Not since Columbia Pictures released the restored "Lawrence of Arabia" in 1989 has a film classic re-emerged so mightily expanded and improved as Wolfgang Petersen's masterpiece "Das Boot".
One of the great war films -- for its unparalleled action scenes and one's emotional involvement with the characters -- the 31Ú2-hour subtitled epic is an unforgettable voyage on a German U-boat during World War II.
Petersen, producer Ortwin Freyermuth, star Jurgen Prochnow and many of the top production and cast members were present at the premiere of "Das Boot -- The Director's Cut" on Wednesday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. There's also a six-hour version that was shown on German television, but the present 210-minute edition from Columbia, without intermission, is more than an hour longer than the six-time Oscar-nominated version released stateside in 1982.
Based on Lothar-Gunther Buchheim's novel, "Das Boot" is a titanic feat of filmmaking that is more than ever a feast for the senses when seen in a proper theater. Set almost entirely in the sub, with two long sequences of intense pressure from attacking Allied destroyers, the film is so compelling it tempts one to "root" for the protagonists, but the overall scheme is to personalize and humanize the defeated.
Prochnow's performance is a towering achievement. His character is admirable for showing strength and discipline under extreme conditions, but there's never any doubt that he cares deeply about his crew. One can't help but admire his naval prowess, and he earns the loyalty of his men during several close calls and through his overall relaxed attitude.
The supporting cast is flawless, and there have been few films that have captured so vividly the atmosphere of warfare. The cinematography, production design, editing and Klaus Doldinger's score are all major accomplishments.
As a cinematic achievement, "Das Boot" re-creates the submarine setting with stunning success. The Oscar-nominated sound work, now redesigned into eight-channel digital, is a total knockout. From ships sinking miles away and their own submarine cracking under increasing pressure, the sailors are attuned to every telltale groan and underwater bang.
There is a haunting scene in which the Captain orders a sinking ship torpedoed and unwittingly kills Allied men. When they are ordered to slip through the Straits of Gibraltar, the crew and Captain go a little mad, in keeping with the impossible task. The fate that awaits them at the end underscores both the justice and tragedy of war, challenging the audience with the bitter truths of human conflict.
DAS BOOT
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
From PSO
A Bavarian Film production
Twin Bros. Prods.
A film by Wolfgang Petersen
Writer-director Wolfgang Petersen
Producer Gunter Rohrbach
Director's cut producer Ortwin Freyermuth
Based upon the novel by
Lothar-Gunther Buchheim
Director of photography Jost Vacano
Music Klaus Doldinger
Production designer Rolf Zehetbauer
Art director Gotz Weidner
Editor Hannes Nikel
Costume designer Monika Bauert
Sound Mike Le-Mare, Milan Bor, Trevor Pyke
Color/stereo
Cast:
The Captain Jurgen Prochnow
Lt. Werner Herbert Gronemeyer
Chief engineer Klaus Wennemann
1st Lieutenant Hubertus Bengsch
Running time -- 210 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
One of the great war films -- for its unparalleled action scenes and one's emotional involvement with the characters -- the 31Ú2-hour subtitled epic is an unforgettable voyage on a German U-boat during World War II.
Petersen, producer Ortwin Freyermuth, star Jurgen Prochnow and many of the top production and cast members were present at the premiere of "Das Boot -- The Director's Cut" on Wednesday at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. There's also a six-hour version that was shown on German television, but the present 210-minute edition from Columbia, without intermission, is more than an hour longer than the six-time Oscar-nominated version released stateside in 1982.
Based on Lothar-Gunther Buchheim's novel, "Das Boot" is a titanic feat of filmmaking that is more than ever a feast for the senses when seen in a proper theater. Set almost entirely in the sub, with two long sequences of intense pressure from attacking Allied destroyers, the film is so compelling it tempts one to "root" for the protagonists, but the overall scheme is to personalize and humanize the defeated.
Prochnow's performance is a towering achievement. His character is admirable for showing strength and discipline under extreme conditions, but there's never any doubt that he cares deeply about his crew. One can't help but admire his naval prowess, and he earns the loyalty of his men during several close calls and through his overall relaxed attitude.
The supporting cast is flawless, and there have been few films that have captured so vividly the atmosphere of warfare. The cinematography, production design, editing and Klaus Doldinger's score are all major accomplishments.
As a cinematic achievement, "Das Boot" re-creates the submarine setting with stunning success. The Oscar-nominated sound work, now redesigned into eight-channel digital, is a total knockout. From ships sinking miles away and their own submarine cracking under increasing pressure, the sailors are attuned to every telltale groan and underwater bang.
There is a haunting scene in which the Captain orders a sinking ship torpedoed and unwittingly kills Allied men. When they are ordered to slip through the Straits of Gibraltar, the crew and Captain go a little mad, in keeping with the impossible task. The fate that awaits them at the end underscores both the justice and tragedy of war, challenging the audience with the bitter truths of human conflict.
DAS BOOT
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
From PSO
A Bavarian Film production
Twin Bros. Prods.
A film by Wolfgang Petersen
Writer-director Wolfgang Petersen
Producer Gunter Rohrbach
Director's cut producer Ortwin Freyermuth
Based upon the novel by
Lothar-Gunther Buchheim
Director of photography Jost Vacano
Music Klaus Doldinger
Production designer Rolf Zehetbauer
Art director Gotz Weidner
Editor Hannes Nikel
Costume designer Monika Bauert
Sound Mike Le-Mare, Milan Bor, Trevor Pyke
Color/stereo
Cast:
The Captain Jurgen Prochnow
Lt. Werner Herbert Gronemeyer
Chief engineer Klaus Wennemann
1st Lieutenant Hubertus Bengsch
Running time -- 210 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
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