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Airdate: Das Boot

Anticipated German drama will screen on SBS from December 12.

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Anticipated German drama Das Boot will screen on SBS from December 12.

In a mixture of English, French, and German with English subtitles, the series about a German U-Boat will begin with a double episode.

Episodes will be made available on SBS On Demand on the same day of broadcast.

It is Autumn 1942 in occupied France, and the U-612 is bracing for its maiden voyage. Led by the young commander Hoffmann, 40 men are heading towards their first ever mission in an increasingly brutal war, all cramped within the metal vessel. Personalities clash and loyalties shatter as they are tried by the unspeakable horrors of war. Will they live to make it back ashore? Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Simone Strasser’s world is quickly spinning out of control. Deep into an impossible love affair that has her torn between the two sides. Das Boot stars Lizzy Caplan, James D’Arcy, Tom Wlaschiha, and Vicky Krieps.

Episode One:
During the Autumn of 1942, in the unrelenting deep ocean waters, U-boat Captain Ulrich Wrangel and his men are caught in battle with a US Frigate. As U-113 takes a hit and begins to free-fall underwater, the reality of U-boat warfare becomes startlingly clear. Elsewhere at the base, Simone Strasser arrives to begin work as a translator for the German Navy.

Episode Two:
Aboard U-612, the men are adjusting to their new lives and settling into their own roles within the crew. Captain Hoffmann orders the young men to run intense drills to ensure they are prepared for all eventualities, much to the disdain of Tennstedt who disagrees with Hoffmann’s tiring training tactics.

Wednesday, 12 December at 9.35pm on SBS.

6 Responses

  1. They basically wanted the name Das Boot because it is globally recognised and to avoid claims of plagiarism. It features none of the story or characters from Das Boot, it claims to contain bits of the obscure 2nd novel Buchheim wrote 22 years after Das Boot, mostly so they can sell it as a “sequel” to Das Boot. They are reusing sets and props from the film U-571 to keep production cost down. This is a story about a battle between a U-boat and a sexy member of the French resistance (hence the French co-production). It bares no little resemblance to Peterson’s masterpiece of suspense and any one expecting that will be disappointed.

    1. I think with any show or movie it’s always the well written story that counts in the end Pertinax. I would imagine that there are plenty of critics out there ready to demerit any movie or TV show involving Nazi Germany so it’s pleasing to see that the creative courage is there in Germany to make this show and allow younger Germans an insight into that cataclysmic time.

  3. I would be interested to see what can be done to improve on the original classic movie, obviously the CGI will be state of the art, or you would hope so to get the best from this show. The SBS did well getting the rights but WWII war stories have been missing in action on our screens in recent years so the ratings will be interesting.

  4. The title makes me think of the following Simpsons quote from The Heartbroke Kid :
    Bart: When I raged against the machine, money poured out. Marge, I know this is ill-gotten, but can we use it to…
    Marge: To give these Germans das Boot? Jawohl!

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