UTC)

Is this still the most expensive German film ever made? Or was that just so when it was produced (back then) ? Engr105th (talk) 23:30, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

Regarding this current version [[2]], I don't think Das Boot is the most expensive in the history of German Cinema as reported.Metropolis (film) is reported to have cost the equivalent of $200 million (2005 dollars). Hyperinflation muddies the water a lot though. Perhaps, a disclaimer should be added; maybe, the most expensive after 1945. 166.70.39.30 (talk) 15:14, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Telvision mini-series

in the Text it says:

It was also produced as a six-hour television mini-series aired in Germany in 1981.

in Versions you read:

A 5 hours television mini-series,

Which length of the tv-series is correct? --Donnyw 14:43, 8 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Neither of these is correct, to my knowledge. I have the uncut DVD version, and the runtime is just over around 4 hrs 30 minutes.

281:11 minutes according to splashmovies.de--Hhielscher 20:59, 20 August 2005 (UTC)

The original miniseries had six episodes, each with a duration of 1 hr, which makes 6 hours. I have them taped (from German TV in 1985), so no mistake about that. Christian Rödel

So the uncut version is actually 1.5 hours less than the original one? I figured it could be 6x45 minutes + 15 minutes of commercials each...Dabljuh 21:59, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

no commercials in german tv back then. i still remember them. commercials werent run in movies untill commercial tv and arent untill know on state tv. ard broadcasted them then.--85.180.50.69 03:22, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

  • A review of the different versions found on the web [3] says the 6 hour version is about 6 x 50min, so ~5 hours in fact. 79.180.84.163 19:25, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 'Leaving the sailors to die'

For some reason, the destroyer captains were unscrupulous enough to leave their landsmen dying. The Captain orders to fall back, leaving the sailors to die.

The reason for the destroyer captains 'leaving the sailors to die' was that ships that stopped to pick-up survivors were often torpedoed by the submarine that had just sunk the ship the survivors were escaping from. The safety of the convoy was deemed more important than the lives of a few sailors, who themselves were aware of this and expected it. Usually a destroyer would be sent back to look for survivors at daybreak when the convoy had moved-on some distance and was relatively safe from what was a known U-Boat contact. Ian Dunster 13:25, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
And on the U-boats' side, I believe this is a reference to the infamous Laconia incident. This was a bizarre incident, in which an atrocity committed by American forces (bombing U-boats carrying allied survivors under the Red Cross flag) was used to convict Dönitz of war crimes.
After the attack, Dönitz (rightly or wrongly) felt himself forced to order his crews to render no assistance to survivors in the water, under any circumstances. For this order, Dönitz was prosecuted for war crimes in what I consider to be a kangaroo court, engineered to depose the legitimate leader of Germany so the Allies could carve it up between them — look, for example at the testimony given in his defence by Chester Nimitz and 120 Admirals of the U.S. Navy! (BTW, I think Dönitz did deserve jail time — for failing to speak or act against the Holocaust, about which he certainly knew.) — Johantheghost 12:07, 1 November 2005 (UTC)
Not only that, but additionally it also dependended on the period. Before the threat (air or destroyer type threat) became too large for uboats, they would usually surface and ask the survivors a couple of questions (ship's name, destination, departure, cargo embarked, etc...), and provide directions (sometimes also some suppies) if needed to shore or a major known shipping lane. Some uboats also provided basic medical care to the very wounded. They could not, of course, take on prisoners, since the uboat was already crowded by it's own crew. At that time, cargo ships were also usually alone, and not escorted either. --Julien 09:44, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Pronunciation

Isn't "boot" pronounced more like "bought" than "boat", I think it would be IPA "bo:t", wuite unlike the English pronunciation?

I don't think any of these "how to say it" attempts is going to be all that successful - people don't generally understand IPA and any "it's like X" thing will founder on the reef of people's own local or national accents when speaking English (note appropriate maritime metaphor <g>). "Bought" is I feel doomed to failure for this reason and I would leave it how it is. (From my PoV I'd say "try to say 'boat' with a slight 'comedy-Yorkshire' accent" but this is unlikely to help every reader! :) ) Perhaps the most important thing is "don't pronounce it like the footwear or you will sound a real pillock!" :) 138.37.199.199 08:06, 20 October 2005 (UTC)
The "oo" sound in German is more like "boat" or "note" than "bought". --jdoniach

I'd say it's more like the "o" in somehow british spelled "order" 84.157.117.198 22:11, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

On the Region One Director's Cut DVD commentary Wolfgang Peterson clearly pronounces it like "boat". 76.167.74.174 15:34, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Local dialects may vary, but "Boot" is not pronounced like "boat". "Bought" is in fact the closest english pronounciation I can think of, it's not far off at all.

