As a former US submariner I can say this is without a doubt the most realistic portrayal of life on a boat ever made. From the interaction between the crew to the fact that you develop a very ripe odor (yes even on nuke boats the crews smell) This is one of my favorite movies.

U-boats rendering aid to stranded sailors was common in WW1 and the early part of WW2. However there was an incident where a U-boat sank a British POW ship called Laconia was filled with Italians. When they realized it, the U-boat provided assistance to both the Italians and British. Eventually several other U-boats arrived to help them. They tied the lifeboats and rafts to the subs and tried to get in contact with the Red Cross in order to get a ship out there to help them. The American airforce saw the sub and attacked them, forcing the U-Boat to flee and killing 1500 people. The chief of the U-boat force issued a directive to no longer render assistance to stranded sailors which is why they left the sailors in the film. Grim, but necessary.

Explanation for the "always above water" part: WW2 submarines had diesel engines. Diesel engines need air to function. So submarines would travel on the surface most of the time. Whenever they needed to dive, they'd switch off the diesel engine and turn on a small battery-powered electric motor. These submarines were very vulnerable underwater, as weird as this sounds.

I remember when I studied film in Norway back in the 1980s. I showed this film in the film club we were running. My Norwegian friends had never seen a war movie from "the other side" and were mesmerized by the experience. One said: "It felt almost forbidden". Everyone was so impressed though. Fantastic movie, very important.

I have a friend in the Navy. Discussing this movie, he said to me: "You know, humans roughly fall into personality types. Different time. Different navy. But I knew every one of these men"

one of the best german movies ever made. what an emotional rollercoaster. Also the attention to detail: at the start all are cheerfull, without beards and have a tan. At the end, all are hopeless, unshaven and pale as a ghost.

Oh wow, great choice Mary. I'm from Germany myself, and TBH there are only very few German movies I could really recommend to foreign viewers. But "Das Boot" is a masterpiece in many regards. Not only is the filmmaking, the acting etc. top notch, but the story itself is told so well. The fact that is told from the German perspective with German protagonists could easily went in the wrong direction, but Petersen managed to just tell a story that shows that war is hell no matter what side you're on.

As an ex submariner myself, this is hands down the best film about the silent service. I can only imagine what it must have been like, but hats off to all those ,regardless of flag , that are forever on patrol. And it can only be watched in German !

When I first watched this in my teens, I totally bought into the idea that the captain had to be the coolest badass ever. Only later I realized that he was putting on a lot of show to keep his crew upbeat.

Some notes from a German on that brilliant flick: there are several versions of that film. The original version (150min), a director's cut (200min), a alternative director's cut (210min) , a TV film version (280min) and a TV series (310min). The plot is based on a novel by a former german war reporter in WW2 who reported from submarines so he knew living and fighting on a submarine from personal experience and was able to describe this situation really close to life. 25 years after the war ended he found strength to dare looking through his papers and reports written during war time and processed his experiences in the 1973 book with identical name. This movie was starting point for careers for almost all of the main cast members, every single one became pretty successful actors, one (Leutnant Werner, the ginger head, Herbert Grönemeyer in real life) started a music career and is arguably the most sucessful german pop singer from the 1980s until today. For director Wolfgang Petersen this movie was the starting point for a Hollywood career as one of the most sucessful action movie directors with movies like Enemy Mine, In The Line Of Fire or Outbreak. Oh, and German food can be delicious! ;)

I remember seeing this movie as it came out and taking the deepest breath of fresh air coming out of the theatre. The tension, the atmosphere, the camera work, great movie.

One of the greatest Submarine World War II epics ever made! Nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film.

That movie managed two things almost no movie manages to do: - Show boredom without being boring - Show stink

This is a masterpiece. I’ve seen the mini series version which is 6 episodes of like 50 minutes or something. Loved every second. I know a bunch of the battle of the Atlantic, and this film absolutely hits the nail on the head. Unbelievable achievement in filmmaking, I still can’t believe they pulled this off. Absolutely brilliant.

