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{{short description|1981 West German war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen}}
{{About|the film|the 2018 TV series|Das Boot (2018 TV series){{!}}''Das Boot'' (2018 TV series)|other uses|Das Boot (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox film 
| name           = Das Boot
| image          = Das boot ver1.jpg
| alt            =  
| caption        = Original German theatrical poster
| director       = [[Wolfgang Petersen]]
| screenplay     = Wolfgang Petersen
| based_on       = {{Based on|{{lang|de|[[Das Boot (novel)|Das Boot]]}}|[[Lothar-Günther Buchheim]]}}
| producer       = Günter Rohrbach
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Jürgen Prochnow]]
* [[Herbert Grönemeyer]]
* [[Klaus Wennemann]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Jost Vacano]]
| editing        = [[Hannes Nikel]]
| music          = [[Klaus Doldinger]]
| studio         = {{ubl|[[Bavaria Film]]|Radiant Film|[[Westdeutscher Rundfunk]]|[[SWR Fernsehen]]}}
| distributor    = [[Constantin Film|Neue Constantin Film]]
| released       = {{Film date|1981|9|17|df=y}}
| runtime        = 149 minutes<br />([[#Different versions and home media|see below]])
| country        = West Germany
| language       = German
| budget         = [[German mark|DM]]&nbsp;32&nbsp;million (equivalent to [[Euro|€]]{{#expr:({{Inflation|DE|32|1982|r=3}} / {{FixedEuroRate|DEM}}) round 1}} million {{Inflation-year|DE}})
| gross          = $84.9&nbsp;million<ref>[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1982/0DABO.php Box Office Information for ''Das Boot''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231001521/http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1982/0DABO.php |date=31 December 2013 }} The Numbers. Retrieved 27 March 2013.</ref> (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|84.9|1982}} million {{Inflation-year|US}})
}}
[[File:Das Boot, the tower.jpg|thumb|The conning tower of the submarine, at [[Bavaria Studios]], Munich]]
'''{{lang|de|Das Boot}}''' ({{IPA|de|das ˈboːt}}; {{lit|The Boat}}) is a 1981 [[West Germany|West German]] [[war film]] written and directed by [[Wolfgang Petersen]], produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring [[Jürgen Prochnow]], [[Herbert Grönemeyer]] and [[Klaus Wennemann]]. An [[Film adaptation|adaptation]] of [[Lothar-Günther Buchheim]]'s 1973 semi-autobiographical novel [[Das Boot (novel)|of the same name]], the film is set during [[World War II]] and follows the {{GS|U-96|1940|6}} and her crew, as they set out on a hazardous patrol in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]. It depicts both the excitement of battle and the tedium of the fruitless hunt, and shows the men serving aboard [[U-boat#World War II (1939–1945)|U-boats]] as ordinary individuals with a desire to do their best for their comrades and their country.

Development began in 1979. Several American directors were considered three years earlier, before the film was [[development hell|shelved]]. During production, [[Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock]], the captain of the real ''U-96'' during Buchheim's 1941 patrol and one of Germany's top U-boat "tonnage aces" during the war, and Hans-Joachim Krug, former first officer on {{GS|U-219||2}}, served as consultants. One of Petersen's goals was to guide the audience through "a journey to the edge of the mind" (the film's German tagline {{lang|de|Eine Reise ans Ende des Verstandes}}), showing "what war is all about".<ref>{{Cite book |last=McCaulay |first=Philip Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RQ_YAQAAQBAJ&dq=wolfgang+petersen+%22what+war+is+all+about%22&pg=PA61 |title=World War II Movies |year=2010 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-0-557-30299-4 |language=en}}</ref>

Produced on a [[Deutsche Mark|DM]]32 million budget (about ${{To USD|32|DEU|year=1982|round=1}} million, equivalent to [[Euro|€]]{{#expr:({{Inflation|DE|32|1982|r=3}} / {{FixedEuroRate|DEM}}) round 1}} million in {{Inflation-year|DE}}), the high production cost ranks it among the most expensive films in [[Cinema of Germany|German cinema]], but it was a commercial success, grossing nearly $85 million worldwide (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|84.9|1982}} million {{Inflation-year|US}}). The film has been exhibited both as a theatrical release (1981) and a TV [[miniseries]] (1985). Several different [[home video]] versions, as well as a [[director's cut]] (1997) supervised by Petersen, have also been released. [[Columbia Pictures]] issued both German-language and English-dubbed versions in the United States theatrically through their Triumph Classics label, earning $11 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |date=1997-03-31 |title=Das Boot: The Director's Cut |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/das-boot-the-director-s-cut-1200449025/ |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

{{lang|de|Das Boot}} received positive reviews, and was nominated for six [[Academy Awards]], including for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] for Petersen himself. He was also nominated for a [[BAFTA Award]] and [[DGA Award]], and the film won the [[German Film Award|German Film Award for Best Film]]. It was the German film with the most Oscar nominations until the release of ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front (2022 film)|All Quiet on the Western Front]]'' in 2022.

==Plot==
Lieutenant Werner, a [[war correspondent]] on the {{GS|U-96|1940|6}} in October 1941, is driven by his captain and chief engineer to a French bordello, where he meets some of the crew. Thomsen, another captain, gives a drunken speech to celebrate his [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross|''Ritterkreuz'' award]] and mocks [[Adolf Hitler]].

