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Das Boot - Director's Cut (Superbit...
Stars:
Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Gronemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann,
Writer:
Wolfgang Peterson
Director:
Wolfgang Peterson
Feature
length: 210 minutes
Languages:
German DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Sound, and English Dolby Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions and English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese,
Korean, and Thai Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 65
Sound:
DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, and
Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1981/1997/DVD Release: 2003
Theatrical
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“Das
Boot” is arguably one of the best submarine dramas ever made. I think that the
kinetic camera movement within the claustrophobic confines of the German U-Boat
as well as the solid camera work, moving screenplay, and excellent acting lead
by acclaimed internationally known actor Jurgen Prochnow has had a drastic
effect on how many films have been produced since. Not only thrillers like
“The Hunt For Red October” or “U-571,” but also films of increasingly
different genres such as the WWII ghost story “Below” and a lot of sci-fi
films have been inspired by the look of “Das Boot” to create the interiors
of spaceships that has more than a passing resemblance to submarines. Even
“Enterprise” has a design for the interior of the 22nd century
vessel that was in part meant to call to mine the look of an airtight submarine.
Now I am not saying that “Enterprise” was directly inspired by “Das
Boot” because it probably was not, but the parallels one can draw between
undersea and outer space travel are obvious. Perhaps it is no coincidence that
Wolfgang Peterson has since created a number of memorable feature films that
includes the underrated 1980s sci-fi film “Enemy Mine” and Jurgen Prochnow
has appeared in a number of genre films that include “Dune,” “Judge Dredd,”
and “Wing Commander.” Now granted I know these are not the most acclaimed
genre flicks ever produced, but I definitely think Prochnow made a much better
“Duke Leto” in David Lynch’s big screen adaptation of “Dune” than
William Hurt did in the sci-fi channel miniseries remake. That aside I think
“Das Boot” is perhaps one of the most memorable submarine dramas ever made
because it is told with great humanity from the point of view of the German
sailors during World War II.
At
times “Das Boot” can be a bit darkly humorous if not unnerving because as
Americans we are used to viewing the Germans circa WWII as well as WWI as the
villains, but while the Nazi party was an abomination against all humanity, one
cannot judge an entire nation based on the actions of a few. So we see a lot of
scenes where the morality of the actions being taken is called into question.
Particular scenes that come to mind are Prochnow’s character’s comments
about the young “boys” being assigned to his U-boat raising the reality of
the lost youth of a generation of many people around the world who faced the
horrors of World War II or even more memorable is a scene where the Captain asks
“Why were they not rescued? They had six hours!” after he witnesses the
horrific deaths of enemy sailors aboard a burning ship his U-boat had blown to
kingdom come with the remains sinking beneath the sea. The ending is perhaps one
of the most memorable if not haunting scenes ever caught on film. “Das Boot”
is one of those rare films that drives home it’s point without getting on a
soapbox and for a film that spans more than three hours, it is a film that never
ceases to amaze me in it’s ability to draw viewers in and keep them. I have
seen movies that are less than 90 minutes that felt longer than “Das Boot.”
Originally
released theatrically in America in 1981 and then re-released in 1997 as “The
Director’s Cut,” Columbia TriStar has given “Das Boot” the
“Superbit” treatment, which means that the film has been encoded at double
the bit rate for a better quality picture and given the addition of a DTS
soundtrack. This is the first standard “Superbit” DVD release to come as a
two-disc set that was not labeled “Superbit Deluxe.” So there are no
documentaries, trailers or whatnot, but we do get “Das Boot: The Director’s
Cut” presented across two dual layered discs. Now the results are a definite
improvement. The level of detail is truly remarkable, but there is some grain
that appears to be from the source materials used. So while I do not think
“Das Boot” has ever looked better on home video, I would also warn readers
and potential consumers not to expect the film to look pristine, because it does
not. A German DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical Surround Soundtrack as well as a German
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is provided and both are very well mixed
and discrete. An English Dolby Surround Soundtrack is also provided along with
English Captions for the hearing impaired and English, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai Language Subtitles encoded onto both dual
layered DVD-Videos as options.
If
you are a fan of this film or are looking to upgrade to the best possible
picture and sound quality the film has ever had, than Columbia TriStar Home
Entertainment’s “Das Boot: The Director’s Cut: Superbit” is the way to
go and is available on DVD-Video now at retailers on and offline.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Buy The DVD Now By Clicking On The Text Link Below!
Das Boot - Director's Cut (Superbit...