'Das Boot' reboot

Tony EH

^

Ended up finding a stream for this. Started off ok, but then descended into the usual cliches by episode 3.

Nasty nazi types √

Heroic French resistance √

Hiding Jew subplot √

Too much English speaking √

I'm already bored to be honest. This "Das Boot" hasn't a clue what it wants to be. Far too much time wasted on land with insipid subplots when everyone wants to view what's happening at sea.

Wibbs

Tony EH wrote: »

This "Das Boot" hasn't a clue what it wants to be. Far too much time wasted on land with insipid subplots when everyone wants to view what's happening at sea.

Yeah, now I'm more episodes in I'm agreeing with you. Went more than a bit soap opera too. And the plots are all over the place and utterly unrealistic. Not unless everyone in La Rochelle were dropping primo acid.

jeremyj1968

It should be made in English with German subtitles this time.

Tony EH

Wibbs wrote: »

Yeah, now I'm more episodes in I'm agreeing with you. Went more than a bit soap opera too. And the plots are all over the place and utterly unrealistic. Not unless everyone in La Rochelle were dropping primo acid.

I'm on Ep 4 at the moment, but I don't know whether I'll bother finishing it. There's too much nonsense and melodrama. The actual U-Boat action has been on screen for about 20 minutes of the last 4 hours. This show should be called Was Boot?

But, beyond that, there's just too many irritating rabbit holes in this story. It's all too schizophrenic. If they wanted to make a drama about the resistance in La Rochelle, why didn't they just di it?

The rape fo the Jewish barmaid was utterly ridiculous. Everyone in that bar would have been arrested and the senior officer thrown in the brig for letting discipline break down like that. Captain Schultz would in for some serious crap too.

And why is the female leader of the resistance cell American? And constantly speaking English?

And what's with that First Officer? Just annoying stuff.

Waiting for more tiresome cliches to rear their head too. One of the crew will be outed as gay or something and Vicky Kriep's character will fall in love with the Gestapo guy and an illicit affair will happen.

Scratch that. I just reached the end of Ep.4. :pac: LOL.

FFS :rolleyes:

Lastly, this show's depiction of U-Boat crews is pretty reprehensible. The amount of ill discipline on that sub is a joke. Those men were volunteers and hand picked for their abilities to operate under the most extreme pressures imaginable. None of that crew would have seen the inside of a single U-Boat in real life.

Blazer

I didn't realise this was already released.
Will just watch the original instead.

Apart from Battlestar Galactica has there ever been a successful and decent remake?

Wibbs

Tony EH wrote: »

Scratch that. I just reached the end of Ep.4. :pac: LOL.

FFS :rolleyes:

Lastly, this show's depiction of U-Boat crews is pretty reprehensible. The amount of ill discipline on that sub is a joke. Those men were volunteers and hand picked for their abilities to operate under the most extreme pressures imaginable. None of that crew would have seen the inside of a single U-Boat in real life.

+1. It went rapidly total fantasy land and unbelievable with it. I don't mind some fantasy stuff to rattle a plot along but it went really overboard(pun not quite intended). It didn't even do it too well either. Inglorious basterds went full fantasy but was bloody well done. This wasn't. Forget the original, even if this were a project unconnected to that, it was still daft.

E mac

Finished the season have to agree it did go downhill as it went on. Anyone else find the French resistance characters unlikable?

cozar

i really enjoyed it watched it all over a few nights. submarine scenes were done very well.

Tony EH

E mac wrote: »

Finished the season have to agree it did go downhill as it went on. Anyone else find the French resistance characters unlikable?

Everyone is pretty unlikable. There are few characters that aren't murderers, rapists, sociopaths or psychopaths and if they aren't one of those things, then they're just scumbags. The show's depiction of people, especially men, is just odd.

Re: the resistance, that was one of the few things in this show that was sort of ok. Most of those resistance "cells" were pretty incompetent and did more to antagonise situations for their own ends, rather than actually help the war effort. The French resistance wasn't the unified fantasy that popular books and films make them out to be. It was made up of disparate groups who were all adherent to different political goals. The SOE had to urge them to stop interfering at several points, because they were just making things worse.

E mac

I'd a soft spot myself for the u boat cook. He was always trying to keep morale up even if he did slip into uncle Albert mode at times with his war stories.

silverharp

Tony EH wrote: »

Everyone is pretty unlikable. There are few characters that aren't murderers, rapists, sociopaths or psychopaths and if they aren't one of those things, then they're just scumbags. The show's depiction of people, especially men, is just odd.

Re: the resistance, that was one of the few things in this show that was sort of ok. Most of those resistance "cells" were pretty incompetent and did more to antagonise situations for their own ends, rather than actually help the war effort. The French resistance wasn't the unified fantasy that popular books and films make them out to be. It was made up of disparate groups who were all adherent to different political goals. The SOE had to urge them to stop interfering at several points, because they were just making things worse.