One of those films that immerses you into a specific world where you feel trapped down there with them, and being about Germans who were the decades long baddies for us Allies it makes you see things through their eyes, and when you spend a whole film with these characters you begin to empathize with them. You realize they are human just like you, with good and bad within them. It might be obvious on paper, but we all grew up with the notions and realities of the horrors Germany inflicted on the world and this was one the first films seen by American audiences that took place entirely with German men in the midst of WW2. A real nail biter of a film that is a masterpiece of tension and dread. Excellent commentary by you Mary!

This is one of the best war films ever made. Building the sub in one big, cramped set was a genius move.

The battle of the Atlantic was the longest battle of WWII lasting from 1939 to 1945 it cost the lives of over 100,000, 30,000 Germans and 70,000 allied, 3,500 merchant ships where sunk together with 800 submarines and over 200 warships and 750 aircraft.

The submarine prop used in this film was borrowed for Raiders of the Lost Ark. The replica used was actually one of U-96, on loan from the makers of Das Boot. Both movies were filming at the La Rochelle U-boat pens around the same time.

Its weird how it seems that losing side tends to make best war films. When you have lost the war, movies are kinda reflection. Where the winner side movies are mostly Heroic stories "we came, we kick ass, we ruled and did no wrong" with few exceptions. This just not just he best submarine movie, this is one the best war films ever made.

As a 17-year veteran of the U.S. submarine force, this movie was always a horror film to me with all its casualties and real-life drama. I had nightmares for years after watching this for the first time, lol...

Love, love, love this film! My Grandfather served as a cook on a US sub in WWII in the Pacific. My Dad and I watched “Das Boot” together to get a taste of life of WWII submariners’ life aboard these boats, especially since my Grandfather never wanted to talk about his war experience. That’s seems to be common among those who survive combat, my Grandfather never wanted to talk about the War and my Uncle, who was a medic in the Korean Conflict, never ever wanted to talk about his experience either.

Mary, for your reference, "Das Boot" is often cited as the best submarine movie by submariners of all types in all navies. The long periods of tedious boredom and short intense periods of action and terror have always been the lot of the submariners, and this movie perfectly captures both. For all sailors, the eternal enemy is always the sea, but even more so for the submariner, for the sea always contends with the ship's hull, especially as the boat goes deeper. For this reason, even at war, sailors always have a degree of empathy with those being sent to a watery grave, for they always know it could be them next time. Some answers to your questions: - Diesel electric submarines rely upon batteries for submerged operations, making both speed and endurance very low. Batteries are rechanged by the diesel engine when surfaced (or at snorkel depth). Since the best defense of a submarine is its stealth, battery power is jealously conserved for when it is most needed to hide or escape from an enemy. - The total crew of this submarine was probably somewhere around 45 to 50. At combat stations, every man was needed to operate the engines and motors, control the ship, fire and load torpedoes (both forward and aft tubes), man the surface guns, keep look out, repair damage or fix equipment, etc. Space is always a premium and there is no allowance for unnecessary personnel, even on submarines today. - The remark about the destroyer spotting the periscope was an allusion to the increasing capabilities of RADAR. Heavy seas are inherently protective of the submarine, as it's hard for a lookout to spot a small periscope among the waves, but the hard metal gives back a much stronger RADAR reflection, making detection easier. Advances in technology like RADAR were key in the Allies' victory in the battle of the Atlantic against the U-Boat threat. - The idea in the Gibralter run was to stay low but on the surface to take advantage of the maximum speed available from the diesels. Didn't work. - As for blowing a tank, submarines control their ballast through tanks. Basic idea is that more water = more weight = negative buoyancy = boat goes down, and more air = less weight = positive buoyancy = boat goes up. The boat was going down too fast , so the plan was to blow compressed air into the ballast tank to reduce the negative buoyancy. Didn't work, either. - If the boat settles on the bottom, there are four options: fix it and get back to the surface, die while trying to fix it, get rescued by a surface ship with special equipment, attempt a free ascent. There are very rare but documented cases of U-Boat sailors exiting a stranded submarine and surviving unassisted free ascent from significant depths. - Calmly fixing the problems one-by-one is realistically what the crew would do. It's what they're trained and practices at doing. The greatest non-reality for me when they're on the bottom was the Captain saying they were going to die. The crew trusts the Captain and the he has to trust the crew. As was said in "Lawrence of Arabia," nothing is written.

