By Lonnie Harris Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The makers of "U-571," a new submarine film following a group of
American seamen in their attempt to steal a code- breaker from a
German U-boat during WWII, take special care to note that their
film is not technically based on any actual events. Instead, they
argue, it’s a composite inspired by several different actual WWII
missions made by both British and American naval officers.
It’s an important distinction in this era when so many films
based on actual events, from "The Hurricane" to "The Insider" to
"Erin Brockovich" have come under fire for taking artistic
liberties with true stories.
There has already been some griping in the British press about
"U-571," which ends with an American crew salvaging the
all-important Enigma code-breaking machine used by the German Navy
off the American East Coast in 1941. In truth, the first Enigma
machine was captured in May of 1941 by a crew led by Lt. Commander
David Balme.
"The Enigma was something very real," director Jonathan Mostow
said. "It existed on submarines. It was a code that we were
desperately trying to break. We captured an Enigma from a U-Boat. I
felt that it was fair game, but this is clearly a work of fiction.
In ‘Hunt for Red October,’ no one ever says, ‘Hey, wait a second,
the Russians never defected a sub.’"
To help keep the filmmakers true to the history of their tale,
Mostow ("Breakdown") consulted with numerous experts on U-boats and
code-breaking-related espionage from WWII, from those who were
present to witness the activities and historians who have made
submarine warfare their academic pursuit.
Technical advisors for the film include author of "Seizing the
Enigma" and leading cryptology researcher David Kahn and
Vice-Admiral Patrick Hannifin, who served in the U.S. Navy during
WWII and operated submarines for 35 years.
"One of the great joys of making movies is that it gives me an
opportunity to encounter people I otherwise never would have met,"
Mostow said. "The fact that admirals, submarine veterans, the
world’s leading expert on Enigma cryptology and the war hero who
actually captured the first Enigma device have given the film their
blessing is very meaningful to me."
One of the key technical details captured in "U-571" which other
similar films haven’t really dealt with is the poor condition of
the Navy’s own submarines at the onset of the War. The War
Department had failed to allocate appropriate funds for new
submarines before 1942, so most of the submarines sent out before
that time were left over from the first World War, with horribly
out-of-date technology.
To express the ominous nature of these shaky early boats, the
film includes many shots of sprung leaks and hull breaches, adding
to its authenticity.
"I love being able to have a blueprint, and be able to say,
‘That happened,’ because then there’s something to work off of,"
said co-star Matthew McConaughey. "We had Admiral Patrick Hannifin
on the set, so there was always somebody that you could ask, ‘What
was it really like?’ Here’s the script, but what was it like there?
What’s the attitude there?"
The story of "U-571" starts off simply  a German U-boat
finds itself off the Eastern Seaboard, replete with a functioning
Enigma code machine, the key item needed for the Allies to crack
German codes and therefore turn the tables of the war in the
Atlantic.
The Navy sends an elite submarine crew, headed by Lt. Commander
Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton) and his second-in- command, Lt. Andrew
Tyler (McConaughey), to the U-boat. Disguised as a German rescue
squad, they hope to fool the sailors long enough to get on board
the disabled vessel and get the Enigma machine. Unfortunately,
while the crew is there, their own submarine is sunk by a German
destroyer, leaving them in the middle of hostile waters on the deck
of a foreign, and broken, submarine.
The film is the brainchild of fellow screenwriters Sam
Montgomery and David Ayer from an original story by Mostow. The
filmmakers and actors involved in the project strove for the
maximum level of authenticity, from details in the art direction to
the personalities and relationships of the men operating submarines
during the World War II.
"These guys really wanted to do a true-to-life World War II
submarine movie," Paxton said. "What’s fun about doing these kind
of movies is that you get to learn some cool history. It’s supposed
to just be a thrilling experience for the audience, and it sort of
picks up where ‘Das Boot’ left off."
"Das Boot" was director Wolfgang Peterson’s 1981 groundbreaking
German-made submarine film. Coincidentally, that movie’s production
designer Gotz Weidner, along with American art director William
Skinner, joined forces to give "U-571" a similar feeling, while
adding more modern effects and design techniques.
The entire effect does give the feeling of a living history of
sorts, despite all those warnings that it’s just a made-up
thriller.
"I know the British are upset," Paxton said. "But, it’s always
just been a work of fiction. It’s just a fun ride."
FILM: "U-571" opens in theaters nationwide Friday.