Starring:	Jurgen Prochnow	200min
	Herbert Gronemeyer
	Klaus Wennemann	1981
Screenplay:	Wolfgang Petersen	War
Director:	Wolfgang Petersen	Colour

Region	2	Studio:	Columbia Tristar
Format	Single Sided, Dual Layer	Subtitles	English, German
			Hebrew, Icelandic
Aspect ratio	16:9		Turkish, Hindi
Anamorphic	Yes
Soundtracks	German Dolby Digital 5.1	Extra Features	Director's commentary
	English (dubbed) DD 5.1		Making Of featurette
	English (dubbed) MPEG 2.0		Theatrical Trailer
Case type	Amaray

The DVD * * * * *		The Movie * * * *
Well, this is it - definitively the first Region 2 disc to be not just a bit better than Region 1. but significantly better. This is how it always should have been. Hell, the length is even improved, running 9 minutes faster in PAL. But fear not, it's still the same epic - there are even 66 chapters, the same number as books in the Bible... The first big plus it that this is that, unlike the US version, it is a dual layer disc - the movie runs continuously, with a well placed, barely noticeable, layer change somewhere around 97 minutes. With the region 1 disc, the side change occurred in the middle of a tense attack sequence, and you had to reset language and sound options on they fly on side 2, yuck. This, folks, is the way to do it. But there is another welcome bonus - the image quality. Much of Das Boot was filmed either with hand held cameras, or using a custom made mounting. Either way, there is a good deal of natural judder to the image in certain places. Now, on this version, it looks fine, which only shows up what had happened after it went through the frame rate changing NTSC procedure. The region 1 version is often blighted by distracting jerky effects, which almost make it look like Video CD. But here, the image - although the source print is a little grainy - is without MPEG or NTSC blemish. Marvellous. The sound is outstanding. The attack sequences, with the 5.1 surround and virtuoso picture editing, almost defy analysis - quite simply, you FEEL you are there. It is stunning. The remastered German Dolby Digital mix is beyond compare, and raises the whole movie - so reliant on sound - to a new level. Equally impressive are the quiet moments, the agonising suspense that comes with listening for the sound of propellers, or the ominous creaking of the sub. And when those bolts blow, you duck for cover, believe me... You are given the option of a (relatively quite well) dubbed English version, but it inevitably loses the reality of the experience. But one lone gripe here - the quality of the English subtitling is poor. Typos, crucial lines appearing considerably before they are said on screen and over-paraphrasing of the original dialogue are all faults. Compare the translation of one crucial line in the climactic sequence - the US DVD subtitle has "280 meters! This boat is amazing!", while the UK has "280 meters, and she's still in one piece". Which is correct? Given the title of the film, the first sounds far better, but without knowledge of German, who knows. But comparing the general translation with the UK dub, they have been liberal with their interpretations elsewhere. So, given that the US titles already exist, why do it again, only worse? The best extra is the commentary, with a highly enthusiastic and candid Petersen joined by Prochnow to reminisce their way through the whole thing. 3 1/2 hours of this is ridiculously long of course, but it is filled with fascinating, outrageous and funny anecdotes and insights. This really was a tour-de-force of movie making, and it's great to get this behind the scenes insight. The featurette, although a typical studio promotional short, is also welcome, with some rare footage of them making the film, and a chance to see the huge hydraulic set, the camera system and an unbelievable amount of high pressure water. It's another welcome addition and, added to the trailer, completes a classic DVD. The menu design is still crass (see the back page of Total DVD, issue 1), but we'll forgive it this time, since the rest is so great. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our next essential purchase for region 2...		This, the holy grail of submarine movies, was originally released in 1981 to international acclaim, making the domestic careers of almost the entire cast, and the international ones of its lead actor and director. In 1996 the movie was re-released in a greatly extended form, running at a buttock-numbing 3 hours 40 minutes. It tells the true story of an extraordinary German U-Bout mission in 1941, despatched to play cat and mouse with the Allied fleet in the Atlantic. Almost the entire crew were barely out of diapers, and had to grow up fast when coming to terms with both the long stretches of tedium and brief but terrifying moments of action. This version of the film skews the balance from the original, adding material shot for an original 6 hour mini-series. It focuses more on character, at the expense of being.. well, just a little too slow at times - there are at least one too many cramped eating scenes in the officer's mess. However, the numerous action sequences are stunning, especially with the all-important digital sound remix. The sound is as much a character in the film as the crew member, as every creak and groan from the hull and every gentle rhythmic sound of exterior propellers could spell upcoming disaster. In truth, the original length suits a commercial audience better, but that doesn't mean the extended version isn't good stuff. Just make sure you see it somewhere with great sound, or you'll miss the most important character in it after Mr Prochnow.