Das Boot is a 1981 German war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann. The film is an adaptation of Lothar-Günther Buchheim's 1973 German novel of the same name, which is based on Buchheim's own experiences as a war correspondent on a German submarine during World War II.
Das Boot tells the story of a group of German submar sailors during the Battle of the Atlantic. The film is notable for its realistic portrayal of the dangers and hardships faced by submariners, as well as its use of a hand-held camera to give the viewer a sense of being on board the submarine.
Das Boot was a critical and commercial success and is widely considered one of the greatest war films ever made. It received six Academy Award nominations and has been hailed as a classic of the genre.