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49th Parallel - Criterion Collection |  | Director: Michael Powell
Actors: Richard George, Eric Portman, Raymond Lovell, Niall MacGinnis, Peter Moore (XII)
Studio: Criterion
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $23.48
as of 11/27/2009 15:22 CST details
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New (33) Used (9) from $14.99
Seller: moderntimesonline
Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 25685
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), German (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 123 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: DCC1683D
UPC: 715515022422
EAN: 0715515022422
ASIN: B000KRNGN6
Theatrical Release Date: April 15, 1942
Release Date: February 20, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
At once a compelling piece of anti-isolationist propaganda and a quick-witted wartime thriller 49th Parallel is a classic early work from the inimitable British filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. When a Nazi U-boat crew headed by the ruthless Eric Portman is stranded in Canada during the thick of World War II the men evade capture by hiding out in a series of rural communities before trying to cross the border into the still-neutral United States. Both soul-stirring and delightfully entertaining 49th Parallel features a colorful cavalcade of characters played by larger-than-life actors Laurence Olivier Raymond Massey Anton Walbrook and Leslie Howard. System Requirements:Run Time: 107 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 715515022422 Manufacturer No: CC1683DDVD
Amazon.com
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 The 49th Parallel, 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 The Invaders. --Sean Axmaker
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 Turgid propaganda August 21, 2009
One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
The Bottom Line:
A dull propaganda film from the Archers that concerned a Nazi Uboat crew stranded in Canada trying to make its way to then-neutral America, 49th Parallel sounds a lot more interesting than it actually is; I don't object to WWII message movies on principle (Foreign Correspondent is a masterful film) but I do object to how much this picture drags in the second act and how the most developed characters are somehow the one-note evil Nazis.
2.5/4
 Propa-gangrene August 7, 2009
LV (FRANKLIN, MA USA)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Whoever bankrolled and approved this film couldn't have had much respect for North American culture and it's educational system (could it have been old Winston himself?). But it almost would have been worth it if Olivier was well utilized. But instead we are forced to endure a bizarre, vaudeville-like performance of an illiterate French Canadian trapper. Fortunately, he was killed off early in the film preventing continued embarrassment. The apish and egocentric gyrations only get worse as the film goes along (I thought Raymond Massey was going to have an orgasm). Much of the on-location filming was very nice, that's the only good thing I can say about this sad and embarrassing film. I wonder,........ have most of us gotten to the point yet that we understand that propaganda isn't merely a point of view. It is manipulation that doesn't want you to think,....... just feel, in your lower base self.
 "You can't even begin to understand democracy." July 8, 2009
Westley (Stuck in my head)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
British director Michael Powell (The Red Shoes, Peeping Tom) scored his first critical hit with World War II actioner "49th Parallel." After their submarine is destroyed in a skirmish with Canadian aircraft, five Nazis find themselves on the run in the Hudson Bay area. As they make their way across the great north, the Nazis meet various Canadians of different backgrounds. Laurence Olivier plays a French-Canadian trapper who has just returned with his Inuit sidekick (Ley On) from a long expedition; Raymond Massey is a grousing Canadian soldier who may be AWOL; Leslie Howard plays a seemingly effete Brit who is more interested in art than the war; Glynis Johns is a young German emigrant who lost her mother in the war and has joined a Hutterite colony; and so forth.
"49th Parallel" is a fascinating movie that quite successfully weaves WWII British propaganda into a rip-roaringly good story. Commissioned by the U.K. Ministry of Information and released in 1941 before the United States joined the war efforts, the movie is aimed at influencing a neutral American audience. For example, having the Nazis land in Canada and then make their way toward the U.S. clearly was intended to scare American audiences - the Nazis are on their way!!! The dialogue also was intended to influence Americans, with the Nazis criticizing democracy and the Canadian (and therefore American) way of life at every turn. In contrast, the Canadian characters are portrayed as having remarkable freedom and tolerance and essentially being brave and good people. The movie works well as propaganda, and screenwriter Emeric Pressburger reportedly indicated later that he wanted to show Goebbels a thing or two about propaganda.
Fortunately, the propaganda aspect of "49th Parallel" is wrapped in the cloak of a whip-smart thriller, more reminiscent of Hitchcock than "Mrs. Miniver." After the Nazis ditch their uniforms, they successfully mill amongst the average Canadians, but they are willing to kill when needed. Each new encounter becomes more tension-filled as the Nazis become more desperate; the script by Pressburger and Rodney Ackland deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Writing. Some might find the propaganda irritating, but I really didn't think that it impeded the plot, and it added an unusual element to the story. The movie was a success and ended up being the biggest British hit in America up to that point and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. It's a pity that "49th Parallel" is not more widely remembered today.
THE BATTLE OF WORLDVIEWS!! August 16, 2008
Loves To Read (Twin Cities, MN USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
Powell & Pressburgerlicious November 8, 2007
gail powers (Homewood, IL United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
With the advent of Criterion releasing so many Powell/Pressburger colaborations to video, I've become a real fan of their stuff and 49th Parallel is no exception.
The story involves the activities of a group of fugitive German soldiers crossing Canada during World War II who try to evade capture while spreading the word of 'der Fuehrer'. While the premise doesn't sound all that original considering the propagandistic output of the film industry at the time, the script and performances make this film one of the best. The photography in certain scenes borders on the expressionistic with great visuals of Canada in all its natural glory. The acting is right on the mark and contains segments featuring great canadian and british actors of the '40's.....Anton Walbrook, Olivier, Raymond Massey, Glynnis Johns, Leslie Howard.
Filmed in black and white it may lack some of the intensity of Black Narcissus, but the print is good and the story even better.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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