The next morning, ''U-96'' sails out of the harbour of [[La Rochelle]], and Werner is given a tour of the boat. He observes ideological differences between the new crew members and the hardened veterans, particularly the captain, who is cynical about the war. The new men, including Werner, are mocked by the rest, who share a tight bond. The first watch officer is particularly disliked due to his pro-Nazi beliefs and meticulous grooming habits, which tie up the only bathroom. After days of boredom, the crew is excited by another U-boat's spotting of an enemy convoy, but they are soon spotted by a British [[destroyer]] and attacked with [[depth charge]]s. They escape with light damage.

The next three weeks are spent enduring relentless North Atlantic gales.  Morale drops after various misfortunes, but the crew is cheered by a chance encounter with Thomsen's boat. After the storm ends, the boat encounters an Allied [[convoy]] and launches three torpedoes, sinking two ships. The convoy's escorts counterattack, and they are forced to dive below test depth, the [[Submarine depth ratings|submarine's rated limit]]. As depth charges explode around them, the chief machinist, Johann, has a [[panic attack]] and has to be restrained. The boat sustains heavy damage but manages to surface when night falls. A British tanker they torpedoed is still afloat and on fire, so they torpedo it again, only to learn that sailors are still aboard. The crew watches as the sailors leap overboard and swim towards them. Neither able nor willing to accommodate prisoners, the captain orders the boat to back away.

The exhausted crew looks forward to returning home to La Rochelle for [[Christmas]], but the boat is ordered to [[La Spezia]], Italy, which means passing through the [[Strait of Gibraltar]]—an area defended by the [[Royal Navy]]. The U-boat makes a secret night rendezvous at the harbour of [[Vigo]], in [[Neutral country|neutral]] but [[Francoist Spain|Axis-friendly Spain]], with the SS ''Weser'', an [[interned]] German [[merchant ship]] that clandestinely provides U-boats with fuel, torpedoes, and other supplies. The filthy submariners appear at the opulent dinner prepared for them and are warmly greeted by the ship's clean-cut officers. The captain learns from an envoy of the German consulate that his request for Werner and the chief engineer to be sent back to Germany has been denied.

The crew finishes resupplying and depart for Italy. As they approach the Strait of Gibraltar and are about to dive, they are attacked and badly damaged by a British fighter plane, wounding the navigator, Kriechbaum. The captain orders the boat south towards the North African coast at full speed, determined to save his crew even if he loses the boat. British warships begin shelling, and they are forced to dive. When attempting to level off, the boat does not respond and continues to sink until, just prior to exceeding its crush depth, it lands on a sea shelf at a depth of 280 metres. The crew works to make repairs before running out of oxygen. After over 16 hours, they manage to surface by blowing their [[ballast tank]]s, and limp back towards La Rochelle under cover of darkness.

The crew reach La Rochelle on Christmas Eve. After Kriechbaum is taken ashore to an ambulance, [[Royal Air Force]] planes bomb and strafe the facilities. Ullmann, Johann, the second watch officer, and the {{lang|de|Bibelforscher}} are killed; Frenssen, {{lang|de|Bootsmann}} Lamprecht, and Hinrich are wounded. After the raid, Werner leaves the [[submarine pen|U-boat bunker]] in which he had taken shelter, and finds the captain badly injured by shrapnel, watching his U-boat sink. After the boat disappears, the captain collapses and dies. Werner rushes to his body and surveys the scene with tears in his eyes.

