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For every war, it seems, there’s a great movie or two about it. World War II has brought plenty of movies about it, with many being excellent. Six of them have been released as a part of two box sets.
This set contains Das Boot, Anzio and The Caine Mutiny.
Disc one – Das Boot
Director:
Wolfgang Petersen
Cast:
Jürgen Prochnow……….Capt.-Lt. Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock
Herbert Grönemeyer……….Lt. Werner/Correspondent
Klaus Wennemann……….Der Leitende/Der LI/Chief Engineer/Fritz Grade
Hubertus Bengsch……….1st Lieutenant/Number One/1WO
Martin Semmelrogge……….2nd Lieutenant/2WO
Bernd Tauber……….Kriechbaum/Chief Quartermaster/Navigator
Erwin Leder……….Johann
Martin May……….Ullman
Heinz Hoenig……….Hinrich
Uwe Ochsenknecht……….Chief Bosun
is generally considered to be the greatest, or in the top three, of the list of the greatest war movies of all-time. While it remains a bit controversial due to its sympathetic portrayal of Germans in World War II, Das Boot is a magnificent film.
Set on a German U-Boat, Das Boot follows a group of soldiers as they are transformed from the clean-shaven, energetic men who come aboard to scraggly, dispirited types who eventually emerge from the fighting. We see the film through the eyes of a German war correspondent (Herbert Gronemeyer). He’s on board for a single tour, and we see the crew as he sees them. They are a cadre of competent sailors united by bonds stronger than family or blood. The Captain (Jurgen Prochnow) is a man beloved by the crew and an ideal soldier. The crew is diverse and includes a party member, a chief engineer about to lose his marbles and a young man who just wants to go back to the woman he loves.
We see them transform from being on land to their mission at sea, confined inside the U-boat. What really sinks this home is just how Petersen shot the film; he had the cast inside a full scale version of the submarine (whose width was roughly an average man’s wingspan) and keeps it dark and murky. There is a sense of claustrophobia that starts to mount; this is a masterful job at recreating the atmosphere and the men who fought in it.
Garnering six Academy Award nominations in 1983, Das Boot was the first of several great war movies in the 1980s.
The Extras
Making-of Das Boot is a featurette which is fairly fascinating. It follows aspects of the U-Boat fighting as well as translating that to the film.
Overall Score : 10 / 10
Disc two – Anzio
Director:
Edward Dmytryk
Cast:
Robert Mitchum……….Dick Ennis
Peter Falk. ………Cpl. Jack Rabinoff
Robert Ryan……….Lt. Gen. Carson
Earl Holliman……….Platoon Sgt. Abe Stimmler
Mark Damon……….Wally Richardson
Arthur Kennedy……….Maj. Gen. Jack Lesley
Reni Santoni……….Pvt. Movie
Joseph Walsh……….Doyle
Thomas Hunter……….Pvt. Andy
Giancarlo Giannini……….Pvt. Cellini
Anthony Steel……….Gen. Marsh
Patrick Magee……….Gen. Starkey
Arthur Franz……….Maj. Gen. Luke Howard
Tonio Selwart……….Gen. Van MacKensen
Allied forces have landed at Anzio, ready to take on the Germans. Unopposed, the Allied forces hold their ground instead of moving on to Rome. And thus begins Anzio, one of the few WWII films that concerns the Italian campaign.
Robert Mitchum is Dick Ennis, A battle-hardened war correspondent. When the Allies land, they don’t proceed to Rome because command assumes that German forces are waiting to meet them. Ennis feels the opposite and want the forces to proceed. He boldly borrows a jeep and drives to Rome, coming back without spotting any German forces. His report is discounted, and the Allied troops dig in and wait for the order to move. And we as an audience have to wait as well, as the movie really doesn’t begin to move quickly until time runs down for Allied forces to move on Rome.
Time runs out as the order to move is made just before German forces arrive. With one of the bloodiest battles in World War II looming, it’s up to Allied forces to fight off the Germans. And when the battle arrives, so does the film’s quality as Anzio is as much a good war movie as it is a study in how war affects those who fight it.
The Extras
Theatrical trailers for Anzio, The Guns of Navarone, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Lawrence of Arabia
Overall Score : 7.5 / 10
Disc three – The Caine Mutiny
Director:
Edward Dmytryk
Cast:
Humphrey Bogart……….Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg
José Ferrer……….Lt. Barney Greenwald (as Jose Ferrer)
Van Johnson……….Lt. Steve Maryk
Fred MacMurray……….Lt. Tom Keefer
Robert Francis……….Ens. Willis Seward Keith
May Wynn……….May Wynn
Tom Tully……….Comdr. DeVriess
E.G. Marshall……….Lt. Comdr. Challee
Arthur Franz……….Lt. (j.g.) H. Paynter Jr.
The Caine Mutiny is more of a trial movie as opposed to a true “war” movie, as it focuses on an apparent act of mutiny. It’s a courtroom military drama that is the main inspiration for other military courtroom dramas, including A Few Good Men and Rules of Engagement. Both of these movies borrow some many elements from this in terms of pacing and camera angles, and it’s a useful tool in looking at the history of just exactly how the military trial movie started.
Onboard a small insignificant ship in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, a ship’s Captain (Humphrey Bogart) is removed from his command in an apparent act of mutiny. They disagree with his decision making and think he has crossed the thin line from genius into insanity; as such, they decide to take command of the ship from him. Once docked, they are arrested for their crime. While their has never been an act of mutiny in the Navy (which was a major bone of contention between the service branch and the production staff that nearly got the film cancelled), it’s a very intriguing look at service, leadership, and the decisions men make that alter the fabric of their lives and careers.
And as such, the crew is tried by the military for their crime. The captain’s sanity is questioned in light of the incidents, as the crew argues that the Captain of the ship was mentally unstable as justification for their act. Was this an act of courage by a crew desperate to save their ship? Or was this a mutiny meant to take it over, with the convenient story of the captain’s sanity being used as an excuse?
The Extras
Theatrical trailers for The Caine Mutiny and Dead Reckoning
Overall Score : 8.5 / 10
Disc four – Dead Men’s Secrets: The Secrets of the Sea Wolves
This is a History Channel documentary about the war on the seas that made up a large portion of the fighting during the Second World War. Pulling in interviews from historians and many men who fought during this portion of the war, it’s a remarkable look at the sort of things sailors did and the weapons they fought with.
It’s a mainly historical look at the battle of the high seas and runs around 45 minutes or so.
The Extras: None.
Overall Score : 9 / 10
The Video
Cleaned up from prior releases as well as from the grainy footage of the original theatrical releases, the movies looks great. While they still look like they were short 50 years ago in terms of dress and the times, they don’t have tell-tale signs like a grainy video and/or muted colors and hues. It’s been cleaned up and looks great.
The Audio
With a re-mastered digital surround sound, all three movies sound spectacular. While this is more of a compilation than a true box set, as it’s all three movies from prior releases rolled into one, the audio has been re-done. And it sounds spectacular, especially for a series of movies that need good audio.
The Extras
Scrapbook: There is a scrapbook included that contains some biographical and historical information about all three movies. It also contains pictures and photographs as well, featuring pictures of the original movie posters.
Overall Score : 7.5 / 10
