WWII German U-Boat Movie (Das Boot) (70s, attack, America, combat)

[quiet walker]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

And while we're at it - what about The Great Escape? Who can forget Steve McQueen on the motorbike and that great Elmer Bernstein film score.

The Great Escape (1963)

Ken

Another one added to the queue and that makes me want to revisit "The Bridge on the River Kwai" The Japanese prison camp comandant reminded me of the vile Korean department head where I used to work "If you work hard, you will be well treated. But if you do not work hard, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!"

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by quiet walker

Thanks for the recommendations. Never saw The Beast. I will look for these

Pretty sure Netflix carries "The Beast" if you are member.
Be sure and make sure your subtitles are on for the afghan scenes. Dialogue is VERY important to this film and since the movie moves back and forth between the Soviets (speaking English) and the Afghans (subtitled) as they play their cat and mouse games and the story unfolds, if you don't see what the Afghans are saying along the way, the significance will be lost.

Truly a wonderful movie, largely overlooked (unfortunately). I rate it right up there with Das Boot and the other "best of the best" war movies - but don't just take my word for it, check out what some of the reviewers (professional or otherwise) out on IMDB (or ANY movie rating web site for that matter) say about it. It's really a shame that hardly anyone knows about this fine film.

I love it so much I bought it.

Ken

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by quiet walker

Another one added to the queue and that makes me want to revisit "The Bridge on the River Kwai" The Japanese prison camp comandant reminded me of the vile Korean department head where I used to work "If you work hard, you will be well treated. But if you do not work hard, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!"

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

That and Lawrence of Arabia - of course.

Ken

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Have not seen The Bicycle Thief, but Life is Beautiful was sooooo sad.

Ken

Really? You thought LIB was sad? I thought it was a beautiful film affirming that parental love conquers all. I was crying at the end though.

Bicycle Thief is about post WWII, post Mussolini Italy. So incredibly stark and powerful.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Really? You thought LIB was sad? I thought it was a beautiful film affirming that parental love conquers all. I was crying at the end though.

Yeah, it was that ending that was so very sad.
Really good movie though.

Ken

[my54ford]

For the stark realism of war and immediate post war, look for Roberto Rousslini trilogy
"Rome open city"
"Paisan"
"Germany year zero" B/W shot in 1947 Berlin....My favorite of the three for the stark depictation of the devestation of that city and what War does to the Human physc (sp)
Germany Year Zero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Reactionary]

I can't resist it: Jürgen Prochnow and 'Das Boot' were also featured in Broken Lizard's "Beerfest".

The German movie Das Boot is referenced in the movie. Jürgen Prochnow, who plays Baron von Wolfhausen, starred as The Captain in the World War II submarine movie ("I start to feel all cooped up in these U-Boats; I had a bad experience once.").

The large, beer-filled, boot-shaped glass termed "Das Boot" in the movie served as the grand finale' of all of the drinking games. Actually Das Boot translates as "the boat" in English. Der Stiefel would be the correct German terminology for "the boot." Such "Beer Boots" are known as Bierstiefel in Germany. They are descended from the centuries old German soldier's tradition of accepting the challenge to drink beer out of the other's boot. Ironically, the popularity of the movie Beerfest has popularized the naming of two liter Bierstiefel "das Boot."

Beerfest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Reactionary]

Back on topic - I enjoyed the film "Is Paris Burning?"

The title is Hitler's question to his chief of staff Alfred Jodl on the eve of the liberation of Paris (August 25): the military governor of Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz, had been ordered to destroy Paris rather than let it fall undamaged into the hands of the Allies, but General von Choltitz explicitly disobeyed that order.

Is Paris Burning? - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Capt. Dan]

Originally Posted by Moth

Dude, it is filmed in color. Its just that the inside of Unterwasserboots are not particulalry colorful places.

DUDE!! When I first saw the film at a "film noir" festival in Berkeley, it was in black and white. And dont call me DUDE.

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Yeah, my uncle was in the navy and served on a number of different boats. His was the last American crew of the Grampus (SS-523 - not SS-207 (which was sunk in mid WW II)) and took my family for a tour on one of the days it was open to the public at Norfolk. She was an old boat (post WW II vintage) and very cramped indeed. When he was on her she was on her last legs and they wouldn't take her to sea for more than 3 days at a time and always kept her near the surface. She was scheduled to be scrapped but instead was sold to Brazil - where she served for a few more years before eventually being broken up. Not quite as unpleasant as the U-boats, but not too far behind.

I believe he also served on the Cavalla (SS-244) - a very famous boat during WW II that now resides at Seawolf Park near Galveston.

Ken

That was interesting to hear about LordBalfor.....