I havnt watched this yet but your comments reminded me of the 70's BBC show Secret Army. In particular the communist resistance were portrayed as being completely amoral , selling other groups out to the Germans if it suited them.

Tony EH

silverharp wrote: »

I havnt watched this yet but your comments reminded me of the 70's BBC show Secret Army. In particular the communist resistance were portrayed as being completely amoral , selling other groups out to the Germans if it suited them.

I remember 'Secret Army', mainly because of Jan Francis






But, yeah, the "resistance" were groups of Gaulists, Communists, Socialists, Nationalists and whatnot and all at different levels of conviction as well, for instance, there were Gaulists who didn't agree with each other an Socialists who fought with Communists. Each of them had very different ideas of what kind of France they wanted to see after the war and weren't in any way unified in their approach or goals. They were largely a headache for the SOE, who had to bring in measures in 1944 to try and organise them into something useful.

But, the French resistance is largely myth. It was practically non-existent as as effective entity until late in the war and even then it's effectiveness was questionable. But, it was trumpeted by De Gaul as a propaganda device to make it look like something was going on and that France was still in the fight as it were. The reality was that most French people just got on with their lives as best they could, because they realised that there wasn't that much they could do anyway.

As for selling out by resistance groups, they all did it. If there was gain or an upper hand to be had, there wasn't any one group who had trumps on that type of activity. Giving up a name here and there or the time of an operation happened across the board. The thing is everybody suspected everybody and were only too willing to get rid off people they didn't trust or just didn't even like.

storker

silverharp wrote: »

I havnt watched this yet but your comments reminded me of the 70's BBC show Secret Army. In particular the communist resistance were portrayed as being completely amoral , selling other groups out to the Germans if it suited them.

It seems to be borrowing from a few sources. The antagonism between skipper and first officer is from Run Silent, Run Deep*. Secret Army as has already been mentioned (maybe Allo Allo would have provided more likable resistance types )

There are some nods to the original too...the holy Joe in the control room praying as the depth charges go off...someone being helped down the ladder with blood coming from a bullet wound in the shoulder (a la Kriechbaum), docking beside a supply ship...and it may be an unintentional easter egg, but a wireless operator was referred to as "Hermann". In Buchheim's original novel there were two wireless/sonar operators: Hinrich (the one we saw in the movie/TV version) and another called Hermann. The movie makers must have decided that Hinrich could handle several weeks of 24-hour watches.


(*I doubt they'll be crossing swords with Bungo Pete...but maybe there's a "Dover Dave"?)

Walter Bishop

Got an episode and a half in: crap.

Some pretty woeful acting, the writing was worse.

recipio

A bit too Hollywood for me. All that bitching is unlikely as German U boat crews were volunteers and noted for their loyalty and disciple.That surgical' scene wold simply not have happened - the sailor would have ended up 100 % dead.

cozar

Season 2 on sky Atlantic now. If you enjoyed season 1 this is even better.

E mac

It is better. Lots more submarine action going on this season. Only downside is the American angle it's so predictable and boring, the Hoffman character sucks the life out of every scene.

peterobrien100

Watched 5 x episodes of Season 2 so far its utterly fantastic really enjoying it

Homelander

Just watching S1 now. It is good, but there's definitely something wrong when 80% of a show called "Das Boot" isn't about the submarine or its crew.

Love these historical German shows though. Unsere Mutter, Unsere Vater, Deutschland 83/86 and Babylon Berlin are all amazing productions in a similar fashion.

silverharp

cool, season one was only average

beauf

I only got into I think 2 episodes into S1 before I gave up on it. Would you miss much by skipping to S2.

Nate--IRL--

This is a re-"boot"?

Nate

Edit:- ah, thread merge, I see now.

E mac

beauf wrote: »

I only got into I think 2 episodes into S1 before I gave up on it. Would you miss much by skipping to S2.

Your gonna have to watch S1 I'm afraid.

Genetic Jackhammer

Anyone watch season 2 whats is the feed back on it?

Mr E

Mod: Das Boot threads merged.

expectationlost

Mr E wrote: »

Mod: Das Boot threads merged.

can you changed the title to reboot?

Butson

Really enjoying Season 2, better than Season 1

The American angle is a bit cheesy but think it will fall into place
The U-Boat scenes are epic

Especially episode 4 where they go for a dip.

silverharp

I Like the Hunt for Red October setup

peterobrien100

Genetic Jackhammer wrote: »

Anyone watch season 2 whats is the feed back on it?

Watched Season 2 last week really enjoyed it thought it was better constructed from a storyline point of view than the first season still a few silly storylines that wouldnt happen in a real situation but overall a very good watch

youcancallmeal

Just finished season 2, a bit bleak in parts but altogether decent watching. Anyone know is there a season 3 confirmed?