The classic World War II movie that Tom Hanks loves most
There are few living American actors as iconic and symbolic of Hollywood as Tom Hanks. With modest looks but unbelievably diverse and chameleonic acting prowess, he’s forged himself a career as the ultimate ‘everyman’ – and yet, in the process, has become arguably one of the biggest stars in the movie industry. To top it off, well-documented accounts of his genuine kindness and amiable character have helped secure him as the most beloved actor of multiple generations.
Throughout his 50+ year career, Hanks has worked with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Nora Ephron and Clint Eastwood, mastering all sorts of characters and genres under the sun, whether it be a classic 1980s romantic comedy or a harrowing gangster epic set in pre-code Chicago. Hanks has, however, demonstrated a particular interest in and affinity for World War II. On top of his seminal collaboration with Spielberg for 1998’s Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan, he and the director would come together again to create and produce HBO’s masterful limited series Band of Brothers.
So, when Hanks took part in a Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA), his pick of a particular WWII classic as “one of his favourite films that he didn’t act in” had an added weight and gravitas to it. After first mentioning Rian Johnson’s low-key sci-fi thriller Looper as a recent example, he cited “Das Boot, the director’s cut”. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, this 1981 German-language war epic follows the crew of a submarine patrolling the Atlantic Ocean – and is famous for its 1997 ‘Director’s Cut’ version, which clocked in at a whopping three hours and 40 minutes.
An adaptation of the 1973 novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim, based upon his own experiences aboard the U-96 submarine under a Nazi-controlled German navy, the film’s release was met with immediate international acclaim and praise, earning Petersen the Oscar for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’.
Following war correspondent Lieutenant Werner, the movie explored the varying and conflicting ideologies of the various crewmembers and juxtaposed the action-packed, exciting battle scenes of submarine warfare with intensely mind-numbing stretches of tedium and banality. It was an intelligent, cerebral approach to a war film that used its hefty run-time to fully delve into the lives of the people aboard, painting a vivid and complex portrait of a crew of men with distinct and singular thoughts on war, Germany and the Nazi regime.
Das Boot was particularly trail-blazing in its presentation of the differing ideologies on board the U-96, and it helped challenge and subvert British and American notions that the entire German military at the time were dedicated die-hard Nazis. There is, in fact, only one pro-Nazi officer aboard the submarine, and his zealous commitment to Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich proves irritating to many of the other men he shares the submarine with.
Many versions of Das Boot exist, including a six-part 50-minute series, but Hanks’ choice of the 1997 director’s cut is considered the proper, definitive version. Watch the trailer below.
