Das Boot, a German-made film from 1981, is the “Movie of the Week”. Written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, Das Boot catapulted Peterson’s career to new heights. Before the movie, Peterson worked solely on German films, but as a result of Das Boot, he achieved what many can only dream of: Hollywood. Eventually, Peterson went on to direct hits such as The Perfect Storm and Troy.

Running almost five hours in length, watching Das Boot is definitely a major time commitment, but it is time well spent. The movie takes place almost exclusively within the confines of a Nazi U-boat during World War II, giving the viewer a sense of underwater claustrophobia. Suspense builds throughout the whole movie as the crew of the Nazi U-boat play a deadly gane of “cat and mouse” with British convoys and are discovered multiple times in the process. To complement these actions scenes are the scenes depicting the crew’s boredom in between each short battle. Such a dynamic makes the film feel real. There’s an old saying, “War is 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror”, and this movie brilliantly depicts this.

Personally, this movie surprised me because I found myself rooting for the U-boat crew on multiple occasions. I was going against everything I had ever believed about German soldiers. This film made me realize that all soldiers, no matter who they fight for, are still human. One particular instance stood out for me. It was when the crew found British soldiers on a sinking ship, and the German captain seemed extremely upset that they had not been rescued by their own forces. Another fascinating characteristic of this movie was the film’s representation of time. For instance, as the submarine sets off, a reporter is taking pictures of the crew when the Captain tells him to take pictures on the way back because “they’ll have grown beards by then. It would shame the Tommies to see mere boys give them Hell.” This statement gives a framework of how time passes throughout the movie, as the older and more experienced sailors have bigger, ragged beards. Another aspect of the movie worth noting is the recurring theme of depth, specifically how far the boat can go without caving in on itself in both the literal and figurative sense. Finally, what added to the impact of the film was an incredible musical score that shows German pride and fear at various points in the film. This film has an emotional conclusion like no other.  While its epic length and foreign language may seem like a drawback, it truly is a memorable film that will shape your and the way you look at World War II specifically and war in general.

Link for trailer: https://youtu.be/7pzKyeIex2Y