[edit] Tipperarry

The "Tipperarry" song heared in the movie was actually performed by the Red Army Choir. A part of the song is sung in russian. The particular section heared in the movie on two occasions (during the Captain-1st WO argument, and later during their return to La Rochelle after the aborted Gibraltar dash)is the ending chorus sung by the whole choir while the earlier chorus were sung solo until "to the sweatest girl I know" and by the whole choir therafter. I spent quite some time looking for the right version because I was puzzled by the strange non-English accent which made me wonder what did they actually play. In fact I`m still puzzled by the effect the director wanted to make. Was that song intended to be an English-recorded song, as it was popular song amoung their troops since WW1 (which would open a question how and why could such a record be found on a German U-boat in WW2?) or a Irish-recorded song mocking the English (as I consider it`s lyrics are somewhat underlining the differances between the Irish and the British) or perhaps a German-recorded song aimed to encourege the Irish in the British army to desert the British cause (the obviously foreign accent made me think this was the right idea) or even what it actually was: a Soviet-recorded song (the movie starts before the German attack on the USSR so it was possible for such a record to be found on a German U-boat). Anyone interested in this who can give me the answer or just an oppinion?

Veljko Stevanovich

It shouldn't have been a Red Army recording — unless those were current in the UK. The truth is that many German U-boat crews listened to British records (which were far more entertaining than much of the Nazi-inspired German stuff), and wore British battledress uniforms, which were more comfortable than the German issue!
When the British were evacuated from Europe, they left tons of stuff behind, which was appropriated by the Germans. Since the U-boat teams were the first ones into the French channel ports — trains containing everything needed to equip a U-boat base had been loaded and ready to go before the ports were even captured — the U-boat men got a lot of the best spoils, and took what they fancied for themselves. Given the situation of the U-boats at sea, dress codes and such tended to be very lax, and the men were very much indulged in issues of comfort and entertainment. One guy even took to wearing an RAF jacket on base, because it was so much more comfortable than his own uniform. So yes, the "Tipperarry" record is quite accurate. — Johantheghost 11:01, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

You`re right. I agree. Thnx and respect. Oh, and sorry I forgot to sign the message

Veljko Stevanovich

[edit] Portrayal of Nazism

The article mentions that some people feel that Nazism and its attendant evils were under-portrayed in the film. While this is certainly a valid point of view, and needs to be mentioned, I think the opposite case could be given more coverage.

My personal feeling is that the film is actually rather accurate in this regard. While there were ardent Nazi-sympathisers in the Navy (eg. Heinz-Wilhelm Eck, who was hanged for war crimes), it was actually run along professional and non-political lines; in fact, am I right in thinking that it was actually against naval law to be a member of any political party?

Eck's warcrime was to assasinate (I don't think another term could apply here), the survivors of the Peleus. Of note, not only he was hanged, but some other officers on board (Silent Hunters by Saval, Naval Institute Press) He thought the survivors presence would give away the uboat's location (the Peleus was sunk during the night in a heavily air patrolled area). --Julien 10:09, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

The Navy, and especially the U-boat crews based in France, were more divorced than most people from Nazi policy in mainland Germany, and I think there was a lot of Nazi-scepticism in the force. A case in point is Oskar-Heinz Kusch, who was court-martialled for taking down a portrait of Hitler from his boat, saying "We are not in the business here of practicing idolatry." Despite chances to recant, he stuck to his views and was shot for them.

After the assassination attempt on Hitler, things changed, with the central party attempting to exert more control on the U-boats by installing "political officers" on each boat, but my feeling is that these men were not much liked. It was, I think, not uncommon for U-boat men to provocatively use the Naval salute in response to the Nazi one.

Of course, it's a complex situation, with many different characters involved, and there were fiends in the U-boat force as anywhere else. But many ex U-boat officers were recruited into Nato (after extensive examination of their backgrounds), and did sterling service there — eg. Otto Kretschmer, Lehmann-Willenbrock himself, and Erich Topp.

