
Das Boot (pronounced [das boːt], German for The Boat / The Submarine) is a 1981 feature film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, adapted from a novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. 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 movie has a strong anti-war message. One of Petersen’s stated goals was to guide the audience through “a journey to the end of reason” (the film’s German tagline), showing “what war is all about.” Petersen heightened suspense by very rarely showing any external views of the submarine unless it is running on the surface and relying on sounds to convey action outside the boat, thus showing the audience only the claustrophobic interior the crew would see. The original 1981 version cost DM 32 million to make; it was at the time the most expensive film in the history of German cinema. The director’s meticulous attention to detail resulted in an extremely realistic and historically accurate movie.