==Cast==
[[File:DasBootcast.png|thumb|right|The ''U-96'' officers. From left to right: the II. WO (Semmelrogge), the Commander (Prochnow), Navigator Kriechbaum (Tauber), the I. WO (Bengsch), Lt. Werner (Grönemeyer), "Little" Benjamin (Hoffmann), Cadet Ullmann (May), and Pilgrim (Fedder).]]
* [[Jürgen Prochnow]] as {{lang|de|[[Kapitänleutnant]]}} (abbr. "{{lang|de|Kaleun}}", {{IPA|de|kaˈlɔɪ̯n}})<!--do NOT change to "Kaleu" w/o providing source--> and also called "{{lang|de|Der Alte}}" ("the Old Man") by his crew: A 30-year-old battle-hardened but good-hearted and sympathetic sea veteran, he complains to Werner that most of his crew members are boys.<ref>See comment by Wolfgang Petersen in 'Extra Features'; 'The Making Of/Behind The Scenes, ''Das Boot: The Director's Cut'' (1997). DVD.</ref> He is openly anti-Nazi, embittered and cynical, being openly critical about how the war is being handled.
* [[Herbert Grönemeyer]] as {{lang|de|Leutnant}} (Ensign) Werner, war correspondent: Naive but honest, he has been sent out to sea with the crew to gather photographs of them in action and report on the voyage. Werner is initially mocked for his lack of experience, and soon learns the true horrors of service on a U-boat.
* [[Klaus Wennemann]] as chief engineer ({{lang|de|[[Leitender Ingenieur]]}} or LI, Rank: {{lang|de|Oberleutnant}}): A quiet and well-respected man, at age 27, he is the oldest crew member besides the Captain and is tormented by the uncertain fate of his wife, especially after hearing about a [[Bombing of Cologne in World War II|British air raid]] on [[Cologne]]. As the second most important crewman, he oversees diving operations and makes sure the systems are running correctly.
[[File:DasbootLIJohann.png|thumb|Johann (Leder) and the LI (Wennemann) inspecting the engine]]
* [[Hubertus Bengsch]] as first watch officer (I. WO, Rank: {{lang|de|Oberleutnant}}): A young, by-the-book officer, he is an ardent [[Nazi]] and a staunch believer in the {{lang|de|[[Endsieg]]}}. He has a condescending attitude and is the only crewman who makes the effort to maintain his proper uniform and trim appearance, while all the others grow their beards in the traditional [[U-Bootwaffe]] fashion. He was raised in some wealth in Mexico by his stepparents, who owned a plantation. His German fiancée died in a British air raid. He spends his days writing his thoughts on military training and leadership for the High Command. When the boat is trapped underwater near Gibraltar, he becomes pessimistic and begins to let go of his adherence to Nazi ideas as he finally stops shaving every day and wearing his proper uniform all the time.
* [[Martin Semmelrogge]] as second watch officer (II. WO, Rank: {{lang|de|Oberleutnant}}): A vulgar, comedic officer, he is short, red-haired and speaks with a mild [[Berlinerisch dialect|Berlin dialect]]. One of his duties is to decode messages from base, using the [[Enigma machine|Enigma code machine]].
* [[Bernd Tauber]] as {{lang|de|Obersteuermann}} ("Chief Helmsman") Kriechbaum: The navigator and 3rd Watch Officer (III. WO) always slightly skeptical of the Captain and without enthusiasm during the voyage, he shows no anger when a convoy is too far away to be attacked. Kriechbaum has four sons, with another on the way.
* [[Erwin Leder]] as {{lang|de|Obermaschinist}} ("Chief Mechanic") Johann, also called "{{lang|de|Das Gespenst}}" ("The Ghost"): He is obsessed with a near-fetish love for ''U-96''{{'}}s engines. Johann suffers a temporary mental breakdown during an attack by two destroyers. He is able to redeem himself by valiantly working to stop water leaks when the boat is trapped underwater near Gibraltar. Speaks [[Austro-Bavarian language|a lower Austrian dialect]].
* [[Martin May (actor)|Martin May]] as {{lang|de|Fähnrich}} (Senior Cadet) Ullmann: A young officer candidate who has a pregnant [[French people|French]] fiancée (which is considered treason by the French [[French Resistance|partisans]]) and worries about her safety, he is one of the few crew members with whom Werner is able to connect. Werner offers to deliver Ullmann's stack of love letters when Werner is ordered to leave the submarine.
* [[Heinz Hoenig]] as {{lang|de|Maat}} (Petty Officer) Hinrich: The radioman, sonar controller and ship's [[combat medic]] gauges speed and direction of targets and enemy destroyers. Hinrich is one of the few crewmen whom the Captain is able to relate to.
* [[Uwe Ochsenknecht]] as {{lang|de|Bootsmann}} ("Boatswain") Lamprecht:<ref>{{cite web |title= Themen un Personen: Uwe Ochsenknecht |language=de |trans-title= Topics and People: Uwe Ochsenknecht |website=RTL.de |url= https://www.rtl.de/themen/personen/uwe-ochsenknecht-t4392.html |access-date= 9 April 2021 |quote= "Seinen Durchbruch schaffte Uwe Ochsenknecht mit Wolfgang Petersens Film 'Das Boot' (1981), in dem er den Bootsmann Lamprecht spielte." |trans-quote= "Uwe Ochsenknecht made his breakthrough with Wolfgang Petersen's film 'Das Boot' (1981), in which he played the bosun Lamprecht."}}</ref> The severe chief petty officer shows Werner around ''U-96'', and supervises the firing and reloading of the torpedo tubes. He gets upset after hearing on the radio that the football team most of the crew supports ([[FC Schalke 04]]) are losing a match, and they will "never make the final now".
* [[Claude-Oliver Rudolph]] as Ario: The burly mechanic who tells everyone that Dufte is marrying an ugly woman, and throws pictures around of Dufte's fiancée in order to laugh at them both also has a disdainful relationship towards the Bibelforscher, as evidenced throughout the miniseries.
* [[Jan Fedder]] as {{lang|de|Maat}} (Petty Officer) Pilgrim: Another sailor (watch officer and diving planes operator) who gets almost swept off the submarine during a storm – a genuine accident during filming in which Fedder broke several ribs and was hospitalised for a while.
* [[Ralf Richter (actor)|Ralf Richter]] as {{lang|de|Maat}} (Petty Officer) Frenssen: Pilgrim's best friend. Pilgrim and Frenssen love to trade dirty jokes and stories.
* Joachim Bernhard as {{lang|de|Bibelforscher}} ("Bible scholar", also the contemporary German term for a member of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]): A very young religious sailor who is constantly reading the Bible, he is punched by Ario when the submarine is trapped at the bottom of the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] for praying rather than repairing the boat.
* [[Oliver Stritzel]] as Schwalle: A tall and well-built blond torpedoman.
* Jean-Claude Hoffmann as Benjamin: A red haired sailor who serves as a diving plane operator.
* Lutz Schnell as Dufte: The sailor who gets jeered at because of his upcoming marriage, and for a possible false airplane sighting.
* [[Konrad Becker]] as Böckstiegel: The [[Vienna|Viennese]] sailor who is first visited by Hinrich for crab lice.
* [[Otto Sander]] as {{lang|de|Kapitänleutnant}} Philipp Thomsen: An alcoholic and [[combat stress reaction|shell-shocked]] U-boat commander, who is a member of "The Old Guard", when introduced is extremely drunk and briefly mocks Hitler on the stage of the French bordello. (In the "Director's Cut" DVD [[audio commentary]], Petersen says that Sander was really drunk while they were shooting the scene.) Sometime after ''U-96'' departs, Thomsen is deployed once again and the two submarines meet randomly in the middle of the [[Atlantic Ocean]] after being put off course by the storm. This upsets the Captain because it means that there is now a gap in the blockade chain. After failing to make contact later, it becomes apparent that Thomsen's boat is missing. When ''U-96'' intercepts the convoy and sees they are without escorts, the Captain makes the observation that they must be away chasing down another boat; this boat is probably Thomsen's.
* [[Günter Lamprecht]] as the Captain of the ''Weser'': An enthusiastic officer aboard the resupply ship ''Weser'', he mistakes the 1st Watch Officer for the Captain as they enter the ship's elegant dining room. An ardent Nazi, he complains about the frustration of not being able to fight, but boasts about the food that has been prepared for the crew and the ship's "specialities".
* [[Sky du Mont]] as an officer aboard the ''Weser'' (uncredited).

