Das Boot - Which Version?
 

Ok, I have never seen this film (Bad on me) but I love WW2 films and have been told numerous times that this is one of the best...

So, I see there are 3 releases:

Original DC

Original DC Superbit

Uncut 300 minute version

Which is the best? I would imagine the superbit for picture/audio, but does the uncut add enough important information to the story to justify the 5 hour time? Or is it mostly filler? How about extras? Are the extras on the original release good enough to accept the slightly inferior video/audio compared to the superbit?

Please help!

This is a hard question to answer, especially since you've never seen the movie before. My only advice is that you should definitely rent the Uncut Version before you buy it -- it's rather expensive. The differences between the cuts (about 80 minutes) are not significant plot-wise, but the Uncut Version does help with the characterization and offers some interesting details not in the Director's Cut. The Original DC (non-Superbit) is fairly inexpensive and is worth picking up -- the extras are decent. Whether or not you invest in the Superbit depends on how advanced your system is: The difference is A/V quality is not as noticeable as in, say, Lawrence of Arabia unless you have a very big screen because so much of the film takes place in the dark interior of a small submarine.

By the way, you should definitely look at the reviews on Amazon. There are some very good reviews of the Uncut Version. They may help you decide.

I own all three versions and have watched the various versions of the film, including the theatrical version in German at a theater, at least a dozen times. Remember that this is an "old" movie made prior to CGI and digital theaters. If you're expecting Star Wars sound and effects you'll be disappointed.

If you only want to buy ONE, I'd buy the Director's Cut. The video quality is pretty good but I love the commentary which is what sets it apart. The extras are nice. The Superbit has better audio/video but not enough to compensate for the loss of the commentary. The Uncut tacks on another 100 minutes which makes it very long to watch. I would say that the Uncut is not meant for first time viewers.

Stay away from the theatrical version which is about 150 minutes.

damned, there is a large thread about this very topic. try a search and go back further in time than the default.

So narrowed down that it doesn't give any matches....Cameron. :)

"Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms."

rotfl

Clearly the answer is the Das Boot Edition. :up:

I'm still holding out for the "Das Boot" edition of DAS BOOT. ;)

Also worth noting that it's not just an "old" movie, it's an "old" tv mini-series that had a theatrical cut made for viewings outside of Germany. The uncut one is the mini-series version and has a 4:3 aspect ratio. The others are variations on the movie version.

We can always count on DVDJosh, our resident "Thread already exists" police.

-rolleyes- Nice sig, btw.

In any event, there was a huge thread about this very topic when the new edition was coming out. We can have all the repeat topics in the world, but a quick answer with relevant discussion could be obtained by using the search.

And if you think *I* am the search police, let's just say I make 1984 look like Breakin' II: Electic Boogaloo.

You're right. Cameron take top honor for that.

Proudly...

Since the link above didn't work...check out

Know what I want to see on DVD? The 2-hour cut of DAS BOOT!

Das Boot: The Mini-Series (rumored release)

Das Boot (SuperBit) - R1 vs. R4??

Das Boot Superbit or regular ?

DAS BOOT Question...