Re: Combat films

In message <38D18732.A7DDCF85@ptdprolog.net> Michael Sarno writes:
> 
> 
> adrian.johnson@sympatico.ca wrote:
> 
> > And rent Das Boot in the original German (with English subtitles) if
you
> > can find that version - I saw it in the theatres when originally
released
> > and it blew me away.  More so the German version than the dubbed
one.  And
> > I recommend avoiding the special edition extendamix version of Das
Boot -
> > the extra footage doesn't add anything to the story.
> 
>     You're right, the "director's cut" doesn't add anything to the
story.	The
> story in "Das Boot" is rather simple and it would be difficult to add
to it
> without actually taking something away from it.  The real strength of 
"Das Boot"
> is in its realism and in the film's ability to capture the mood and
feeling of
> being in submarine warfare.  The "director's cut" does the original
one better.
> It's available for purchase at Suncoast Video: director's cut, German
with
> subtitles, widescreen format.

I'm finding this a very curious thread. My recollection of Das
Boot is that it first appeared in the UK as a TV mini-series of
maybe four-to-six hours total length. It was marvellous.

I really think that this is the best way to film novels, or to do
any intelligent story justice. The two-hour Hollywood format has a
standard template to which all scripts must be normalised and this
usually cuts the bollocks off any novel worth reading.

I'm sure all our local libraries have at least one "how to write a
script for Hollywood"-type of book, probably written by Syd Field.
Read it and weep.

--
David Brewer