==Production==
In late 1941, war correspondent [[Lothar-Günther Buchheim]] joined {{GS|U-96|1940|2}} for her 7th patrol, during the [[Battle of the Atlantic]].<ref name=Uziel>{{cite book |author=Daniel Uziel |author-link = Daniel Uziel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pKnPzrPD7sC&q=buchheim%20iron%20cross&pg=PA402 |title=The Propaganda Warriors: The Wehrmacht and the Consolidation of the German Home Front |location=Bern / Oxford |publisher=Lang |year=2008 |isbn=978-3-03911-532-7 |page=402 }}</ref><ref name=Grauniad>{{cite news |author=Dan van der Vat |author-link = Dan van der Vat |url=https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,2026462,00.html |title=Obituary: Lothar-Günther Buchheim |date=5 March 2007 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> His orders were to photograph and describe the U-boat in action. In 1973, Buchheim published a novel based on his wartime experiences, {{lang|de|Das Boot}} (The Boat), a fictionalised autobiographical account narrated by a "Leutnant Werner". It became the best-selling German fiction work on the war.<ref name=Local /> A sequel {{lang|de|Die Festung}} by Buchheim was released in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zeit.de/1995/22/Der_Krieg_aus_dem_Naehkaestchen |title=Der Krieg aus dem Nähkästchen |language=de |trans-title=The War From the Sewing Box |first=Peter |last=Wapnewski |date=26 May 1995 |via=Die Zeit |access-date=10 March 2018 |archive-date=2 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302235553/https://www.zeit.de/1995/22/Der_Krieg_aus_dem_Naehkaestchen |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Production for this film originally began in 1976. Several American directors were considered, and the {{lang|de|Kaleun}} ({{lang|de|Kapitänleutnant}}) was to be played by [[Robert Redford]]. Disagreements sprang up among various parties and the project was shelved. Another Hollywood production was attempted with other American directors in mind, this time with the {{lang|de|Kaleun}} to be portrayed by [[Paul Newman]]. This effort primarily failed due to technical concerns, for example, how to film the close encounter of the two German submarines at sea during a storm.<ref>{{cite AV media | people=Wolfgang Petersen | title=Das Boot: The Director's Cut| medium=Blu-ray | publisher=Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | date=2012 | location=United States | time=1:29:05 | transcript=Director's commentary }}</ref>

Production of {{lang|de|Das Boot}} took two years (1979–1981) and was the most expensive German film at the time.<ref name=Winds/> Most of the filming was done in one year; to make the appearance of the actors as realistic as possible, scenes were filmed in sequence over the course of the year. This ensured natural growth of beards and hair, increasing skin pallor, and signs of strain on the actors, who had, just like real U-boat men, spent many months in a cramped, unhealthy atmosphere.

The production included the construction of several models of different sizes, as well as a complete, detailed reconstruction of the interior of the {{GS|U-96|1940|2}}, a [[German Type VII submarine|Type VIIC-class U-boat]].

Hans-Joachim Krug, former first officer on ''U-219'', served as a consultant, as did [[Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock]], the captain of the real ''U-96''.

