Das Boot

Gripping and authentic; based on the experiences of photographer Lothar-Guenther Buchheim, this superbly filmed action movie chronicles a U-boat voyage in 1941, detailing above- and below-the-surface horrors as well as the mundane hours that characterize time spent at sea. Though most of

the footage concentrates on the intense, noble captain, Jurgen Prochnow, the only fully developed "character" in the film is the boat, as it undergoes numerous attacks. Decidedly anti-Nazi in tone, THE BOAT presents the crew as individual warriors upholding their own brand of honor and sneering at

Hitler's Reich. The chief attraction of this film, however, is the incredible camerawork. Racing through the sub, squeezing through tiny openings, director Wolfgang Petersen's camera brilliantly evokes the claustrophobia and clamor of undersea battle. A technical marvel, THE BOAT is a breathtaking

and powerful portrait of war and death. Though the film was originally released on videocassette as the subtitled DAS BOOT, most copies now available are dubbed into English.