With a bit more research (can someone find out about the legal status of politics in the Kriegsmarine?), maybe we can work the above into a para or two for the article. Johantheghost 11:42, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

uboat crew were elite troops of the regime (along with the SS). They had followed rigourous training, but unlike any other troops, they had to work and live for long weeks in an overcrowded tin can. This led to special unofficial permissions: the crew (including the captain) usually wore the standard uniform only on departure and arrival and when on leave, no one cared if they shaved or not during the mission (the beard was non-reglementary). They also came from various backgrounds and often (even captain's) didn't come from a military family where everyone is in the military from father to son.
This may be a reason why uboat crews were not overzelious Nazis. They had a job to do, and there most prized victory was just carrying out well done (or they probably wouldn't survive).
I think this is well portrayed in the movie, by the captain's ironie (scene with the radio propaganda, scene with logbook and recent 'triumphs') and the 1st lieutnant who is the only ardent Nazi, and doesn't even come from Germany. --Julien 10:09, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

Andrew Williams' book The Battle Of The Atlantic deals with the issue at some length. To summarise, before some quotes from the book, the Kriegsmarine (navy) was somewhat removed from the apparatus of the state, being a professional navy before and during the National Socialist period.

  • "The image of the Kriegsmarine has always been one of professional sailors remote from the politics of the Reich, yet its ranks mirrored the views of the country at large and in the years after Hitler's rise to power in 1933 he and his creed enjoyed the overwhelming support of most Germans. There were certainly many true believers in the Freikorps Dönitz [U-boat crews]. Membership of political parties was officially forbidden by the navy, but there were many who supported the Nazis and some, like Erich Topp, who once carried a party card." - The Battle Of The Atlantic, pages 23-24, Andrew Williams, 2002, BBC Books
  • "...von Knebel [Dönitz's personal Adjutant] remembers the warm informality of his conversations with Dönitz and the freedom with which he was able to speak of his family's hostility to the Nazis. Dönitz was prepared to turn a blind eye to his Adjutant's views but nevertheless, von Knebel sensed the time was right to move on..." - The Battle Of The Atlantic, page 118, Andrew Williams, 2002, BBC Books
  • (in early 1941) "The British interpreter who spoke to the crew reported that both the U-boat's midshipmen appeared to be 'typical Nazis' but in Kretschmer he observed a distinct war-weariness with 'many of the Nazi methods and most of their leading personalities'." - The Battle Of The Atlantic, page 124, Andrew Williams, 2002, BBC Books
  • "Ecke too was impressed. The commander seemed to exude bonhomie. He recalls: 'If I had to characterize Lemp, I would say that he believed "My country right or wrong." I might not like these Nazis, but we are at war and I can't do anything else.'" - The Battle Of The Atlantic, page 128, Andrew Williams, 2002, BBC Books

I believe these quotes, from a reputable source, itself extensively academically sourced, can help to clear up the section regarding the Nazism of the U-boat crews. Some members of the Freikorps were certainly Nazis, but not to the same extent as in the other armed forces, the Wehrmacht or the Luftwaffe, not to mention the paramilitary wings of the state (for example the SS, Schutzstaffel). The First Lieutenant character refers to the fact that there were Nazis among the U-boat crews, but the overall verdict from Williams' book appears to be that the U-boat crews were not overly Nazi. The character who makes fun of Hitler is not impossible either, as the quotes show. So, to conclude, we can acknowledge this perceived criticism in the article, but I think the current wording goes too far.

--John Lunney 23:22, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Think the whole issue is a phantom criticism anyway. Its about a U-Boat crew, and a strong anti-war film, not about their political views. How many times are Churchill or Roosevelt mentioned in Western submarine WW2 films?

In one scene, the 1/WO can be heard reciting something from a book. Was that a bunch of Nazi stuff, or perhaps NCO training materials being recited to a crewman to prep him for the NCO exam? It's fairly faint in the background, but it can be heard. Oydman 22:58, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