The film features both Standard German-speakers and [[dialect]] speakers. Petersen states in the DVD audio commentary that young men from throughout West Germany and Austria were recruited for the film, as he wanted faces and dialects that would accurately reflect the diversity of the [[Nazi Germany|Third Reich]] around 1941. All of the main actors are bilingual in German and English, and when the film was dubbed into English, each actor recorded his own part (with the exception of Martin Semmelrogge, who only dubbed his own role in the Director's Cut). The German version is dubbed as well, as the film was shot "silent", because the dialogue spoken on-set would have been drowned out by the [[gyroscope]]s in the special camera developed for filming. The film's German version actually grossed much higher than the English-dubbed version at the United States box office.<ref name="indiewire.com">{{Cite web | url=http://www.indiewire.com/1999/08/editorial-life-isnt-beautiful-anymore-its-dubbed-82123/ |title = EDITORIAL: Life Isn't Beautiful Anymore, it's Dubbed|date = 23 August 1999}}</ref><ref name="Archived copy">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/19/business/will-dubbing-fly-in-the-us-read-my-lips.html |title=Will Dubbing Fly in the U.S.? Read My Lips |newspaper=The New York Times |date=19 February 1996 |access-date=5 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805152511/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/19/business/will-dubbing-fly-in-the-us-read-my-lips.html |archive-date=5 August 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all |last1=Pristin |first1=Terry }}</ref>

===Sets and models===
[[File:Baselapallice08.jpg|thumb|[[U-boat pens]] at the harbor of [[La Rochelle]] (2007)<br/>{{coord|46|9|32|N|1|12|33|W|type:landmark_scale:3000_region:FR|display=inline}}]]
Several different sets were used. Two full-size mock-ups of a Type VIIC boat were built, one representing the portion above water for use in outdoor scenes, and the other a cylindrical tube on a motion mount (hydraulic [[gimbal]]) for the interior scenes. The mock-ups were built according to U-boat plans from [[Chicago]]'s [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Museum of Science and Industry]].

The outdoor mock-up was basically a shell propelled with a small engine, and stationed in La Rochelle, France, and has a history of its own. One morning the production crew walked out to where they kept it afloat and found it missing. Someone had forgotten to inform the crew that an American filmmaker had rented the mock-up for his own film shooting in the area. This filmmaker was [[Steven Spielberg]] and the film he was shooting was ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''.<ref>{{cite book | author=Marcus Hearn | title =The Cinema of George Lucas | publisher =Harry N. Abrams Inc, Publishers | year =2005 | location =[[New York City|New York]] | pages =127–134| isbn =0-8109-4968-7}}</ref> A few weeks later, during production, the mock-up cracked in a storm and sank, was recovered and patched to stand in for the final scenes. The full-sized mock-up was used during the Gibraltar surface scenes; the attacking aircraft (played by a [[North American T-6 Texan]] / Harvard) and rockets were real while the British ships were models.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Krug |first=Hans-Joachim |title=Filming Das Boot |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1996/june/filming-das-boot |access-date=March 8, 2023 |website=U.S. Naval Institute|date=June 1996 }}</ref>

[[File:U995 2004 1 b.jpg|thumb|{{GS|U-995||2}}, a [[Type VIIC/41]] U-boat, preserved as a museum at [[Laboe]] in 2004]]
A mock-up of a conning tower was placed in a water tank at the [[Bavaria Film Studios|Bavaria Studios]] in [[Munich]] for outdoor scenes not requiring a full view of the boat's exterior. When filming on the outdoor mock-up or the conning tower, jets of cold water were hosed over the actors to simulate the breaking ocean waves. A half-sized full hull operating model was used for underwater shots and some surface running shots, in particular the meeting in stormy seas with another U-boat. The tank was also used for the shots of British sailors jumping from their ship; a small portion of the tanker hull was constructed for these shots.

During the filming there was a scene where actor [[Jan Fedder]] (Pilgrim) fell off the bridge while the U-boat was surfaced. During the played rescue, Bernd Tauber (Chief Helmsmann Kriechbaum) really broke two ribs.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.focus.de/kultur/kino_tv/wiedersehen-unter-veteranen-das-boot_id_2000568.html |title=Wiedersehen unter Veteranen |language=German | magazine=Focus |date=2013-09-03 |accessdate=2021-08-28}}</ref> This event is often purported as Jan Fedder breaking the ribs.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082096/trivia| title = "Das Boot" on imdb.com| website = [[IMDb]]}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align:left" caption="Mock-up of the interior at the Bavaria Studios in Munich">
File:Bavaria Filmstudio Das Boot 1 b.jpg
File:Bavaria Filmstudio Das Boot 4 b.jpg
File:Bavaria Filmstudio Das Boot 5 b.jpg
File:Bavaria Filmstudio Das Boot 6 b.jpg
</gallery>

The interior U-boat mock-up was mounted five metres off the floor and was shaken, rocked, and tilted up to 45 degrees by means of a hydraulic apparatus, and was vigorously shaken to simulate depth charge attacks. Petersen was admittedly obsessive about the structural detail of the U-boat set, remarking that "every screw" in the set was an authentic facsimile of the kind used in a [[World War II]] U-boat. In this he was considerably assisted by the numerous photographs [[Lothar-Günther Buchheim]] had taken during his own voyage on the historical ''U-96'', some of which had been published in his 1976 book, {{lang|de|U-Boot-Krieg}} ("U-Boat War").

Throughout the filming, the actors were forbidden to go out in sunlight, to create the pallor of men who seldom saw the sun during their missions. The actors went through intensive training to learn how to move quickly through the narrow confines of the vessel.

