Posted on 02/23/2007 8:26:59 AM PST by Borges
The author of the German war novel "Das Boot", Lothar-Guenther Buchheim, has died, his spokeswoman said on Friday. He was 89.
An artist, art collector and director of his own museum, Buchheim will be best remembered for the 1971 novel that presented a new perspective on the Nazi era by detailing the claustrophobic life on board a war-time submarine, or "U-Boot".
In 1981, director Wolfgang Petersen turned the book into a six-hour film, which at the time was the most expensive movie in German history.
Unlike Hollywood war films, with their stereotyped Nazi characters, Petersen portrayed the universal suffering of war and refused to glorify either those on board of their surroundings.
Buchheim used his experiences as an officer on submarines, destroyers and mine-sweepers during World War Two as the basis for several works, including "Das Boot."
In 1981, director Wolfgang Petersen turned the book into a six-hour film, which at the time was the most expensive movie in German history.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
OH MAN I didn't know it was based on novel
I saw this movie on channel back in da day called Z channel here in SO CAL I remember how long it was ran as mini series in German TV I hear
That submarine set was also used for a well known scene in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' which was filmed at the same time.
Thanks for the info. Das Boot is a great movie.
One of the few movies I own.
Of course, the others are 'Liar, Liar', 'Team America' and 'The Best Years of Our Lives'.
Das Boot es sinken......
Great... and painful. When you have a movie that is that long, with action you can't tear yourself away from, and tons of water crashing around....
Didn't it win some kind of foreign film academy award?
Great flick! I own it also. When they go down to the bottom and the rivets start popping, man o man...
Germany, at the time, was the most technologically advanced country on Earth. If you wanted to know physics or chemistry or engineering, you had better been able to read and understand German.
Very realistic.
Knopf published an English translation in 1975. A good read and terrific movie.
Petersen later made 'Air Force One' which also great at generating paranoia in a confined space.
Boy, you've got a panty on your head.......
Back when it was in theatres I was ordered to see it by Congressman Larry McDonald. I showed up at the Buckhead area (Atlanta) movie theater and there was McDonald and his teen daughter. Larry had already seen it but was back to see it again. Das Boot would certainly make my top 20 movies of all time list.
OGG format, 824 K. Site response is glacial at the moment.
(Actually, it's the theater owners who demand a 2 hour movie, so they can jam more showings into a day)
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