Like all Englishmen born just after the war, we believed that the Germans were some sort of monsters. Obviously as I grew older and wiser, and having several German friends through work, this perception changed. That said, if I ever watched a 'War Film', I still rooted for the 'good guys', i.e. us.
This great movie changed all of that, the claustrophobic atmosphere draws you in and you start to feel as though you really know these men. The boredom, the sense of isolation, the closeness of being squeezed together in such a confined space. The terror of battle, the stress of the U-Boat being relentlessly crushed every time it dives.
I remember feeling the horror when the U-Boat backed away from the burning survivors of the ship they had torpedoed. But the humanity expressed when the young officer broke down in tears on the bridge and the look on the captains face when he realised they had not been rescued after finishing the ship off. Knowing he would never have fired on it with men still on board made me see it in a different light.
The individual heroism was no different to those men on our 'side'. I inwardly cheered when the U-Boat rose to the surface and the engines started in the Straits of Gibralter.
I found myself seeing this in a different light, I found myself glad I had German friends 'before' watching this great movie. I knew I had watched something so profound, the ultimate anti-war movie.
I am just so grateful to have been able to see this, and I have often wondered what the reaction might have been if this had been shown in 1950.
All in all, it's a must see movie that will continue to change perceptions.
This great movie changed all of that, the claustrophobic atmosphere draws you in and you start to feel as though you really know these men. The boredom, the sense of isolation, the closeness of being squeezed together in such a confined space. The terror of battle, the stress of the U-Boat being relentlessly crushed every time it dives.
I remember feeling the horror when the U-Boat backed away from the burning survivors of the ship they had torpedoed. But the humanity expressed when the young officer broke down in tears on the bridge and the look on the captains face when he realised they had not been rescued after finishing the ship off. Knowing he would never have fired on it with men still on board made me see it in a different light.
The individual heroism was no different to those men on our 'side'. I inwardly cheered when the U-Boat rose to the surface and the engines started in the Straits of Gibralter.
I found myself seeing this in a different light, I found myself glad I had German friends 'before' watching this great movie. I knew I had watched something so profound, the ultimate anti-war movie.
I am just so grateful to have been able to see this, and I have often wondered what the reaction might have been if this had been shown in 1950.
All in all, it's a must see movie that will continue to change perceptions.