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49th Parallel
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by MGM (Video & DVD)
Sales Rank: 21405
Price: $14.95
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During World War II, Michael Powell and his writer-producer partner Emeric Pressberger were enlisted to make films in support of the British war effort. While many of their contemporaries turned out routine thrillers, Powell and Pressberger created inventive dramas with a patriotic purpose. The 1941 adventure <I>The 49th Parallel</I>, about a small German U-boat crew stranded in Canada off Hudson's Bay, is a prime example of wartime propaganda turned into rousing entertainment with smart writing, engaging characters, and creative cinema. As the Germans traverse the length of Canada, attempting to outrun authorities while seeking a passage to the still-neutral United States, they encounter a wide array of citizens from all walks of life, including French Canadian trapper Laurence Olivier (with a perhaps overenthusiastic accent), Hutterites Anton Walbrook and Glynis Johns, intellectual aesthete Leslie Howard, and two-fisted AWOL soldier Raymond Massey. As the Nietzschian sermons of Nazi leader Hirth (Eric Portman) fall on deaf ears, his party dwindles in number as the people of Canada rise up to stop his escape, not so much with violence as with pure defiance. The rhetoric isn't subtle--the film was designed to both strengthen ties to Canada and encourage America's entrance into the war--but the vivid location shooting provides a marvelous travelogue of Canada's landscapes and natural beauty and a loving portrait of the rich culture north of the 49th parallel. The picture earned Emeric Pressberger an Academy Award for his original story. This movie is also known as <I>The Invaders</I>. <I>--Sean Axmaker</I>
Viewer Reviews
First of all, this Criterion-restored version is a great quality picture, clean and crisp. Second, it is a movie with an ulterior motive, that of getting the then-neutral USA into the war. While I don't think it detracts from the entertainment merits, some people do. The story begins with a German U-Boat somewhere in the northern part of Canada. It destroys a Canadian cargo ship and then refuses to help save the survivors. The commander decides to head for Hudson Bay to lay low for awhile until they can escape. They send a small crew ashore to steal supplies they will need. While the U-Boat is surfaced, it is spotted by the Canadian Air Force and destroyed. The stranded crew on shore must try to navigate their way to the 49TH PARALLEL (the line dividing the US and Canada) and the neutral U.S. where they can find freedom. The propaganda enters in when they encounter Canadian citizens in their journey and enter into debates about the merits of democracy versus the white supremacy worldview of 'The Fuhrer'. There are some surprising turns and twists and a satisfying ending. A very interesting aspect of WWII and how it affected Canadians. There were some 500,000 Germans living in Canada at the time and apparently some 850 were interned for being Nazi spies as well as subversives and saboteurs. There are several interesting extras along with the Criterion edition. Enjoy. WWW.LUSREVIEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM.
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