Wednesday, 19 November 2014

Das Boot Chosen Scene Breakdown: First Draft (Cinematography And Sound)

I have chosen to analyse a scene from Das Boot which is called “Not Yet Kameraden”. Das Boot is a German war film, directed and written by Wolfgang Petersen, which takes place during the Second World War and it follows the life of the German soldiers on a U-boat in 1941. In the scene that I have chosen, the men are attempting to raise the U-boat after it had been stuck 300 metres below the ocean due to it being attacked by a British convoy.

The scene begins with a medium wide shot of all the German soldiers on the U-boat cramped together as they stare desperately at the depth meter. This shot is used to show the horrendously claustrophobic conditions the men had to live in during their time spent on the submarine and it also represents how they have all become very close friends after the traumatizing events they have been through together.  The lighting in this shot has a strong red tint to it which symbolises danger therefore creating intensity because the audience do not know what is going to happen next so are left at the edge of their seats. The atmosphere is almost silent; all we can hear is the sound of the men shuffling around quietly. The silence is used to show that the men are concentrating and are almost afraid to speak because they are waiting for something to happen.

The captain then instructs the engineer to “blow all her tanks” and before the engineer does so, a medium close up is used which shows him closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, as if he is praying that everything is going to work out and that the U-boat will be recovered. A medium close up is used in order to show these emotions and also so the audience can see him blowing the tanks of the submarine. It then cuts back to the medium wide shot of the men who are all breathing heavily and looking extremely anxious and I feel that this was a very good shot to use because it shows that they all have their eyes intensively glued on the depth meter as they are aware that this is there last opportunity to be saved. We then get several extreme close ups of the depth meter and this shot is used in order to inform the audience on what the men are seeing so it also serves as a point of view shot as we are put in the men’s shoes and get a detailed account of their visions.

There is an excellent use of cinematography in the following wide shot which shows the submarine underneath the murky green water. Firstly, the colour green symbolises hope which represents how the submarine has a good chance of rising. Secondly, the use of the wide shot allows the audience to clearly see the setting and they are able to see that the submarine is stuck between a rock which is one of the reasons why it was struggling to rise. Suddenly, the submarine jolts and the men jump at this unexpected movement causing the audience to jump with them. The audience react in such a way because they feel very engrossed and involved with the scene as they are also desperate for the U-boat to rise. Soon after, there is another extreme close up to show the depth meter and this time, the meter is moving upwards to which one of the Men say “she’s rising” followed by everyone cheering excitedly for the first time in quite a while. This cheer triggers the audience to feel immensely happy and relieved for the Men because they know that this is the moment they have been waiting for. The shots then swap between the wide shot of the submarine to see it rising, the extreme close up of the depth meter to show it moving upwards and the medium shot of the men to show that they are feeling relieved and reassured. In the background, violin music is playing in which the pitch is gradually getting higher which symbolises triumph and our hearts are racing because we want the U-boat to rise completely.

An establishing shot of the ocean is then used to introduce the audience to the new setting which is above the ocean as appose to below it. Victory music plays which increases in speed as the U-boat rises to the top of the ocean. This is used in order to show the immense power and strength of the U-boat because it has emerged from the negativity that once prevented it from making any progress. A low angle shot is then used to show the captain opening the roof of the U-boat and climbing up and I believe this shot was purposely used to firstly show he has power over the other men because only he can climb up and also to show strength and victory because he, along with the other men, has defeated the almost impossible. As soon as the captain opens the roof, water falls down on him which is clearly refreshing and he is content to experience such a feeling; it is as if he is climbing up to freedom and away from the danger within the submarine which is still represented by the red lighting. Next, there is a medium close up of the men which shows them huddled very tightly around the opening and this is used to represent how they are all desperate for a breath of fresh air. They are all breathing in as much air as they can which shows they have missed pure oxygen, which is a necessity, and they are relieved to have it back.

The camera is now in the engine room and there is a medium wide shot of one of the engineers who has been given permission to start the engines. The atmosphere is silent to show concentration and before he does anything, the engineer looks behind his shoulder for encouragement as he is afraid they will still not work after spending such a long time trying to fix them. A medium wide shot is used so the audience are able to see the body language of the engineer as well as his facial expressions and also to give the audience an insight as to what the engine room looks like.  As soon as we hear that the engines are working, a medium close up is used of the chief captain to clearly show that he is very excited and he laughs with extreme relief and happiness and he cannot stop smiling which is very effective resulting in the audience also feeling very content and relieved.

The same triumphant music as what was played previously is used in the background as the U-boat storms through the ocean to symbolise achievement and the camera has a handheld feel to it as it moves along with the waves in order to create a realistic effect. The shot shows strong waves splashing against the two men who are standing on the deck of the submarine. This is used to represent that it is a fresh and better start for them now that the U-boat is on the move. A very effective line is used at the end of the scene which is performed excellently by the captain because he says it in such a strong and believable voice. The line is: “not yet kameraden, not yet!” which translates to: “not yet comrades, not yet!” and it shows how the captain will not allow himself and the other crew members to be defeated easily and how it would take a lot more in order to demolish them completely. 

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