The casting department of the production had been looking for a whole year in Bavaria, in Germany and in Austria. The Bavarian company is situated in Munich here some eighty per cent of the film was. See, DAS BOOT is a movie produced by one of the biggest German movie companies – ironically called “Bavaria” as well as the later founded yacht brand. Which is valid for most of the cast by the way. Martin May: “Well … there is none, I fear. Lars Reisberg: “But where is the connection to the oceans and the seas?” And I acted in my first movie in my home town in 1979. I started acting pretty early, during my years in High School and in my A-levels-time I was employed as an extra at the public theatre of Coburg. But I must say that I have always been attracted by the blue. That means the seas have been comparatively far away from within my reach in the first decades of my life. Martin May: “Yes, I was born in Coburg, that´s the Northern part of Bavaria, called Upper Franconia. NO FRILLS | Lars Reisberg: “Martin, why the seas? Why sailing? If I remember correctly, you originate more from the southern part of Germany, right?” “I joined the club of real sailors pretty late” We jump into the car and drive to Kiel where the last remaining type VII-C U-boats of World War 2 is exhibited – and thus the sibling of Martin May´s movie-prop in which he was acting as Ensign Ullmann. Let´s go, I tell him: We have quite a program ahead. Ensign Ullmann and Lieutenant Werner – a special relationship in the film. It´s 38 years since the production of one of Germany´s best movies ever took place, but his memories seem as vivid as if it was yesterday the last “Action!” was announced by director Wolfgang Petersen. We sit down, have a coffee and talk about what shaped Martin´s live. I pick him up in Hamburg where he lives, ring the bell at his flat and with a bright smile he is standing in the door, welcoming me: “I´ve prepared something for you, my friend.” A box filled with black/white and coloured photographs, some from the scenes but most of them shot by Martin during his time at the set of DAS BOOT in the Eighties. Meeting Martin May, aka Ensign Ullmann in Hamburg Why Martin? Well, he was part of a very, very special crew – playing one of the members of the submarine crew of DAS BOOT. Last time sailing here on a J/80 with Martin Menzner an idea struck me and now, some weeks later I was so happy to return to the U-boat with Martin May whom I got to know during a celebrity regatta in Croatia last year. Martin May, 2019 – some 38 years after he was part of the DAS BOOT cast. Every time I leave or enter the Kiel Fjord I take a long look at a grey steel cylinder jacked on dry land on the Northern end of the Fjord: The U-996 German submarine Type VII-C. I don´t think I have to introduce the movie (or better, the TV-series) DAS BOOT all too much: The 1980 production of a German U-boat´s voyage into the abyss and back (and again into the abyss) is a cinematic classic and from my own point of view the best German movie to date.
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