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Re: 'Ghostboat'

Posted by: JTMcDaniel ()

Date: January 09, 2010 05:44AM

Knowing little or nothing about the subject is probably an advantage in watching most sub movies. If you know very much all the mistakes tend to detract from the story.

The boat used is quite authentic, at least externally, but it is not an actual German boat. It was built in a Maltese yard as a prop for the movie U-571, and has substituted for other submarines (usually very inappropriately) in other films. The interiors were sets, but equally accurate. U-571's director was obsessive about making everything look right, having everything built from original plans, though this dedication to accuracy did not extend to the script, which was a typical wartime propaganda film plot.

If the use of a Typ VII replica as a British boat seems a bit inaccurate, keep in mind that the same boat was used in an American TV movie to stand in for both USS Squalus and USS Sculpin, in a fictionalized account of the accidental sinking of Squalus and the rescue of part of her crew. Among other differences, a USS fleet boat was nearly 100' longer, and at that time would have been fitted with a high, enclosed bridge.

J.T. McDaniel

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Subject	Written By	Posted
'Ghostboat'	David W	03/27/2006 03:12PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	J.T. McDaniel	03/28/2006 02:01AM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Barry Scully	03/28/2006 08:08PM
Re: 'Ghostboat' & David Jason	Phil Johnson	04/10/2006 12:30PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Wiljan Bakers	04/04/2006 10:32PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	David W	04/05/2006 11:24AM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Brian	04/10/2006 12:52PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Ian Stapley	04/11/2006 04:33PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	John Griffiths	06/14/2006 09:44PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Christopher Miles	07/27/2006 02:51PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Ken Dunn	07/27/2006 07:20PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Christopher Miles	07/28/2006 10:42AM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Ken Dunn	07/28/2006 01:16PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Christopher Miles	07/28/2006 03:08PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	ROBERT M.	07/28/2006 11:37PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Dan Odenweller	07/28/2006 01:34PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	BM	11/29/2006 06:56PM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	Fozzie	12/17/2009 12:39AM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	JTMcDaniel	01/09/2010 05:44AM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	ROBERT M.	01/09/2010 08:45AM
Re: 'Ghostboat'	JTMcDaniel	01/10/2010 07:22AM

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JTMcDaniel Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knowing little or nothing about the subject is
> probably an advantage in watching most sub movies.
> If you know very much all the mistakes tend to
> detract from the story.
> 
> The boat used is quite authentic, at least
> externally, but it is not an actual German boat.
> It was built in a Maltese yard as a prop for the
> movie U-571, and has substituted for other
> submarines (usually very inappropriately) in other
> films. The interiors were sets, but equally
> accurate. U-571's director was obsessive about
> making everything look right, having everything
> built from original plans, though this dedication
> to accuracy did not extend to the script, which
> was a typical wartime propaganda film plot.
> 
> If the use of a Typ VII replica as a British boat
> seems a bit inaccurate, keep in mind that the same
> boat was used in an American TV movie to stand in
> for both USS Squalus and USS Sculpin, in a
> fictionalized account of the accidental sinking of
> Squalus and the rescue of part of her crew. Among
> other differences, a USS fleet boat was nearly
> 100' longer, and at that time would have been
> fitted with a high, enclosed bridge.
> 
> J.T. McDaniel