I've been aboard one of those WWII U-boats before (U-505, on display in a museum in Chicago). It was incredibly interesting. It's honestly astonishing how fifty or so men were able to live for weeks or months in such a small space. And to attest to how stressful depth charge attacks were, U-505's skipper had a mental breakdown in the middle of one, and he turned his pistol on himself in front of the whole crew. Very dark stuff.

My dad served on a sub in the Pacific in WWII. He saved a downed flyer, they sat on the bottom while a Japanese destroyer depthcharged them and more. He could barely watch this movie. We did tour a WWII American sub in Manitowoc, Wis., and it was very spare. But German U-boats, one of which is in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry, was even worse. "I don't know how those poor bastards did it," he said.

This was a pleasant surprise. Didn't think anyone would react to this.

I highly recommend the book for anyone who still reads. The author describes in great detail the conditions both inside and outside the boat. Many of the events in the book he documented in photographs that miraculously survived many years after the war. It’s so much fun to to rewatch these classic movies with Mary. As a fan of the book, I was first in line to see the film when it was released, and it didn’t disappoint.

Best... submarine... film... ever made. Brb, need to grab some popcorn.

I highly recommend the movie DOWNFALL from 2004.

The best war film ever made in my opinion.

Das Boot is among the best war movies ever made. Very real, no over the top heroics or glorification. Just a solid portrayal of ordinary men operating under horrible conditions. As a combat veteran, I can't imagine how to deal with those situations. Knowing the history, I can't say that I was surprised by the ending. Except that in a service where 3 out of 4 never came home at all, including the son of Admiral Dönitz, this crew didn't just disappear without a trace.

Mary, I'm so glad you are viewing this movie. It is a masterpiece! Yes, diesel submarines had to sail on the surface most of the time. They could only run on battery power for about 16 hours maximum. At night, they ran on the surface to charge the batteries. During the day, they submerged to keep from being seen. Submarines could launch torpedoes submerged, or on the surface. If they attacked at night, they would often use the cannon on the deck to sink ships.

Everyone should see this movie. Not for the action scenes, but to see what submarine war - and war in general looks like. No person, having his ducks in a row, could ever demand a war for clearing any international problems.

i beg every reviewer i watch to check this movie out, and they all say "ill put it in the polls" but 90% of the audience has no idea this masterpiece even exists so it never gets selected, im so happy though to see your video and reaction of this amazing movie. it deserves more love. great video tho! really enjoyed this one! keep up the great work!

Such a classic movie. Doesn't rely on explosions and constant action to attempt to be good, but rather the true grit, tension, and reality of what it was to be on a submarine in WWII. I showed it to a couple roommate back in college, but due to lack of senseless action and explosions, they completely ignored it.

A gasket is a rubbery ring used to seal a connection between two pipes.

I almost forgot I had scene this movie. Watching you watching this made me realize I had seen this as a teen and was obsessed with it for a good couple of months. Absolutely stellar.

Ex-fast boat bubblehead here. This is definitely the best, most realistic submarine movie ever made. The series Das Boot they made a few years ago was pretty good as well.

