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The introduction of submarines in the First World War was seen as a crucial change to the nature of warfare, and proved to be a formidable force: the German U-boat campaigns in both World Wars constituted serious threats to Britain’s survival. This film provides a unique and remarkable illustration of the effectiveness of the campaign in the First World War, accompanying the U-35 and its charismatic commander Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière as they attack and sink a number of allied merchant ships in the Mediterranean and east Atlantic in the spring of 1917. The film stresses the chivalry with which de la Perière conducts his attacks – a careful attempt to reassure German and neutral audiences after the allies had successfully used actions like the torpedoing of the Lusitania to brand U-boat sinkings as atrocities. The Imperial War Museum Film and Video Archive has a number of examples of films from the First World War era which illustrate the war fought at sea, including films showing the other side of the U-boat war, such as ‘With the Eyes of the Navy' (1918), a record of anti-submarine warfare, and even ‘The Great Game’ (1918), a propaganda film which represents the struggle between shipbuilders and submarines in terms of a football match with ships built or ships sunk counting as “goals” for either side. Also held is ‘The Exploits of a German Submarine…’ (1919), a post-war film which re-uses the footage from ‘Der magische Gürtel’ to make a propaganda point exactly opposite to the original German intention. ‘Der magische Gürtel’ illustrates the Film and Video Archive’s recent efforts at film restoration, seeking to replicate the tinting and toning colour effects used in the original prints. This work was facilitated by a grant from the EU’s Projecto Lumière and by sponsorship from Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. |
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