DAS BOOT

In 1973 Lothar-Günther Buchheim published a hugely successful anti-war novel, 'Das Boot' based on his experiences as a war correspondent on board U-boats in World War 2. 

Eight years later this film adaptation was released, followed by a TV miniseries which used extra footage (the film is a mere 148 minutes!), and then subsequent 'director's cuts'.

We follow one particular U-boat on a patrol in the Atlantic. The lengthy runtime enables us to appreciate that there are long stretches of boredom during such a patrol, which of course makes the action sequences that bit more exciting when they come.

Although the film was a huge critical success Buchheim himself expressed disappointment, saying that it didn't do justice to his anti-war views.

I find this surprising because there is no way that this film glorifies war, and it has a devastatingly bleak ending.

What it does do, which may be part of Buchheim's objections, is to pay tribute to the courage and professionalism of the submariners themselves, and why not?  This film does an outstanding job of conveying what life in a U-boat must have been like, and it's no picnic for sure.

It's all expertly directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who was so keen to make it accurate that he forbade his cast from going outdoors whilst the film was made, so that they had convincing skin pallor. 

He then went on to have a successful Hollywood career, including 'Air Force One', which is a personal favourite of mine.