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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