If I may, I'll weigh in here even though I'm Army and not Navy bred... I have in the past heard the saying that Germany went to war with "a People's Army, a National Socialist (Nazi) Air Force, and an Imperial Navy". The implication being, with which I agree, that their Navy was by far the least Nazi of the main services.
I take issue with the idea that U-boat crews were considered elite in the same sense of the SS. They were indeed elite, but we must remember that Hitler had NO sense of naval power. He was an Army man all the way. In fact, I believe Raeder and Doenitz advised the OKW (High Command) early on of the need for 200 or so U-boats before getting too deep (pardon the pun) into the war. Their advice was ignored; consequently Germany went to war with less than 100 U-boats available operationally at any one time (understand, 'operational' means a third of the fleet on patrol; while a third is in transit to or from their combat stations, and a third in port being re-fitted and repaired to put to sea..300 boats total).
Then there is the "sea tradition" which goes back quite far in history (again, a Naval history type will know a lot more about this than me). As I understand it, the ultimate enemy for any Navy is the Sea itself. If we accept that Navies evolved from merchant sailing tradition (traders and what not), its easier to understand why rescuing a distressed crew crosses national boundaries - I've heard there is an unwritten rule that any nationality must come to the aid of a crew in distress. If true, this helps explain the lack of "nationalism" in Navies. Of course, this tradition is largely Western and didn't seem to apply to the US vs Japanese Empire in WW2, where the two societies - largely ignorant of one another - clashed. But from what little I've read about naval/sea merchant history, it seems that the British, Dutch, French, German, Portugese and Spanish have had the understanding for several hundred years that crews in distress were always to be afforded a "safe port in a storm". I'm sure there were exceptions, even if this tradition is true:)...Point is, it transcends local or generational politics. This may explain the lack of Naziism in the Kriegsmarine of WW2...We should also understand that ship's crews in past times were often VERY international. One example is the CSS Alabama, commanded by Raphael Semmes. He had southern US Officers, but a crew almost entirely made up of Europeans.
Also, keep in mind that running a ship is a highly technical calling. Its just not the same as training a soldier to charge a hill or machine gun nest. There was probably a far more limited effort to indoctrinate a recruit with politics when he had to become highly competent in a tech skill such as running a submarine, and in a limited amount of time.
I am not surprised the U-boat service had so few Nazis. Engr105th (talk) 01:16, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Things that could be added

It lacks something about the music in the article. Ericd

What about the fact when they Kapiten and the 1st Lieutenant, and the reporter went onto the boat with all the German Offizers and when they were saluted with the "HEIL HITLER" they did nothing back in return but just looked at each other. And how they made fun of the one who was raised by adopted parents because they were Mexican?

the 1WO wasn't raised by ethnic Mexicans, he was raised by Germans who had emigrated to Mexico. Many Germans left their homeland after WW1 because of the poor economic climate and political instability. The USA had strict limits on immigration, so many Germans went elsewhere -- especially South America. The airship Graf Zeppelin had a regularly-scheduled run from Germany to Brazil during the 1930s, ferrying businessmen back and forth. Even today there are many blond, blue-eyed Brazilians and Argentinians with German surnames. Oydman 21:16, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
Oydman is quite correct, there have historically been a number of German/European "colonies" in S.America. In fact, I'd speculate the Germans and Portugese are the dominant immigrant cultures. Entirely plausible that the 1WO would have been raised there and returned to his family's native Germany for his higher education, especially after the Depression was over and Germany was back on the rise...This immigration trend was repeated after WW2 - remember Oskar and Emilie Schindler. Engr105th (talk) 00:01, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] 40 million dollars?

I don't know the exact value of the dollar of 1997, but it was certainly more than 46% of today's value, which is the percentage the number in the text suggests. In 1999, the DM was fixed by 1.95583 € (that was the time the Euro was started; the coins and bills weren't changed until 2001, or was it 2002, though). The Euro has the value of around 1.2 dollars, which is, of course, today. But the value doesn't change in so big steps! --84.154.127.54 15:59, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

In 1981, the average exchange rate (according to oanda.com) was 1 DEM = 0.44459 USD, so the cost was $11 million in 1981 dollars.

[edit] Criticisms

I removed the section: "At the very end of the movie, the port of Saint-Nazaire is bombed by allied fighter-bombers. Yet, Saint-Nazaine was never bombed before at least March 1942 [1]. Morevover, none of the British fighter-bombers of late 1941 - early 1942 had the range to bomb the city." Since it wasn't germaine. The port that U-96 puts into at the end of the film is on the Med. coast, as the boat has to pass Gibraltar.L Hamm 02:23, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry but you are wrong, the submarine never made it in the Med. --Denniss 14:48, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
I'm willing to concede the point if you can site the reference. My perception has been that the sub continued through the Gibraltar into the Mediterranean. L Hamm 16:26, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
I have seen the movie as well the TV miniseries several times and they returned to France (Atlantic side). --Denniss 17:30, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
I am sure they go back St Nazaire, I have seen the DVD (director cut) 3 times or so. It might not be said in the shorter version, though, even though the ports LOOKS LIKE Saint Nazaire. Narval 08:03, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
I concede the point. However, I wish there was a more concrete way we could know that it was St. Nazaire. I've only seen the director's cut and nothing is said that would confirm that it is St. Nazaire, though. I think the place to look would be a screenplay, where it might be explicitly implied by writer or director. L Hamm 17:16, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Saint-Nazaire was the only German sub base IN FRANCE with concrete sub pens... Narval 19:40, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

