Now Screening - What Are You Watching Right Now?

[struth]

FRIDAY night at the Movies will be the Director's 1997 cut of DAS BOOT written as a novel by Lothar G. Buchheim and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Running at 200 minutes(51 mins longer than the standard but still shorter than the original mini series), this is the best and most manageable version available, and has the best picture and sound. Starring Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer(who's look of terror at times is marvellous), Hubertus Bengsch and my favourite, Erwin Leder as Johann.

One of the crew, Jan Fedder(playing Pilgrim) was swept off the bridge during a shot and broke ribs and had concussion. Petersen on hearing a colleague shout man overboard, shouted, GREAT IDEA, unaware that it was not a stunt thought up on the spur of the moment.The part was kept though and Fedder was brought on a stretcher to the filming every day from hospital to play an edited role in his bunk. His pain was apparently real.
The Uboat models built for this film were also used on the RAIDERS of the lost ark film. Petersen filmed in the models without removing the side to produce the claustrophobic feeling that runs through the film(a brilliant idea and it really worked).The film was thus filmed silent and the dialogue added due to noise.
The full scale model was just a shell and sunk in a storm, breaking in two. It was later recovered and repaired for the final sequences.
The bombing of the ship at the end had some footage supplied from the Battle of Britain film added.

The film was nominated for 6 oscars(the most any foreign language film had achieved) but won none if my recollection is correct.I remember watching the mini series when broadcast(I think on bbc2) with my brother and being glued to the screen.

[Spectral Morn]

FRIDAY night at the Movies will be the Director's 1997 cut of DAS BOOT written as a novel by Lothar G. Buchheim and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Running at 200 minutes(51 mins longer than the standard but still shorter than the original mini series), this is the best and most manageable version available, and has the best picture and sound. Starring Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer(who's look of terror at times is marvellous), Hubertus Bengsch and my favourite, Erwin Leder as Johann.

One of the crew, Jan Fedder(playing Pilgrim) was swept off the bridge during a shot and broke ribs and had concussion. Petersen on hearing a colleague shout man overboard, shouted, GREAT IDEA, unaware that it was not a stunt thought up on the spur of the moment.The part was kept though and Fedder was brought on a stretcher to the filming every day from hospital to play an edited role in his bunk. His pain was apparently real.
The Uboat models built for this film were also used on the RAIDERS of the lost ark film. Petersen filmed in the models without removing the side to produce the claustrophobic feeling that runs through the film(a brilliant idea and it really worked).The film was thus filmed silent and the dialogue added due to noise.
The full scale model was just a shell and sunk in a storm, breaking in two. It was later recovered and repaired for the final sequences.
The bombing of the ship at the end had some footage supplied from the Battle of Britain film added.

The film was nominated for 6 oscars(the most any foreign language film had achieved) but won none if my recollection is correct.I remember watching the mini series when broadcast(I think on bbc2) with my brother and being glued to the screen.

Fabulous film and mini series. I was looking at the Blu ray earlier, I might stick it on later tonight.


Regards Neil

[struth]

Absolute gem of a film....It's a long way to Tipperary, it's a long way to go.....or in this case La Spezia.

[struth]

now onto Ice Age 2.. the meltdown......one of my guilty secrets

[Gazjam]

AGAIN!!!!???

[Canetoad]

I have a DVD copy of this. Herbert Grönemeyer's music is pretty good too. I was introduced to him by my wife who is German.

[struth]

AGAIN!!!!???

Yep! I watch the first 3 all the time..best films of their type ever...

[struth]

The music is very good Bernie. Very atmospheric ..some of the best soundtracks sometimes are not noticed, but take it away and the film dies.

[struth]

Tonight we are taking a comedic look at a POW camp , and the getting back to Blighty, of a VERY IMPORTANT PERSON(1961); namely James Robertson Justice, a Scientific Boffin that accidentially got sucked out of a bomber over Germany and Winston Churchill wants back at any cost.
Directed by Ken Annakin of The Battle of the Bulge fame(and also did Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines)..... and also starring a who's who of British comedy, it is one of the most stellar casts possible in a comedy drama and VIP delivers comedic gold by the spadeful.
John Le Mesurier, Richard Wattis, Eric Sykes, Leslie Phillips, Stanley Baxterand Jeremy Lloyd, who went into writing shows like Are you Being Served and Allo Allo.

Stanley Baxter plays the dual roles of prisoner Jock Everett and Kommondant Stamfel. his wonderful reply to Stamfel's line calling him an "English Swine" was "Scottish Swine"

James Robertson Justice was a tremendous linguist and spoke, among others, fluent German, and ad libbed a line in German to antagonise the Commandant, which translates as " You can kiss my arse, you filthy Nazi " . This, if known would never have been allowed, by either the director/studios, or got past the censors mindful of insulting Germans etc. Justice was on safe ground as no one spoke any German and he got away with his bit of revenge. JRJ always claimed to be Scottish, but he wasn't (Born and died in London actually).

This is one of the last of the great British comedies before the world changed, and it is as fresh today as it ever was. If you get the chance to watch it again, DO!!

[walpurgis]

Yes, good old film.