===Special camera===
Most of the interior shots were filmed using a hand-held [[Arriflex]] of cinematographer [[Jost Vacano]]'s design to convey the claustrophobic atmosphere of the boat. It had two gyroscopes to provide stability, a different and smaller scale solution than the [[Steadicam]], so that it could be carried throughout the interior of the mock-up.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=Jost Vacano|url=http://vimeo.com/19688881|title=SOC 2011 Historical Shot: Das Boot by Jost Vacano|date=7 February 2011 |work=[[ARRI]] |via=Vimeo|access-date=15 February 2016}}</ref>

==Release==
The film opened on 17 September 1981 and received a very wide release in West Germany, opening in 220 theatres and grossing a record $5,176,000 in the first two weeks.<ref name=Winds>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=14 October 1981 |page=6 |title='Boat' Rides B.O. Winds}}</ref> It became the highest-grossing German film in Germany.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=1 May 1985|page=362|title=All-Time German Rental Champs}}</ref>

The film opened in the United States on 10 February 1982.

== Different versions and home media <span class="anchor" id="Versions"></span>==
Petersen has overseen the creation of several different versions. The first to be released was the 149-minute theatrical cut in 1981.

As the film received partial financing by West German television broadcasters [[Westdeutscher Rundfunk|WDR]] and the [[Süddeutscher Rundfunk|SDR]], more footage was shot than was shown in the theatrical version.<ref name="Baer_2012">{{cite journal |last=Baer |first=Hester  |date= Winter 2012 |title= "Das Boot" and the German Cinema of Neoliberalism |url= http://www.jstor.org/stable/41494715 |journal=The German Quarterly |volume=85 |issue=1 |pages=18–39 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15825-X |jstor=41494715 |pmid=15046114 |access-date=27 April 2024|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A version of six 50-minute episodes was transmitted on [[BBC Two|BBC2]] in the United Kingdom in October 1984 and again during the 1999 Christmas season. In February 1985, a version of three 100-minute episodes was broadcast in West Germany.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kramer |first=Peter |date=8 October 2017 |url=http://www.puremovies.co.uk/columns/das-boot-probably-the-biggest-german-blockbuster-of-all-time/ |title=Das Boot – Probably the Biggest German Blockbuster of All Time |access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.filmstarts.de/nachrichten/18516631.html |title=Der Produzent verrät Details: So soll die Sky-Serie ''Das Boot'' an den U-Boot-Filmklassiker herankommen |language=de |trans-title=The producer reveals details: This is how the Sky series ''Das Boot'' should approach the classic submarine film |last=Friedrich |first=Alexander |date=17 January 2018 |access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref>

In 1997, Petersen edited a new theatrical release, a 208-minute version, entitled ''The Director's Cut'', combining the action sequences from the feature-length release with the character development scenes from the miniseries, also with remixed 5.1 audio containing many new sound effects.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dasboot.com/classics.htm|title=Classics Restoration|website=DasBoot.com|access-date=23 January 2025|archive-date=19 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219212455/http://www.dasboot.com/classics.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1998, this cut was released on DVD as a single-disc edition including an audio commentary by Petersen, Prochnow and director's cut producer Ortwin Freyermuth; a six-minute making-of featurette; and in most countries, the theatrical trailer. In 2003, it was also released as a "[[Superbit]]" edition with no extra features, but with a higher bit-rate and the film spread across two discs.

From 2010 onwards, the "Director's Cut", along with various new extras, was released internationally on [[Blu-ray]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/das-boot-the-director-s-cut-1798168781 |title=Das Boot: The Director's Cut |first=Noel |last=Murray|website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=6 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-filme/das-boot-blu-ray-disc | title=Das Boot (Directors Cut) Blu-ray | access-date=2014-03-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720045229/http://www.bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-filme/das-boot-blu-ray-disc | archive-date=20 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2014, the 308-minute miniseries, also known as ''The Original Uncut Version'', was released on Blu-ray in Germany with optional English audio and subtitles.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Das Boot - Die TV-Serie" - Langfassung des deutschen Filmklassikers im September auf Blu-ray Disc - Blu-ray News |url=https://bluray-disc.de/blu-ray-news/serien/68678-das_boot_die_tvserie_langfassung_des_deutschen_filmklassikers_im_september_auf_bluray_disc |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=bluray-disc.de |language=de}}</ref>

In November 2018, a "Complete Edition" was released as a collection of five Blu-ray discs and three CDs. It contains more than 30 hours of material: the Director's Cut (208 min.), the Original Cinema version (149 min.), the complete TV Series in six parts ("The Original Uncut Version", 308 min.), Bonus Material (202 min. + various trailers), the Original Soundtrack by [[Klaus Doldinger]] (38:21 min.) and a German-language audiobook of the novel read by [[Dietmar Bär]] (910 min.).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.de/Das-Boot-Complete-Bonus-BD-Soundtrack/dp/B07J35TB8S |title=Das Boot Complete Edition|website=Amazon Germany}}</ref>

For all versions of the film, new English language soundtracks were recorded featuring most of the original cast, who were bilingual. These soundtracks are included on various DVD and Blu-ray releases as an alternative language to the original German.
* 1981 unreleased version (209 minutes)
* 1981 original theatrical cut (149 minutes)
* 1984 BBC miniseries (300 minutes)
* 1997 "Director's Cut" (208 minutes)
* 2004 "The Original Uncut Version" (293 minutes) – miniseries minus episode-opening flashback scenes