The U-Boat base was filmed at LaRochelle, France. The base still exists as a museum. My parents visited LaRochelle a number of years ago -They hadn't seen "Das Boot" yet (I first saw in the 80's, when I was studying German in High School. A fun fact, is that "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was filming at the same time -and they also used the U-Boat replica, and the base, in the final fifth of that also classic film. The four hour extended Director approved edit, is rather impressive too!

I think we will hear the phrase "ah nee" a few times. Edit; not as much as I thought, glad you liked the movie, one of my faves

"Das Boot": A war movie that ranks up there with "Cool Hand Luke" (1967) as the sweatiest movie, ever. The book that the TV miniseries/movie was based upon is very interesting. The tale begins when more German U-Boats don't return to port than had during the earlier "happy time." 7:26 Microwave/compact Radar sets made submarine hunting easier for the Allies, from surface ships and aircraft.

Before I even watch this one (It's on my list of 100 favorite movies) I just want to say, from Kentucky, about your recent series of community posts, I'm 54 and have watched you for, well, maybe two years. The whole point of watching your channel is to see a younger person (and from Europe, too, a different culture from mine in the United States) just making what you will of the vast set of movies that we can all watch now. You should never feel obligated to anyone who makes any sort of comment: just look at your large subscriber list. We, in our thousands, love to see what you think about movies, whatever our individual reasons for doing so. Beyond that, you yourself are so positive, and your human values so obviously in the right place. That is what keeps me tuning in to your channel, and the channels of countless other young people who I know will take care of this Earth, if only us older people can survive long enough to vote you all into office, and make sure you can afford professional education, etc. Favorite Mary quote is from The Martian (2015): "What a weird song to play for a left guy, on a planet!". Belgium rocks, Belgians rock, Kentucky salutes you, Mary. If y'all run into trouble in Brussels or Flanders, Kentucky's Louisville and the Bluegrass Region will volunteer to help our sister communities.

Ther WAS and still IS, a Gentlemen-Agreement, so to say, concerning sinking ships in war times. It says, that you ALWAYS try to rescue as many as possible - but this is only possible, when you have a big ship yourself, with lots of space and Emergency-Boats, Food, etc. An U-Boat .. was not able to provide these actions - they barely have enough space for themselves ; it is hard for your head and heart, but no alternative, here. The movie, the actors, especially the captain, show this "conflict", amazingly intense and believable. "Das Boot" is a true Masterpiece!

I've shown this film to many friends for the first time. They've all been a little unsure about it, the length, the subtitles, the subject matter. Not sure they'll make it through it. Every single one of them has been utterly gripped by it, their food untouched and drinks undrunk by the end, barely daring to breathe at times. Yeah, it's a masterpiece for a reason, it COMPELS your attention for every second of its runtime.

Oh, Mary! I was hoping yet dreading that you were going to watch this incredible, wonderful movie. I saw it in the theater when it came out, and left the theater completely drained. Your experience with this movie mirrored mine.

At the time, U-Boote were more like submersibles, they stayed on the water most of the time because the batteries don't last long without diesel engines. They only dived to attack and in case of danger and then needed batteries that were as full as possible. The Type XXI boat was the first real U-boat to sail more under water than over water, but it was not used until the end of the war and did not take part in combat again. But they were still in use long after the war. This is a Type VIIC with a crew of 52. They were needed to operate, maintain and repair the boat. In addition, they worked in 2 shifts, which is why they needed twice as many people. One of these is exhibited in Laboe and can be viewed. By the time the film is set, the British and US were introducing radar and ASDIC sonar, making submarines no longer invisible and hunters be hunted. Radar could track them above water at night, only the periscopes and active sonar could track them underwater. The torpedoes were stored in the forward crew quarters (2 or 4 in the stern load). Four in the tubes and at least 6 to reload, where the beds were normally, so of course they were happy when they were used up and the crew had room to sleep. The reason they didn't take in shipwrecked people was the "Laconia Order". You can google it, KZfaq doesn't like external links.