No need to shout. Alright, that would mean that the submarine either (a) returned to St. Nazaire, the favoured conclusion because of the existence of the concrete sub pens at the opening and ending, (b) another port, not in France that had concrete sub pens, or (c) a French port that, in error, is shown having concrete sub pens . L Hamm 23:20, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
Basically, yes. Your three points stands. Sorry for the shouting, I wanted to preclude answer like "Kiel had concrete sub pens, too" [I don't know whether La Spezia has concrete sub pens or not] Ok, I ll watch the movie again ASAP to be sure. Note that a bombing of La Spezia in Dec 1941 - Jan 1942 would be even more unrealistic, it was completely out of range of anything English, including Malta. Narval 07:50, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Reading another source indicated that the submarine base used at the beginning of the movie was supposed to be La Rochelle, which would have been further out of range of Allied bombing. But, the footage shown of the bombing at the end of the movie is stock from the Battle of Britain and shows German Henkel bombers. I hadn't thought of La Spezia.L Hamm 11:24, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Well, two things : Both La Rochelle and Saint-Nazaire had sub pens. Uh ! My mistake. Sorry for this. Second point : the "detailled plot" of this page is inconsistant, since they start from St-Nazaire and comes back at La Rochelle, which is possible but makes little sense. I ll watch the movie again next weed-end, and will settle all this. The cities are probably both out of range, but I'll check the "bombing history" of La Rochelle

Ok, I checked. The Sub is leaving and coming back to La Rochelle.

Alright, sounds good. L Hamm 21:43, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

Can't answer for the movie, but in the book (it's on pg. of the 1976 Bantam edition--English xltn, of course), it says "We must try to put in at the nearest reachable base. Which means La Rochelle, not Saint Nazaire and home." Of course, the movie (theater edition--I haven't seen the director's cut) leaves out a few things in the book, so this too could be changed. Mcswell 02:36, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

According to this site, it looks like they did return to La Rochelle

With the condition the boat is in we'll head straight for La Rochelle.

http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/d/das-boot-script-transcript-submarine.html

I just watched the director's cut and can't remember that line being included, so maybe it's only in the full version?

Note the details: A German Flotilla Commander (and other officers) is present when they pull into port, but no Italian Naval officers. Guaranteed that if they had successfully made it to Italy, Italian officers would be there to welcome them. Also, La Spezia is out of British bomber range until late in the war. The port they enter is damaged. My only beef is that La Rochelle seems to have gotten hit badly in the time of U-96's cruise. Obviously a plot device, but it went from essentially unhurt to pretty badly damaged while they were at sea. BTW, those concrete submarine pens never were penetrated, the French used them for decades after the war! Oydman 21:24, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
I know this is an old message thread, but I'd like to weigh in: Oydman has a particularly valid point. And they only attempt to make the Med and La Spezia; otherwise the film refers only to La Rochelle for both departure and return. The film never references St Nazaire. A lot of this is for simplicity sake and audience comprehension - it's the difference between detailed books and 2 hour movies.....As far as the damaged La Rochelle is concerned, remember the movie Enemy At the Gate? The Russians are on the ropes, on the very verge of a disastrous defeat - and then Vasily the sniper goes up against one German supersniper (Ed Harris), all the while involved in a love triangle with Rachel Whatshername, and (in what? a months time? two weeks?) he's defeated the german sniper and the Soviets have re-taken Stalingrad! Sorry for the digression, but the point is Such Is Hollywood (or in Das Boot, the German version of Hollywood). They have to compress time. In Das Boot, the prologue mentions how the 'war is beginning to go aganst the Germans' or some such. So what you get is part of the U-boat 'Happy Time' coupled with the Germans being pounded and the end we all expect is just around the corner....Taht exlains the jaunty La Rochelle vis a vis the damaged one...Engr105th (talk) 05:04, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Most Expensive German Movie?

The article says that Das Boot was "was at the time the most expensive film in the history of German cinema", but the page for the silent German film Metropolis says it cost the equivalent of 200 million of todays dollars, which is march larger then the 40 million equivalent of Das Boot. I'm not going to change it because its probably there for a reason, but something isn't right.

