Das Boot - What Were The Film Flaws ?

Question

What was wrong in this gritty account of Second World War?
If reader fails to recall any errors then denote the one scene to
best illustrate why this action drama is worthy..

Answer 1

I enjoyed both the book and the film 'Das Boot', and the latter set a standard for many submarine movies that followed (U-571, U 429). However, the author Lothar-Gunter Bucheim did criticise the "sacrificing of both realism and suspense in dialogue, narration and photography for the sake of dramatic thrills and action effects."

-- exploding or loosening of the bolts of the boat's pressure hull

-- a crew member throwing a towel into the Lieutenant's face

-- the crew behaves far too loudly during patrols

Answer 2

In the scene where Johann the engineer cracks during a depth charge barrage, the skipper hurriedly retrieves his pistol. After Johann is subdued, the weary skipper lays the weapon down unfired. It is a Walther P.38, but a postwar model, as revealed by the grips and alloy frame. Also, a lieutenant commander would probably have had a Walther PPK or Navy Mauser.

I don't know if this is what you're looking for: in one scene just before the attack on a big Hunter the young captain (Jürgen Prochnow) is sitting with his maps. Beside him he has got a glass of beer standing. The sub lurches heavily right and left in the hard weather, but the surface of the liquid stays the same.

This was a small scene stealer for me. It drove me crazy to see rain falling on Kurt Russell (Wyatt Earp) in Tombstone, but in the background...there's no rain.....but that's just me. Other than that, i've put Das Boot in the top 10 of my all time movie list.

Answer 3

It's hard to come up with "flaws" to Peterson's masterpiece.when they are sitting out the depth charges,on the bottom,the outlook of the crew,the professionalism in most,the abject fear in the engineer,the way the captain handles it ;the desperation in trying to survive,co operation of the crew,the joy in surviving,if only till the next crisis.it "IS" regarded as one of the best portrayals of ww2 and the universal "fighting spirit" shared by all brothers in arms.it shows the German sailor could be no different than ours,that could be a problem to some.to me the ending always bothered me ; i was pissed that after "all" they went through they were gunned down by some stupid planes right in port[supposedly safe]but thats war its NOT fair.

Answer 4

I thought it was very realistic. The only thing I can comment on from experience is the submarine pens at La Pallice which were still there when I saw them in 1963 and they got those right.