The Boat (1981)

• Year: 1981
• Released: 10 Feb 1982
• Country: West Germany
• Adwords: Nominated for 6 Oscars. 13 wins & 11 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082096/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/das_boot
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: German
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Drama, War
• Runtime: 149 min
• Writer: Wolfgang Petersen, Lothar G. Buchheim
• Director: Wolfgang Petersen
• Cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
• Keywords: based on novel or book, world war ii, submarine, sailor, drinking,

	8.4/10
	86/100
	98% – Critics
	96% – Audience

The Boat Storyline

A look at the lives of the officers and men of the U-96, a German U-boat patrolling the north Atlantic during World War II. Led by Capt.-Lt. Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, the men, for the most part, are seasoned veterans of undersea duty. For the new recruits, including military journalist Lt. Werner, it’s all a bit of an eye opener. The quarters are cramped with men sharing bunks – while one is on duty, the other gets sleep – and there’s barely enough room for more that two men in passageways at any one time. Their trip is also marked by lengthy periods of boredom while they search for enemy shipping to attack and periods of absolute terror when they find themselves under attack by Allied naval vessels. Throughout it all, the men band together, cynical about just what they are doing but also proud of their accomplishments.

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The Boat Movie Reviews

Probably the greatest WWII naval movie

This is an amazing achievement, and it’s obvious because it is one of the only German language films to receive widespread distribution in American theaters since the silent era. It was just that good! When it came to America, the movie was cut down a little from it’s original HUGE length and it was released in both dubbed and subtitled versions.

The film is about a single WWII German U-boat and it follows it through a very hazardous mission until it eventually makes it back to port. While this may not sound very interesting, it certainly is, as the movie is less a traditional movie but an experience meant to instill in the audience the daily life and horror of serving on one of these submarines. For example, when the sub is being pursued, you find yourself tense, on edge and feeling the claustrophobia of the crewmen. Viscerally, it is an amazing film and remains a true and faithful film–the crew is extraordinary but they are hardly romanticized–they are just men doing their best to stay alive! To top all this off, when the movie concludes, there is the most fitting and inspired ending I have seen in a war film. Like anything you’ve seen from Hollywood? No way–this is like real life in all its starkness and terror.

Superior submarine movie

It’s the Autumn of 1941. The German U-boat fleet is starting to suffer heavy losses. The Captain (Jürgen Prochnow) shows Naval war correspondent Lt. Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer) around as his men party while on leave. The Captain is a pragmatic veteran. Some are on the verge of a mental breakdown, others are concerned but all respect their captain. They leave port for the dangerous North Atlantic. After a tough tour, they are redirected to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar and go to Italy.

This is one of the first movie to show submarine warfare with gritty realism. The setting is claustrophobic. The characters are compelling and specific. Each of the main actors bring life to their characters. The action scenes are exciting. They hit the audience in the gut. This movie doesn’t take a stance on the war other than being as real as possible. There is nothing about the holocaust. There is a general sense of war weariness which is the central message. It shows the futility of war in the best submarine movie up to that point. It can be argued that it has yet to be surpassed.

Life in a Sardine Can

In this superb drama, we get into the lives of the crew of a German submarine. It is a small submarine, and their individual lives are melded into the claustrophobic constricted world in which they live. Every action has a reaction. Everything is done with the knowledge that a single slip up will lead to their destruction. They face a series of death defying maneuvers and escapes, losing a little of themselves whenever they survive. The war is the enemy, and these men would have meant nothing to those in power. As with most wars, we redefine the value of human life and put others ahead of the common man. The terror of each moment, each challenge, is magnified. They probably don’t know what it is for except someone has told them it is important.

I will not spoil the conclusion, but I will say that it is apt and arbitrary, just as their lives have been. This is a really effective film because it doesn’t allow the audience to relax for even a moment. When it’s over, we want out as much as the guys on the boat.