[edit] Dubbings and subtitles section

Seems that most of this section could be deleted, as it seems very trivial at best. One line of dialgue is missing? German subtitles don't exist for the English version? Actors re-recorded their own voiced in English? RoyBatty42 10:57, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

The part about the actors doing their own English voices is worth noting. It might be useful for film students and others to know that many Germans speak good to perfect English and can act in either, as needed. Oydman 21:30, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Running time?

In IMDB it says: 149 min / 209 min (director's cut) / 293 min (uncut version)

which is very different from what it figures in the chart, here. Which information is correct? Nazroon 03:13, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Destroyer

How does the captain lose sight of the destroyer? I haven't seen the uncut version; do they show the ship doing some maneuvers?

Also, who dies at the end? I recognize Johann, Ullman, and the 2WO.- JustPhil 04:46, 28 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] pronunciation

In das Boot, is the s pronounced [z], or is the B pronounced [p]? I assumed the former in editing the IPA. kwami 05:55, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Need more details...

The plot need more details about when they sunk near gibraltar. Marking the difficults that the U 96 Crew passed and miracle surfaced —Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.124.17.240 (talk) 04:23, 15 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Influenced by Earlier film?

The Enemy Below, a 1957 film about the struggle between the captain of an American destroyer escort and the commander of a German U-boat during World War II, was based on a novel by Denys Rayner, a British naval officer. Might The Enemy Below have influenced either the novel or the film Das Boot? In both flicks the German crews sing heartily while under water.Jim Lacey (talk) 18:02, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

I think its inevitable that a variety of sources influenced the film. Not sure about the novel...As an aside, we have to remember that Bucheim wasn't a U-boat man or even a sailor, he was a military journalist in a propaganda dept. Prior to the war he was an artist. He accompanied only one combat patrol in his career...Personally I'd like to think this great film had other pertinent influences. Engr105th (talk) 23:51, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Capt Peter "Ali" Cremer's book, "U-Boat Commander"

I read a long time back a book by Peter Cremer, who was also a German sub commander who survived the war. Unless I'm mistaken, he wrote of an incident where his boat was making strange noises and upon return they discovered a bent screw or propeller blade....I noticed in Das Boot the Captain and Chief Engineer discussing this same type thing as they walked with Lt Werner through the U-boat pens to U-96 immediately before the patrol....Wondering if Cremer's book was used in any way as a source for the film? I don't recall that detail in Bucheim's book - but both are dimly remembered for me....Engr105th (talk) 23:40, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Exhibition

"In the autumn of 2007, there was a well-visited exhibition about the film "Das Boot",...About 3,000 people visited the exhibition during its four-month run."

3,000 people is a little bit too low no? If you take into account that 4 months are 120 days This is les than 25 people per day which does not really sound like a well visited exhibition --23:41, 28 January 2008 (UTC)Topio (talk)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Das boot ver1.jpg

Image:Das boot ver1.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 20:32, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Kaleu vs Kaleun

In my English edition (Cassell, 2004, British edition) of Lothar-Günther Buchheim's book, Herr Kaleun is throughout used as the German standard naval abbreviation of the commander, rather than just Kaleu (without n) as the current article suggests. Unless there is a discrepancy between the British and American editions of the book, I suggest replacing throughout with Herr Kaleun. Hakkasberra (talk) 10:35, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Concur. I have always seen "Kaleun" - this Wiki article is the first place I've seen it without the 'n'...Engr105th (talk) 19:37, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

I´m German, Wiki is the first place I´ve ever seen "KaleuN". The normal and common short form is Kaleu without an "n".(84.139.211.25 (talk) 11:40, 12 June 2008 (UTC))

[edit] "Cast" paragraph - Thomsen

Under the Cast paragraph, the listing for Otto Sander (who plays Thomsen) it says "Sometime after U-96 departs, Thomsen is deployed once again and the two submarines meet randomly in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. After failing to make contact later, the Captain is forced to report to HQ that Thomsen is missing."
I have both the old VHS cut and the dvd Director's Cut, which I recently watched. I do not recall that Thomsen was reported by U96 as being missing; or that Thomsen is in fact mentioned at all again after the chance meeting in the Atlantic...can anybody confirm this? (I think there's an Uncut version which I don't have)... Engr105th (talk) 19:49, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

AFAIR they didn't report him as missing but they noticed radio calls for him were left unanswered so they assumed he is missing. --Denniss (talk) 21:46, 16 March 2008 (UTC)