6:20...Hi Mary, I think submarines (all warships in fact) tend to carry at least twice the crew they need to function since they are active 24 hours a day and so operate using a shift system

One of the finest films ever made.

My number one movie, Kubrick's Space Odyssey is second and Nobody Knows third. Das Boot is a masterpiece.

You will find NO other movie, which deliveres the atmosphere of a submarine better than this movie. As a German I am aware that we are not doing very good with movies. But this one is brilliant. Maybe you know Herbert Grönemeyer, a famous German singer/actor. He played Leutnant Werner. Loved your choice to watch this movie!

My father served on US diesel subs in the 1950s and thought this was the most realistic depiction of life on board a submarine that he had seen in the movies.

Movie classic, movie theme classic, Mari classic.

ALARM!!!! Seriously, thank you so much for reacting to Das Boot. It's so good and I really love seeing the perspective of German submariners as an American. The atmosphere, claustrophobia and sheer terror is captured so well in the filming. Please consider reacting to Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World at some point in the future. It's a naval movie set during the Napoleonic Wars that is just the bees knees of historical naval films in my opinion. Plus it has Paul Bettany aka (Vision). Keep up the great work, Mary!

I was a kid during the initial release (1981) but i still remember it being immediately considered a masterpiece. Especially Peterson’s writing and direction as well as Jost Vacano’s stunning cinematography. Honestly, I’m not surprised you chose to react to such a classic since you often like to detour away from the usual crop of genre staples. -which is what keeps me coming back ;)

I've been waiting for someone to react to one of best movies ever

Das Boot is an incredible experience, its even better when you watch the longer tv series which was cut into this directors cut.

Actually, "Das Boot" is best as a mini-series, which was recut after the movie. However, the series lasts more than 280 minutes, but some characters are dealt with in more detail there. For me personally, this film is a masterpiece because it took me as a viewer to joy and sorrow. I hoped, fought, suffered with the crew and in the end died a bit deeply sad when U-96 sank after all that had happened...

Yeeees! Thanks for watching this one, great video :)

Ah yes, the Valentine's Day classic.

fun fact: the war reporter in this movie is played by a German music star. He was good friends with one of the actors also in this movie. This movie is amazing in how it makes you feel for people who normally are shown as "the enemy"

This movie is a who is who of old german cinema, the old guard of actors so to say. The War Correspondet is played by Herbert Grönemeyer who is probably one of germanys biggest musicians. i myself saw him live in a stadium with 30.000 people in Bochum, where He and i originate from. He even has a song about the city which ALWAYS brings a tear to my eye ^^ Thank you for reacting to this, there also is a 6 hour TV Series Version of it.

“Tauchen! Alles fluten!” “Jawohl, Herr Kaleu!” De filmmuziek van Klaus Doldinger is fantastisch. ⚓️

"Their food isn't good" says the lady from the country of Bitterballen and Licorice 👀

We saw this movie in school when it came out, and I was blown away. It's one of those movies that's in a foreign language with subtitles, but it's so immersive that you totally forget that. I only recently learned that this was also released as a 5-hour miniseries. I can only imagine how crushing the ending must have been after 5 hours of living with these characters.

Great job on this movie Mary. I watched this in a theater when it came out. The ending caught me totally by surprise as well.

The superlative to fear you were looking for: dread. You expressed your feelings very well despite not always finding the right English word. I also liked that you were somewhat wonderfully ignorant of certain technical terms (as most are, even native English-speaking folk) but through context absorbed the situation, which is most important. Great movie, an all-time classic, superb reaction!

At 13:03 you were right. The captain was going to shoot Johann. Because the situation was basicaly a mutiny. So teh captain turned away and went into the captains cabin for his personal pistol. A few moments later he returned with that pistol, ready to use it - it can be seen in a few frames. (AFAIK there is another cut of this movie, where the pistol is visible much more). Luckily the crew restrained Johann in time. And the captain was right because crew members cannot wander around the ship without orders, opening hatches as they like - that would kill everybody on the ship. BTW, there is also a 'miniserie' cut of this movie, it is AFAIR about 6 parts, each about 1 hour long. Much more details there. And the book is also great, with even more details.