==Reception==
===Critical response===
The film received highly positive reviews upon its release. [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave it a score of four out of four.<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |work=Chicago Sun-Times |publisher=Sun-Times Media Group |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=1981 |title=Das Boot |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/das-boot-1997}}</ref>
Prior to the 55th Academy Awards on 11 April 1983 the movie received six nominations: Cinematography for Jost Vacano; Directing for Wolfgang Petersen; Film Editing for Hannes Nikel; Sound for Milan Bor, Trevor Pyke and Mike Le-Mare; Sound Effects Editing for Mike Le-Mare; and Writing (Screenplay based on material from another medium) for Wolfgang Petersen.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 55th Academy Awards – 1983 |date=5 October 2014 |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983}}</ref>
{{blockquote|"Das Boot" isn't just a German film about World War II; it's a German naval adventure epic that has already been a hit in West Germany.|source=Janet Maslin, ''The New York Times'', 10 February 1982<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE6DA103BF933A25751C0A964948260 |title=Movie Reviews |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 2020}}</ref>}}
Today, the film is seen as [[List of films considered the best#Germany|one of the greatest German films]]. On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film received an [[approval rating]] of 98% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 9.10/10. The critical consensus states "Taut, breathtakingly thrilling, and devastatingly intelligent, ''Das Boot'' is one of the greatest war films ever made."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/das_boot/?search=das%20boot |title=Das Boot |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=5 May 2022}}</ref> The film also has a score of 85 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]] based on 16 critics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/das-boot |title=Das Boot |work=Metacritic |access-date=15 February 2016}}</ref> For its unsurpassed authenticity in tension and realism, it is regarded internationally as pre-eminent among all [[submarine films]]. The film was ranked #25 in ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema – 25. Das Boot |url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=25 |work=Empire}}</ref>

In late 2007, there was an exhibition about the film ''Das Boot'', as well as about the real U-boat ''U-96'', at the [[Haus der Geschichte]] (House of German History) in [[Bonn]]. Over 100,000 people visited during the exhibition's four-month run.

;Buchheim's views of the film
Though impressed by the technological accuracy of the film's set-design and port construction buildings, novelist [[Lothar-Günther Buchheim]] expressed disappointment with Petersen's adaptation in a film review<ref name="buchheim">{{cite magazine |last=Buchheim |first=Lothar-Günter |title=Kommentar – Die Wahrheit blieb auf Tauchstation |language=de |trans-title=Commentary: The truth remained hidden under the sea |magazine=[[GEO (magazine)|GEO]] |issue=10 |date=1981 |url=http://www.cs.uni-magdeburg.de/~junghans/dasboot/inhalt.html}}</ref> published in 1981, describing Petersen's film as converting his clearly anti-war novel into a blend of a "cheap, shallow American action flick" and a "contemporary German propaganda newsreel from World War II".<ref name=Local>{{cite news |author=Jörg Luyken |url=https://www.thelocal.de/20180206/lg-buchheim-the-multi-talented-and-irascible-genius-behind-das-boot |title=LG Buchheim: the multi-talented and irascible genius behind Das Boot |newspaper=[[The Local]] |location=Germany |date=6 February 2018 }}</ref><ref name="buchheim" />

===Accolades===
''Das Boot'' kept the record  for a German film with the most Academy Award nominations, until ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front (2022 film)|All Quiet on the Western Front]]'', which received nine nominations including Best Picture.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Recipients
! Result
|-
| rowspan="6"| [[55th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars1983">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983 |title=The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-10-09|work=oscars.org}}</ref>
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Wolfgang Petersen]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| [[Jost Vacano]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Hannes Nikel]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| [[Milan Bor]], Trevor Pyke and Mike Le Mare
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Best Sound Effects Editing]]
| [[Mike Le Mare]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Bavarian Film Awards]]
| [[Bavarian Film Awards (Best Director)|Best Director]]
| Wolfgang Petersen
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Bavarian Film Awards (Best Cinematography)|Best Cinematography]]
| Jost Vacano
| {{won}}
|-
| [[36th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1983/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1983 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=1983 |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|1983}}}}</ref>
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language|Best Film Not in the English Language]]
| rowspan="2"| Wolfgang Petersen
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[35th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1980s/1982.aspx?value=1982|title=35th DGA Awards |website=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[Goldene Kamera|Golden Camera Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Jubilee
| {{won}}
|-
| Directing {{small|(25th Anniversary Camera)}}
| Wolfgang Petersen
| {{won}}
|-
| Cinematography {{small|(25th Anniversary Camera)}}
| Jost Vacano
| {{won}}
|-
| Music {{small|(25th Anniversary Camera)}}
| [[Klaus Doldinger]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[German Film Award]]s<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deutscher-filmpreis.de/historie/ |title=History – German Film Award |publisher=[[German Film Award]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref>
| Best Feature-Length Feature Film (Silver Award)
| [[Bavaria Film]]
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Sound/Mixing
| Milan Bor {{small|(representing the entire sound team)}}
| {{won}}
|-
| [[39th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/das-boot |title=Das Boot – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=June 3, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1982}}}}</ref>
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Film]] 
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Motion Picture Sound Editors#Golden Reel Awards|Golden Reel Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR for Foreign Language Feature Film|Best Sound Editing – Foreign Feature – Sound Effects]]
| {{won}}
|-
| colspan="3"| [[Goldene Leinwand|Golden Screen Awards]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Japan Academy Film Prize]]
| colspan="2"| [[Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film|Outstanding Foreign Language Film]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Mainichi Film Awards]]
| Best Young Actor
| [[Heinz Hoenig]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Board of Review Awards 1982|National Board of Review Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1982/ |title=1982 Award Winners |publisher=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref>
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Five Foreign Language Films|Top Foreign Films]]
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
|-
| [[16th Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/2011/ |title=2011 Satellite Awards |work=[[Satellite Awards]] |publisher=[[International Press Academy]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref>
| [[Satellite Award for Best DVD Extras|Best DVD Extras]]
| ''Das Boot: Two Disc Collector's Set''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Society of Operating Cameramen|Society of Camera Operators Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://socawards.com/past-soc-lifetime-achievement-awards/ |title=Past SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards |work=[[Satellite Awards]] |date=6 December 2014 |publisher=[[Society of Operating Cameramen]] |access-date=July 10, 2021}}</ref>
| Historical Shot
| Jost Vacano
| {{won}}
|}

