das boot

After viewing the director’s cut of Das Boot, in German, on my own, I can conclude that the movie was interesting and stimulating. Das Boot (German for The Boat), directed by Wolfgang Petersen, is an action-based fictional account of a German U-Boat in World War II. The majority of the film took place on the U-boat and the audience saw the transformation of characters from clean-shaven, surly men into dispirited and exhausted individuals. A war correspondent, Herbert Gronemeyer, was on board to write a story about “war heroes.” Lieutenant Thompson was in charge of the 49 other men on the boat, who all respected him. Petersen portrayed Thompson as an experienced and compassionate person, but also as a person who made mistakes. Other crewmembers consisted of a chief engineer, a party member, and a young soldier who longed to see his pregnant fiancée. Petersen provided only one side of the story, however, I think one side was more effective than adding the view of the German...