Wolfgang Peterson doesn't go into any politics or waste time with the horrors of Nazi ideologies. I also like the added narration as it makes the experience more personal. I prefer this fully restored uncut version because it makes the mounting tension and sudden plunge into terrifying action all the more surprising and shocking.
We get more background information about the characters and get to know them better through their conversations and boredom spent in silence as they eagerly await orders for anything to happen at all.
The uncut "Das Boot" adds more waiting and forces the viewer to endure the daily trauma and monotony of the crew members. Peterson once said that "the fully restored mini-series will be even more shocking and affecting for audiences" and while it does enriches the experience to a whole new level, it is not for everyone.
#DASBOOT LAST NAME SERIES#
Peterson basically cut out the opening and closing credits of the TV series and stitched all the footage together into a humongous continuous feature film. With the introduction of DVD technology, Peterson quickly released the film "as it was originally intended to be seen." The original uncut version runs at 4 hours and 42 minutes in length and is the most complete version available yet. Depending on whether you like it or not, I would go for the ultimate and last version of the film. I recommend the Director's Cut to viewers who are yet to embark on this brilliant drive. This version is far superior to the original theatrical version and the result is nothing short of a great film. The additional footage before and after the key battle scenes perks up the previous release with more fully realized character development. The Director's Cut also features improved sound and better picture quality. In 1997, Peterson revisited the film and released a Director's Cut clocking in at 3 hours and 20 minutes. So in short, avoid the original theatrical release at all costs. It was never meant to be seen as an all-out action flick but rather a long epic voyage into torturous warfare. You get all the action sequences but don't see what leads to them, which is a shame because "Das Boot" is about the journey leading up to the destination. Watching the 145-minute original theatrical version is the equivalent of watching game highlights when you miss a 90-minute sports match.
This heavily edited version is the worst version available and yet it earned the film six Academy Award nominations. Buchheim was sensitive to that, as he authored propaganda during the war and knew what the real thing looked like.The original theatrical version that came out in 1982 is a trimmed down version of a six-hour mini-series that aired on German television the year before. Buchheim was concerned that by showing a U-boat as a place of survival and unity, "Das Boot" would tip into propaganda again. Petersen did not want to make a nationalistic film - and to this critic's eye, he didn't - but he is a filmmaker with a flair for the dramatic, and will go out of his way to wring drama from a tense wartime situation. If a film is truly about pacifism and stopping war, then violence would not be depicted (see Terrence Malick's 2019 film " A Hidden Life" for an excellent example of that). François Truffaut famously declared this many years ago, and filmmakers have been wrestling with the notion ever since. Because war is so inherently dramatic - there are two sides fighting with an eventual victor, lives are on the line, and there is a lost of fast movement and violence - any dramatic depiction of it begins to resemble advocacy. Regardless, there is a great irony when it comes to depicting combat on camera.