==Soundtrack==
The characteristic lead melody of the soundtrack, composed and produced by [[Klaus Doldinger]], took on a life of its own after German [[rave]] group [[U96]] created a remixed "techno version" in 1991. The title theme "[[Das Boot (song)|Das Boot]]"<ref>{{discogs master|162882|Die Original Titelmelodie: Das Boot (Klaus Doldinger single)}}</ref> later became an international hit.

The official soundtrack<ref>{{discogs master|55391|Das Boot (Die original Filmmusik) (album)}}</ref> features only compositions by Doldinger, except for "{{lang|fr|[[J'attendrai]]|italic=unset}}" sung by [[Rina Ketty]]. The soundtrack ("{{lang|de|Filmmusik|italic=unset}}") released following the release of ''The Director's Cut'' version omits "{{lang|fr|J'attendrai|italic=unset}}".

Songs heard in the film, but not included on the album are "[[La Paloma]]" sung by [[Rosita Serrano]], the "{{lang|de|[[Erzherzog-Albrecht-Marsch]]|italic=unset}}" (a popular military march), "[[It's a Long Way to Tipperary]]" performed by the [[MVD Ensemble|Red Army Chorus]], "{{lang|de|[[Heimat, Deine Sterne]]|italic=unset}}" and the "{{lang|de|[[Westerwaldlied (song)|Westerwald-Marsch]]|italic=unset}}".

==Sequel==
A [[Das Boot (TV series)|sequel of the same name]], in the form of a television series, was released in 2018, with different actors. It was set nine months after the end of the original film, and is split into two narratives, one based on land, the other set around another U-boat and its crew. Like the original film, the series is based on [[Lothar-Günther Buchheim]]'s 1973 book ''Das Boot'', but with additions from Buchheim's 1995 sequel {{lang|de|Die Festung}}.<ref name="hoerzu.de">{{cite web |last=Happ |first=Katharina |date=3 January 2020 |url=https://www.hoerzu.de/unterhaltung/aktuelles/das-boot-die-neue-serie |title=Das Boot – Alles zur neuen Serie |language=de |trans-title=Das Boot – Everything about the new series |website=[[Hörzu]] |access-date=11 March 2018 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327102921/https://www.hoerzu.de/unterhaltung/aktuelles/das-boot-die-neue-serie |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="kino.de">{{cite web |url=https://www.kino.de/serie/das-boot-die-serie-2018/ |title=''Das Boot'' – Die Serie |language=de |trans-title=''Das Boot'' – The Series |website=kino.de |access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of World War II films]]
* ''{{lang|de|[[U-Boote westwärts!]]|italic=unset}}'', 1941 propaganda film
* ''{{lang|de|[[Die Brücke (film)|Die Brücke]]|italic=unset}}'', 1958 anti-war film
* ''[[The Cruel Sea (1953 film)|The Cruel Sea]]'', 1953 film about a [[Royal Navy]] escort during the Battle of the Atlantic
* ''[[Sharks and Little Fish]]''
* ''[[Greyhound (film)|Greyhound]]'', A film about an American destroyer escort in the Battle of the Atlantic

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0082096|Das Boot}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20191202193222/http://www.dasboot.com/ Official website] (archived)
* {{Mojo title|dasboot}}
* {{Rotten-tomatoes|das_boot|Das Boot}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=300871}}

{{InternationalEmmyAward Drama}}
{{Wolfgang Petersen}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boot, Das}}
[[Category:1981 films]]
[[Category:1980s war drama films]]
[[Category:German war drama films]]
[[Category:1980s German-language films]]
[[Category:Anti-war films about World War II]]
[[Category:German epic films]]
[[Category:Films based on German novels]]
[[Category:Films based on military novels]]
[[Category:World War II submarine films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Wolfgang Petersen]]
[[Category:Films scored by Klaus Doldinger]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1940s]]
[[Category:1980s German television miniseries]]
[[Category:World War II films based on actual events]]
[[Category:World War II television drama series]]
[[Category:U-boat fiction]]
[[Category:International Emmy Award for Drama winners]]
[[Category:1980s German films]]
[[Category:Films set in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Films set in the Mediterranean Sea]]
[[Category:Films set in Germany]]
[[Category:Films set in France]]
[[Category:Films set in Spain]]
[[Category:German-language war films]]
[[Category:West German films]]
[[Category:Works based on Das Boot (novel)]]