Da Boat! Here we go! Such a great film..

One fact that this film points out in a subtle way, is that not every soldier, sailor, or airman that fought for Germany, was a Nazi: many were just career military. You can clearly see the difference between the career sailors, and the "idealist" of the crew. The film also takes place at the turning point in the U-Boat war: in the early stages of the war, the U-Boats owned the Atlantic. When the Allies developed sonar & effective defense tactics, the tables turned against them, and the veterans of the crews knew this. The French girlfriends had to be VERY careful, because the French Resistance would execute them as traitors. Oh, now that you have seen this, you need to see "Beerfest"...🙂

In submarines, they have ballast tanks that they fill with enough water to have the submarine sink to certain depths. "Blow The Tanks" means to fill those tanks with highly pressured air that forces the water in those tanks to blow out of the sub causing it to be more buoyant and float quickly to the surface...assuming it hasn't taken on too much water from damage.

THE best war movie, or should I say, anti-war movie ever made. Period. Not a single movie will ever beat Das Boot in terms of realism, scenery, acting and climax.

I was in college when this movie came out. I'm 58 now. I have never forgotten it.

I did not see the air raid at the end of the movie beforehand. The ending is a real shocker, and like you, I was hoping that the surviving crew members were going to live. It just goes to show that you bond with characters when you can see them as real people, regardless of nationality, etc..

A movie commonly described as being “so good you end up rooting for the Germans”! And yeah, it would be much easier to get me to be an infantryman in a human wave attack than a submariner, absolutely nuts!

Das Boot is an amazing war movie. Even if we had a good ending, it would still be very anti-war, but then it goes and kills most of the characters in the end out of a surprise air raid. They went through hell and back, and died from a random air raid. It's not just the reality of war, it's the unreality of war. And the soundtrack which can't be appreciated in this reaction format, but it was stellar.

Haven't watched this start to finish in at least thirty years. Your reaction brought back what a real masterpiece this film is. Thanks Mary!

17:54 I don't know what you think of when you talk about German food, but food in Germany varies from region to region. Käsespätzle, Flammkuchen or Kartoffelpuffer, for example, are also quite popular with tourists and Germany is quite famous for good bread and baked goods like pretzels. And in the movie you see a table full of fruit, cookies (Vanillekipferl?) and cakes. What could be bad about that? Besides, Belgian and German cuisine are not so different. By the way, there is also a multi-part TV version of the film in which, for example, the extreme boredom of the crew is shown to better advantage.

A gasket is something you put between any sort of metal to metal surface to help seal the joint.

I served on a US submarine. As for the captains attitude to the politics. If your in the military long enough you see political leaders come and go and policy change. The loyalty is to the country not the politician. Getting people to serve on a submarine is difficult and being underway is stressfull. Even in peace time we had a bad attitude towards politicians and were disobedient to a point. But as long as we followed orders it was tolerated. It was a lot easier to ignore the grumpy submariner than to replace him.

I love that you understand and speak german, makes it so much better. ^_^

Classic Flick

A masterpiece.

The poor guy listening to the engine always gets me

A gold standard. One of the finest war films ever produced. A true classic that told the story of those who fought, and with the majority of them dying, on ships so feared, and then hunted, by the Allies.

Bruh german food is underated af

They actually placed the entire stage on a hydraulic platform. That way, they were able to simulate both the tilt of the boat as it is diving (These submarines were able to move up and down vertically using only ballast, but they also had elevators they would use pitch the boat up and down like an airplane), but also the movements of the boat in response to depth charges.

Great review Mary. And this is just one of the best movies I'd ever seen.

