DB7

Submarine films: the real sinkers

Gwladys Fouché torpedos the submarine movie turkeys

Friday June 20, 2008
The Guardian

I'm somewhere in the North Atlantic, 80m (260ft) below the surface, and talking submarine films with a real submariner. The gruff, bearded captain of the Royal Norwegian Navy submarine Uthaug is remembering Das Boot, Wolfgang Petersen's 1981 movie about the claustrophobic, fearful life of a German U-boat crew in the second world war.

"Sometimes we'll play the DVD on board, and the crew will watch it together. It's by far the best submarine movie ever," says the 33-year-old skipper, Ruben (he's not allowed to tell me his last name; security reasons). The men next to him nod in agreement. It's the attention to detail that floats the boat of the real-life submariners, from the way the captain gives its orders to the way the crew banter on board. "The operations described are so accurate: it shows what life on board is really like," says Ruben.

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Das Boot is pretty much the only movie that scores a direct hit in the eyes of this officer, who sports a large Viking tattoo on his right arm and the same authority of someone used to being obeyed immediately that Jürgen Prochnow displays as the captain in Das Boot. "Most submarine movies are complete bullshit. There's always a scene where some guy has been hiding in the ship for days. Or manages to make a mobile phone call to the Pentagon from 200 metres below the sea," says Ruben.

One of the worst offenders, is U-571, the second world war film in which Matthew McConaughey and Jon Bon Jovi steal an Enigma coding machine from a German U-boat in the middle of the Atlantic. The 2000 movie was released to a flurry of complaints from British veterans and historians for rewriting history (it was the British, not the Americans, who secured the Enigma machine). But that was not the only problem with the film. "The [US] crew arrives on board a submarine where all the machines are completely dead, but somehow they work out the power back-up and everything suddenly works smoothly. It's complete crap."

How about Crimson Tide, starring Denzel Washington as the officer leading a mutiny against captain Gene Hackman in order to prevent nuclear war? "That's another one that's completely unrealistic." Then there's The Hunt for Red October. "A great day comrades, we sail into history!" says Russian submarine captain Sean Connery. According to Ruben, the only history the crew makes is starring in the worst submarine movie ever made.

"There is a scene where he directs his submarine towards an incoming torpedo to shorten the distance between the weapon and the ship. That way he prevents it from arming before impact. Torpedoes need to cover a certain distance after being launched so they can arm," explains Ruben. "So the torpedo bumps off the submarine hull and continues in a different direction! That's something I would definitely never do with the Uthaug," he says, laughing.

The only movie that escapes a tongue-lashing is Das Boot. One of the most memorable scenes sees the German crew attempting to make it through the Straits of Gibraltar. One of the sailors in the film says: "Slipping through the British defence at Gibraltar is like making love to a virgin: you need lots of vaseline and you still may not get through." Ruben smiles as he recalls the scene. "I once crossed the Straits of Gibraltar, just like they do in the movie. I went down at 130 metres (425ft), not quite as shallow as they went. It was very special to do the same thing, even if we didn't have to put up with sinking mines."

yankfilmbuff

Very interesting article. I've always wondered what real-life submariners thought of submarine movies. I've always enjoyed them and I agree with the captain that DAS BOOT is certainly the best.

There's a museum in Chicago, the name escapes me, that has a captured WWII German sub on display. They opened up an entrance in one side so people can tour it without having to deal with ladders and hatches. Worth a look if one is in Chicago.

Third Man

OK so what is better - film version or mini-series?

Simon

Wicked Lady

I'd be inclined to give Morning Departure an honerable mention. Stiff upper lips and a good taste of claustrophobia.

Harbottle

.... and Above Us the Waves

batman

Atomic Submarine with Tom Conway ..... a terrific 50s B-picture about underwater aliens.

batman

IMHO the mini-series.

Wicked Lady

Oh yes! I love that one, too!

earlb

If you want to hear a short story about a British Submariner P.O.W go to BBC - Radio 4 - Home Truths you'll be able to hear it if you go to the top centre of the page and click on ' Listen to the item'.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

christoph404

"Ice Station Zebra" is an entertaining yarn and of course McGoohan steals the show! Steve McQueen was director John Sturges choice for the Rock Hudson part but alas not to be.... McGoohan and McQueen squaring up to each other would have been something to behold!

Third Man

The Atomic Submarine (1959) by Spencer Gordon Bennet is a interesting film lots of nuclear age and cold war metaphors being chucked about in this low budget B sci fi/ monster movie.

Heres's brief synopsis

When a nuclear-powered submarine, the Tiger Shark, sets out to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances near the Arctic Circle, its fearless crew finds itself besieged by electrical storms, an Unidentified Floating Saucer, and lots of hairy tentacles.

Simon

Tony Pendrey

Not a film, but that David Jason thing a couple of years ago, "Ghost Ship", was pretty dire.

Ah Yes, the Soviet Union. All them wheatfields and ballet in the evenings

DB7

Also Mystery Submarine, a novel twist but it could have been executed better.

Das Boot is obviously king off the deep, and U571 and rusting hulk on the bottom. Must say I also enjoy Hunt for Red October.

batman

(quote-batman-Atomic Submarine with Tom Conway ..... a terrific 50s B-picture about underwater aliens.)

(quote-Third Man-The Atomic Submarine (1959) by Spencer Gordon Bennet is a interesting film lots of nuclear age and cold war metaphors being chucked about in this low budget B sci fi/ monster movie.)

I can't believe that someone else on this forum has seen this terrific little film. Superb!

Third Man

Yeah.. I got to watch this on Criterion's box-set of Monsters and Madmen which includes a couple of British films - Corridors of Blood and The Haunted Strangler, the usual in depth information that sets Criterion apart from many other companies accompanies all these releases in the box-set.

Simon