This war film rated 98% is a classic: made more than 40 years ago, we haven’t done much better since!

News culture This war film rated 98% is a classic: made more than 40 years ago, we haven’t done much better since!

The best war films

The type of war movie is far from recent, and still remains quite prevalent today. In 2023 alone, Oppenheimer was on everyone’s lips, and this war story signed Christopher Nolan won no less than 7 rewards at the 2024 Oscars ceremony. In the same vein, and by the same director, Dunkirk also seduced both the public and the critics, collecting 3 prix at the Oscars in 2018. But the war film is far from being a British-American specialty, and other nations have produced works worth watching.

This is particularly the case of The boat (The Boat in French), a German war film directed by Wolfgang Petersen (Troy) and released in 1981. Adapted from the eponymous book (also titled The Styx in France) written by Lothar-Günther Buchheimthis feature film relates the missions of its author during the Second World War, who was then a journalist. Nominated 6 times for the 1983 Oscars, notably for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, The boat is considered one of the best war films still today, with a score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.

A film at the height of realism

The war epic of Wolfgang Peterson depicts the claustrophobic atmosphere of a German submarine in the heart of the Battle of the Atlantic in 1941. The film follows the crew of the U-96 (or Unterseeboot 96), undoubtedly the best-known (and most lethal) submarine of the German army, from their departure from the port of La Rochelle until their return to the port of La Pallice. Filmed in chronological order over the course of a yearPeterson’s feature film makes a point of illustrating the living conditions of sailors in the middle of a naval battle.

As a result, the characters are visibly hardened by months spent on the waves, both in terms of interpretation and in terms of their appearance, their once smooth faces now dull and shaggy. Between its intense action sequences and its moments as heavy as they are contemplative, The boat is a marvel of realism. This result, Peterson owes in part to the participation of Hans-Joachim Krugan officer aboard the submarine U-219 during the war, who offered his expertise as a consultant during filming. A film not to be missed for fans of war films!