This movie is based on a book by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, the reporter in the movie and his experiences during the war. It's mostly autobiographic. It's so realistic because it was filmed mostly inside a "real" U-Boot. To convey the claustrophobic atmosphere, the whole crew was onboard all the time, even if there were only 3 people in the scene. To simulate the effects of the depth charges, the whole boat was shaken violently. The actors didn't have to act it, they were really thrown about 🙂 The waves breaking over the conning tower were simulated with a giant slide on which about a metric ton of water were released for each wave. They told the actors it would be warm water, but that wasn't possible as it fogged up the equipment. They were filming this in February, with temperatures around 4 degrees Celsius and below. So the shock was real 🙂You can visit this U-Boot and go through it in the Bavaria Filmstadt in Munich. It's quite the experience. It's so small and cramped.

Certainly one of the best war movies ever, and one of the best movies overall... a masterpiece indeed. I have watched the extended version in one sitting several times, too gripped for even a bathroom break. I've seen others recommend Greyhound for a look at the other side of this particular bit of conflict, and I'll join in that recommendation. A very well made tale of the people escorting the convoys and defending them from the U-Boats.

Masterpiece ..... I love this movie so much. The life on u-boats had to be a nightmare

This movie is one of my all time favorites, and I really enjoyed watching you as you experienced it for the first time:)

“He (the captain) has a strangely positive attitude”. That’s why he is the captain. Best wishes Mary. I really enjoy your channel. Subscribed, of course!

That is such a perfect movie! The best war movie in my opinion, showing the contrast between propaganda and the reality. Sucks you in like the deepest ocean, even while watching 208 minute long Director's Cut you find yourself surprised once it comes to an end. And music works here so phenomenally - you can feel the fear or euphoria (especially at the scene when they finally raise the ship and start their journey back home)... Did I mention that I love it? 😁 Great reaction, thanks!

The book is fantastic, extremely vivid and well written. The movie leaves out a few things including an encounter with a passenger ship after they make it out of Gibraltar. If you read the book its like a master class on combat strategy and submarine operation and the author actually served on u boats and other ships in WW2 on the German side. Great job Mary!

The technological advancement that allowed the detection of the periscope in bad weather was radar.

Great to see you're back Mary, thanks for the upload

Das Boot is in my top tier of movies. To me, it resides in rare air occupied by such examples as The Shawshank Redemption, the first two Godfather movies, The Silence of the Lambs, It's a Wonderful Life, Jaws, The Empire Strikes Back. I will instantly tell you the 209min Director's Cut of Das Boot is my pick as best war movie. As someone who doesn't understand German, I'll swear blind that the correct way to watch it is in German, with subtitles if you need them, in the dark, with the sound up. That said, the original German actors did a mostly great job on the English dub if you just can't handle reading a movie. I bought the Complete Edition on Blu Ray not long ago so I could finally watch the full miniseries version, but being a terrible person, I am yet to spin it up. If anyone hasn't mentioned it, the half-working U-Boat they created for this movie was also used in Raiders of the Lost Ark. So thrilled to see someone react to this.

That party scene in the beginning is dead on accurate. The level of partying us Submariners get into is pretty legendary and if it is the night before deployment you know we will be going extra hard. I remember taking the sub out of the channel once being absolutely drunk still from the night before lol. Good times.

Without a doubt the finest film about the german submarine war in the Atlantic....noise, smell, sweat, fear....a masterpiece

Blowing a tank means they release pressured air into the ballast tanks, pushing out the water and creating more lift for the boat. Vice versa, when they want to dive, they open valves letting the water push out the air out of the ballast tanks, making the boat "heavier".

You are again tempting me with patreon :) Its several months since i last saw this movie, i need to check whitch version i have. This movie made me realise how much spoken english is fine for me and i dont need subtitles, and then watching this one in german and having no idead what they are saying :) Uboats was my favorite topic to learn about 10 years back, since that i switched to surface navy. edit: I have 208 minutes DVD and also 295 minutes version